Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-02-22
The AnIi.POIygamy Bill.

Senator Edmunds succeeded on Ihurs-
day in having his anti-Eolygamy bill pass
the Senate without a division. There
were criticisms of the bill in debate. on
the ground that it went too far and on the
ground that 1t did not go far enough. but
when 1t came TO voting its opponents made
no contest.
The bill aims at depriving polygamists
of political power after the close of the
present year. 1t DISTINGUISHES them and
excludes them from office. A board of
five commissioners to be appointed by the
president will have charge of registration
and the conduct of elections. Its attack
is not made on the Mormon faith but on a
crime practiced under cover of that faith.
1t is very likely that in the House an at
tempt will be made TO pass more radical
bill OF 10 amend the Edmunds bill and
make its provisions so stringent as to de-
prive all Mormons of political power
whether they are guilty of polygamy or
not. The result will be undoubtedly that
the EdmundS bill will pass substantially
in its present shape for the moment con-
gress attempts to deal with men for their
belief dangerous ground is reached, and
law and most precedents are against 60
ing farther than the bill in question.
There are about $50 900 persons in Utah
of whom fve-sixths are Mormons. But
moderate per centage of the Mormon
men are in the practice of polygamy but
all "orthodox Mormons " of the present
day believe in it. The Mormon vote is Of
course the controlling vote and the polyg'
amists are in control of the Mormon vote,
so that practically the territorial govern
ment is administered by those who prac-
tice polygamy and they have full control
in all matters of administration.
Even under the Edmunds bill the Nor
mon vote would be much larger than the
"Gentile" vote. And it is problematical
what the result there will be when the bill
becomes law. The polygamists may
give up their extra wives for the sake OF
retaining political power; or that power
may be put INTO the hands of Mormons
who have not entered upon the practice
that after the foundation of the Mormon
church was added to its original plan and
which has become the most distinguishing
characteristic of the Latter Day Saints.
In any event the bill is the first deadly
blow o poly gamv and sooner or later will
with such ADDITIONS as time shall show
needfu be fatal to it.
1t is quite fitting that the remedy u
this disc ase Of the body polite shout CONT
from Vermont for Joseph Smith the found
er of the faith, Brigham Young, who
for years its prophetand who firmly estah
lished polygamy within the now "church
and Heber c. KlmbtIl, who was An acIv,
leader, were ali Vermonters by birth.
Smith was horn in Sharon, December %
1905, Young in Nottingham and Ktmbar
in the eastern part of Orange county
Smiths parents went to Palmyra, New
York, in 1916 and in 1920 to Manchester
New York. He claimed to have been first
supernaturally visited in 1928 and to have
received the tablets from which came the
book OF Mormon in 1927. In 1880 this
book appeared and the better authority is
that it was founded on manuscript novel
written by ono Solomon Spalding somt
fourteen years before it male its appear.
arce as the Mormon bible; and that Smith
with the aid of one Rigdon perpctratec
the literary and religious fraud.
AT any rate in 1880 they established thu
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter.Day
Saints" and the next year having gaintt
number OF converts settled them il
Ohio, and Jackson county, Missouri
Within two or three years Brigham Young
was in the work and there began to b,
the suspicion of polygamy abont the new
sect. In 1882 the Kirkland colony was
mobbed but it was not given up till )
years ldtCls AL lCOO lllC UaChSOu
Mormons in Missouri were treated will
great cruelty and driven away, settling the
next year in Clay county in the same state
In 1887 Hebrc G. kinbal and Orson Hyd
began the work of getting converts in En-
Gland and since then Mormon missionary
work" has been actively conducted il
Europe,
When Kirkland wa, given up in 1881
he Mormons in Missouri were hard
pressed also, and that year the whole 10
went to Illinois to n place callel Com
mercc; this name was changed 10 Nanyo
and for years they were in a f1ourishing
condition. and under the direction of 10
seph Smith and his brother IIyram appca
to have boon in fair estate 10 conduc
and in very good one ofthrilt. June q
1874, the Smiths were killed and what tn
MormoHs regard as their persecution
began There was no dcarlh in The sc
verify of the measures employed agains
them and in Feorury, 1916, they crosse
the Mississippi and began their ives or
pilgrimage; stayed II year in Iowa; an
in lS47 their advance guard reached U,a
and founded Great Salt Like City, 70
loved by the main body the next ye,,
Utan WIS admitted as q territory in 1856
and August 20, 1852, Brigham Youn
formally attached the doctrine of IL plura
iiy of wives 10 the Mormon faith.
Fr some yeats after the open prumu
garlon OF tbs article of faith Young al
his fellows carried things win hig
hand. The Murmons reptii the wons tn,
hat suffered by melting TO and adm
Indians in attacks upon settlers and en-
grants, anu OF themselves did many h;
deeds. The famous NJ, untaln MeuIo
M ,ssare, tEat wits not punished /
twenty years, took place and the Ian
year things came to such pass tn
United States troops were sent INFO It
territory "a hnra thpu rpmuinat tIl 1870