The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-04-18
THE MORMONS AND THE
EDMUNDS BILL.

80
The Worlds special correspondent
in Utah sends a despatch which is
published this morning showing,
far more authenticity and accur-
ately than it has been shown before,
the temper in which the leaders of
the Mormon theocracy intend to
meet the issue raised by the Ed
munds bill. The conference" at
which the bill was naturally the
chief subject of discussion is the
chief council of the Mormon state.
1t was not to be expected that upon
an occasion so momentouS to their
community the leaders of the Nor
mon Church would indulge them
selves in buster and defiance. What
ever else the strange growth of
Mormonism in our time and in our
country may be thought to indicate,
it can scarcely be doubted that
it shows that the Mormon leaders
have been sagacious and far-sighted
men. Our correspondents compari-
son Of them with the Beers of the
Transvaal is full Of significance to
those who remember-aS who does
not remember ?-the heroic and sue
cessful stand made by the Beers of
the Transvaal against the imperial
power of England The Mormon
leaders meet us in the same spirit.
They do not intend to provoke a
conflict with the United States.
They do not intend to fee from the
power of the United States. They
do intend to remain where they are,
and to olive their religion" that is to
say to practice polygamy, the Ed
munds bill to the contrary notwith-
tsanding, and they intend, being a
great majority of the people of
Utah, to manage Utah in their own
way.
Of course there is some fanati-
cism in all this. Nobody who looks
at the matter dispassiOnately can
doubt that Mormonism is doomed,
and that as Utah becomes really a
part of the United States in other
respects, it will become q part of
the United States in society and in
religion. A polygamiSt community
in the midst of 3 homogeneous ma
ton is as impossible as a commu-
nifty which practises cannibalism,
or human sacrifices, or torture of
witnesses, or any other custom
which civilization has Outgrown,
but which survives in remote re-
gions. But, granting the fanaticism,
all history shows that religious IA
matte who is in other respects a
cool-headed and clear-headed man is
the most dangerous of all men to
with. 1t is very possible
that the growth of Utah has been
by the fact of its having
been for so long virtually Mormon
reservation, and the Gentle
residents and property holders
of Utah may be pardoned
some irritation in view Of this fact.
But it is none the less true that
can actually make Utah q
part of the United States except the
gradual population Of the territory
by people of the same kind as those
who inhabit the rest of the country.
The Mormons have the advantage
Of prior possession, and they can
only he dislodged by this gradual
growth Of the Gentle population |
until it comes to preponderate, or |
else by war. We should not enter |
upon such war without counting
5he cost. After we have counted it |
we shall probably find that a Nor
non war is the sloWest, the coStli-
est and the most Intellectual method |
We could adopt to foster the deVel-
,pment of Utah, or even to eXtir-
pate pelygamy. Of course nobody
that this ostensible motive
# the Edmunds bill was the real
Senator Edmunds is not at
III the sort of person to lie awake at
lights with grief because some man
wo thousand miles from him has
AIKEN to himself seven or eight
wives. The extirpation of polygamy
8 only the pretext upon which a
Mormon war is to be Waged.
1he real object of the bill, as the
World has heretofore pointed
ut, is to bring Utah into the Union
,efore its time, with two senators
nd a representative to be chosen
rom a small minority of the popuIa-
ion by small knot of republican
in Utah. For this pur-
'ose the great majority of the peo-
lie of Utah are to be dlsfranchised,
Tithout trial, by the arbitrary ac-
ion Of inspectors Of election. In
Their words, the effect of the bill
7ill be to permit federal office-hold-
rs to select the voters who are to
hoose the representatives of Utah
t Washington. This is an outrage
pom free government and civil
berty UNNECESSARILY worse than
he continuance of polygamy in
tab for the next twenty years
ould be. In lighting against it, if
comes to fighting, the Mormons of
tab will be be lighting for the
of every American citi-
N, which every American citizen
equally interested with them in
The political sharpers at Wash
lgton and at Salt Lake who. with
II the excuse of being fanatics. are
wing to bring on Mormon war
re likely TO find that they have
nderestimated the power of the
-ormons and Overestimated the