The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-07-30
AN ANXIOUS INQUIRER.

In another part of the HERALD,
this morning, young man asks the
old question, "What shall we do
with our girls2" They are not the
girls to which the query usually ap-
plies, nor does the interrogation want
to know what to do with them in
the same sense that others have
done when propounding the ever
important conundruH. He tells the
story of himself and some, perhaps
many, others in the community,
though it is hoped the number is
small and asks how the Edmunds
law, which is soon to be put in Oper-
alton here, viii apply to him and
his associates. We can inform him
how the law will affect him and
those sin the same boat" if it shall
be applied literally according to its
plain letter. In the first place he
will be treated, unmarried as he is
and as he is likely to continue, pre-
cisely as if he were a polygamist,
with this difference, that the fine
provided for the polygamist is
$500, and the imprisonment not
more than five years, and the
fine for our EAST" young corTespon-
dent is $500, and the Imprisonment
not more than six months. Politi-
cally Anxious" is DISTINGUISHED by
the law-deprived Of his rights as a
citizen to vote and hold office-the
same as his neighbor who may be
the husband If three, four or six
wives. The law Is remarkably
plain on this point, and why any
"liberal" or other person should have
formed the opinion 1t did not apply
to him is difficult to understand. If
any one guilty of the practice re-
ferred to by our correspondent had
any idea that he was not meant, he
had better re-read the following
section of the act, and if he does not
then understand it, apply to any
lawyer for an Interpretation:
Section 8-That no polygamist, bicam-
lst, or any person cohsbitipg with more
than one woman, and 20 woman cohab-
1rng with any Of the persons described
As AFORESAID IN this fection, In any terri
Sory or other place over which the
United States have exclusive jurisdic-
lon, shau be entitled 10 vote Of any cleo
ZION held IN any such territory or other
place, or be eligible for election or sp-
polAtment "a or be entitled 10 hold any
once or place Of public trust, honor or
emolument 10, under, or for any such
SeEIltory or place, or under the United
States.
If this section means anything.
and it clearly does, it means that no
person cohabiting with more than
one woman shall be entitled to vote
or hold Office. 1t does not mean
simply any Mormon, any Meth
Odist, or any non-religionist.
but any man whether he belongs to
a church, is a rank infdel or a wild
Arab. IL is this section of the law
that makes the act so distasteful to
SO many who were most anxious to
secure the passage Of the bill. 1t is
a twO-edged sword cutting on both
sides, and may prove a weapon of
defense as well as attack. We have
known times in Utah when Judges,
jarors and prosecuting attorneys
would all be lOath to attack a man
because of his violation Of this law,
lest the justice they melted ont be
measured to them again.
How the law will De Interpreted
and applied in the matter Of disfrsn-
chisement are things to be learned
hereafter, when the commissioners
shall have arrived and gone to work.
TO be honest, fair and consistent
to be lawful, in fact, they must