The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-02-03
TELEGRAPHIC NEWS
THE JOsEPHIrEs.


Washington, Reconsideration of
the Mormon question by Congress
is about to receive q fresh impetus
through the presence in the city of
committee appointed by the gen.
eral conference of the "Reorganlzed
Church of Christ of Latter-day
Saints" to wait upon the President
and Congress and present their YER
sion of the Utah problem, and their
proposed solution. z. II. Gurley and
Z. l.. Kelly constitute this commit
tee. and yesterday they were pre-
scented to President Arthur by Rep
resentative KaSson, and had an ex-
tended conference with him. They
have prepared a memorial, which
will soon be laid before both houses
of Congress, and which they think
will not only remove some false i'm
pressions which obtain with refer
ence to the Mormon Church, but
will facilitate true appreciation Of
the Utah proslem, and perhaps sug
gest solution Of it. Their memo
rial sets forth that the Mormon
Church, although claSged and known
generally as Mormon" is and ever
has been opposed to and uncom-
promising with that polygamic body
in Utah, also called Mormon. The
ReorganiZed Mormon Church. under
the leadership of Joseph Smith,
son Of the original Mormon
head, and duly organized and
incorporated under the lava of the
State of Illinois, has steadily, for the
past thirty years, opposed and de-
nounced the doctrine and practice
of polygamy, and has all the time
kept and sustained missionaries IN
Utah to preach against them, the
result being that at lest 10000 per
SONS in that territory have thus
been extricated from the corruption
of pelygamy and its consummate
ills. 1t asks that more effective
measures be enacted and carried into
effect by the government for the
suppression Of polygamy in the ter
ritories. The Mormon Church, says
this memorial, has in round num-
bers 500 organized churches, $50 Of
which are in the United States, with
a ministry of 1900 persons, and a
membership of 10000 communicates
and 10000 others who sustain the
church in its work. Nine-tenths
of these are citizens of the United
States and are loyal to the govern.
ment. The memorial dis
cusses at some length the legal
questions involved, and quotes
from the Book of Mormon to show
that polygamy is not part Of Nor
monism, but that on the contrary
it is especially prohibited and urges
that the trueSt point from which to
deal with polygamy is that it is no
part of the Mormon faith proper,
but a lOathsome incumbrance. This,
they say. will prevent those who
practice pOlygamy from raising the
cry of persecution and thereby
holding with them thousands OF
honest, ignorant souls Of their num-
Der in Utah who are not actually
engaged in the practice of this
crime, and who would otherwise re-
pudiate it and become good citizens
The memorial suggests additional
Legislation by Congress, so that
avowed polygamists may not be
allowed to sit as jurors when one OF
their number is being tried for big
amy; that the statute of limitations
be so amended that all persons, male
or female, may be punished fol
the crime of polygamy; that the
homestead law be so amended that
polyganous wives shall not be re-
cognized under the title of "heads
of families" and that the reputation
of living together and Capitalization
be received in courts as evidence to
prove the marriage relation.