The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1883-11-02

the interior. After making statement of
the former legislation of congress relative to
bigamy or polygamY they say the duties
of the commission appertain to matters of
registration and election, and eligibility to
Office, while the punishment for the crime
of polygamy is left as under the former
law, to counts of justice. Under the anti
polygamy act the commission had good
success, at the general election in August,
1888, in excluding polygamists from the
polls, and so far as it was advised very
few if any illegal votes had been cast in
Utah since the commission took charge of
registration and elections in August, 1883.
The enforcement OF the present law against
1000 polygamists, who have been exclu-
ded from the polls, shows that the act has
been fully and successfully executed.
1t is thought that discrimination be-
tween those Mormons who pract1ce polyg-
amy and those who do not, while not likely
to have much effect upon elderly men who
have already plurality of wives, must
have great weight with the young men of
the territory, many of whom are ambitious
and aspiring and would not like to volun-
tarily embrace political ostracism. The
very existence of law disfranchising polyg-
amists tend to destroy their influence,
whenever it is understood that discrimina-
tion Is to be permanent. The fact also that
it will be necessary to the preservation of
the political influence of the peoples party
las the Mormons style themselves) to have
large body of their members who are not
polygamists, must tend to weaken the
practice of polygamy, for every Mormon
who takes but one plural wife loses three
votes for bis party-his own and those of
his two wives. woman suffrage being es-
tablished by law in Utah.
Concerning plurality of wives, the report
says that a doctrine and practice SO odious
throughout Christendem should have been
upheld so many years against the laws of
congress and the sentiment of the civilized
world is one of the marvels of the nine
teenth century, and can be scarcely appre-
ciated even by those familiar with the
worlds history.
In relation to the diffiultles of govern
ment control or suppression of religious
fanaticism, the report says that certainly
no government can permit violation of
its laws under the guise of religious free
dom; and while congress may not legislate
to mere matter of opinion, yet it may de-
nounce and punish as crimes those actions
which are in violation of social duties or
subversive of good order. The right of
congress to suppress this great evil is un-
doubted. 1t is equally plain that the
dignity and good name of this great nation
among the nations of the earth demands
such congressional action as shall effectively
eliminate this national disgrace.
The commission renew the recommends =
tlon contained in the report of November
II, 1882, notably the one regarding the
enactment of marriage laws by congress,
declaring all future marriages in the terri
tory null and void, unless contracted and
evidenced in the manner provided by the
act. If the next legislature shall fail to
adopt measures in conformity with the pro-
visions of the act of 1882 for the suppress
sion of polyGamy, the commission will be
prepared to recommend and congress GER.
tainly will not be disposed to delay, the
adoption of such stringent measures, COM
patlble with the limitations of he consti-
tuition, as may be considered necessary for
the suppression of this great evil.
The report refers to various municipal
elections, and says the most important elec-
tion was that of August 6, 1888. The total
number of votes cast in this contest was
ii, 969, against 29,92 at the last Novem-
Der election. The principal falling off was
on the part of the gentiles, or ''liberal
party" In November the total vote of the
peoples or Mormon party was %, 3,OS9; lib,-
raj, 1884. In August, 1883, the vote of
the peoples party, 20,50S; liberal 1853
From this it appears that large number of
liberals refrained from voting, fact much
to be regretted for the reason that it is be-
lieved that by proper efforts and good man
agement one or more non-Mormons might
have been elected to the legislature, who
could have had an opportunity of putting
a majority on record.
In conclusion the commission say that re-
Gently some ten suits were instituted in rrthe
third district court of Utah by Mormons
against numbers of this commission, COM
planning that they had been unjustly de-
prived of the right to register ami vote.
These are understood to be test cases, de-
signed to contest the constitutionality of
the Edmunds act, as well as the legal con-
struction which should be put upon it's pro-
visions. The suits are still undecided, and
are likely to be appealed to the supreme
court of the United States.
1t has been asserted that polygamous
marriages have increased since the passage
of the Edmunds act. On the contrary we
have the opinion of many Mormons and
non -Mormons that they have comparatively
decreased since the passage of the act
After iilioent inuuirv we believe the latter