The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-05-30
THE DEBATE.
continuation Of the Cam n
Campbell Contest In &
House.
lannon's Argument.
CONTINUED from sur.dq1s Daizg.

Soln mug WHICH 80 mncl mas Oe6n eoluI
wish to say few words. Do gentlemen
understand that If the people Of my terri
tory, those who are accused Of violating
law in having more wives than One-l
say do gentlemen, IN considering this
question, not understand that If licen-
tIeusness and lechery were the objects
TO be accomplished, that the people could
reach this in much cheaper and much
more popular manner than by marrying
women and sustaining and making legiti-
mate their children? Why it needs no
argument upon this point. The mere
suggestion brings conviction to the mind
Of any person who reasons that the
methods in. vogue elsewhere and which
provoke no wrath would be much more
likely to have been adopted to accom-
plish such purpose if that had been the
object.
Why should I stand here and be as
sailed, abused, and denounced as have
been for lechery, because of marrying
wives? Was it necessary that wives
should be taken to crafty sensuslity? I
have no need to take any wife to accom-
plish that. have no need to take to
myself the burden and responsibility Of
g family for that purpose. The people
1 represent would not need to be kept out
Of the Union (that being, We are told, the
great reason that Utah has not sooner
been admitted As one of the statee) if the
motives which have been attributed to
them on this floor were the ones which
have prompted them to contract mArri-
ages. There would be no necessity to
place themselves in such q peculiar posi-
ton if the qualification Of passion were,
as alleged, the sole object. What, then,
is it2
Mr.. Speaker, the people of Utah have
profound convictions concerning many
things. They have left their homes
more than oEce for the sake of religion,
and have been forced to make themselves
new homes in q distant land. Marriage
is an institution concerning which they
have strong convictions. 1t may be said
that this is not religion; but whether it is
or not, they believe it to be religion.
The Catholic has ideas as to what Is re-
ligion. The Episeopslisn has his ideas
also upon the same subject; so with the
Presbyterisns, the Metbodists, the Bap-
lists, the Quskers, the Unitarisns, and
others; and who shall decide until the
great day when men shall be judged and
rewarded or punished for the deeds done
in he body, between them?
My constituents believe that God has
given q command concerning marriage,
and that he never gives q command
without an object, and that object in this
instance is to redeem the human family
from the terrible evils under which in
modern society it groars. It may be
asked how redeem them2 We answer
by making marriage honorable; by Up
lifting it, by elevat1ng it above its pres
ent condition; by giving every woman
an opportunity to be wife and mother.
To cut of opportunity for prostitution
and concubinage, and to leave no margin
for lust to prey upon. It may be said
that the sexes are so evenly divided that
there is not sufficient disparity between
their numbers to justify the adoption of
such principle.
The people of Utah do not believe that
plural marriage ought to be or can be
universal: In Utah itself it is not posi-
BILE, for the males outnum Der the females.
But give every woman the opportunity
to marry, punish fornication and adul-
terry, and what woman would occupy an
illicit relation with the other sex7 The
time marriage is falling into desuetude,
and in consequence corruption is spread
ing over the land, and we have felt that
the country was big enough to allow US
in that far-off Utah, not interfering with
others, not forcing our views upon others,
to test the effect of the patrisrchsl system
of msrrisge in checking the tide Of vice
and preventing the spread Of evils which
modern society acknowledges its power
lessness to extirpate.
do not think it would be wise, under
present circumstances, that should say
more on this question. You
may depend upon it, however, that there
are more arguments in its favor than sou
have heard here or are likely to hear, and
that the men and women choosing to en-
brace that principle are able to as
sign good and sufficient reasons for doing
20.
I shall not allude to it from 6 scrip
tursl standpoint. I may say, however,
that so far as the condemnation of the |
world is concerned, we are willing to be |
placed on the same plane with 4 brahsn.
And when we pray to 90 TO Abrahsm's
bosom we expect he will not look upon
is as aliens or law breakers; and when
We pray to go to the New Jerusalem
over each of whose twelve gates is written
he name of each one of the twelve
when we pass through those gates We
hall not be ashamed to be known for
What We are.
Since the commencement of this de-
pate, the statement has been made so
that I feel as though ought
o say something in regard to it in con-
lection with this case; l mean the state
nent respecting the alleged conduct of
he people of Utah in absorbing all the
DubIic land. In the first speech on the
Utah case, the allegation was made that
he people Of Utah, in pursuance Of a
veil defined snd settled policy, had alb
orbed all the public lands. 1t would
Gem as it were unnecessary for any
erson, and for myself particularly, to
az one word in relation to this matter,
/ being so well known that In Ut6h
Territory, SIS we'll as IN the other Terri
Ories and States over which the land |
avs have been extended, every person
an obtain lsnd that is not occupied,
very citizen who has the right to pre- !
mpt er homestead land, and that there
. no power in the local legislatures to
lienate the lands or TO take away the
tile and bestow it upon any individual.
let's of the Legislative Assembly Of
Utah Territory have been quoted to
astain the idea that they have really
iven title or sought to dispose Of lhe
ubllc lands. At no time and under no
was any action OF this
ind taken with a view to bestow tae