New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-03-24

4 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT OK TIE SUBJECT
ASA REMEDY FOR PoLYGANiY AID As A PARTY
ISSUE.
To the Editor Of me Tribune
SIR: The closing words of recent TRIBUNE
editorial aay, OF Dr. DIX aud his Lenten lectures lie
might pointed out that one OF the frat aud most i'm
portant steps to b. taken is to uniform marriage
and divorce laws for the whole country" Yet the article
does not mention how this may be brought about To
suppose that all OF the tniry-eght States In 'hc Union
will Of their accord, modify their marriage aud
divorce laws. 40 TO make Thorn Identical I'm all the
States IA absurd II that identity 10 De secured
IL must be BY an amendment to the Constitution OF the
United states by which the making of laws those
subjects shall be surrendered to the Congress OF the
Nation and no longer mOnopoi1ed by the Legislatures
OF the several States II this amendment carried
It must by political action; and this Is possible only
by the advocacy Of some political party.
NV suggestion that the Republican party take this
az leading plank In their political platform until II be
accomplished They already committed 20 the aboli-
ton OF the twin relle." poygamy, but this cannot be
done effectuay by anything short Of the amendment
| proposed As the Hon. Jere Black has demonstrated.
all our previous American law and and practice has left
marriage and divorce to DO regulated solely by State
Utah has nearly II not quite population enough to
title her fairly to admission as State. There Is
son for refusing to treat hor all the have
treated except polygamy IL Is unjust and unfair to
keep out this ground. when the entire subject
left to local law everywhere else. and when National
requirement known to American law justices an exccp
ton In The Democratic party Is historically
identified with the policy OF State Rights. aud OPP
posed TO Capitalization, that may take for granted
that 1t will admit Utah state IL has the
power On American principles heretofore embodied
In American practice, the Democrats cannot help them
| selves They must do 1t. Then polygamy becomes q
recognized institution by State law upheld by State
Courts aud what ID all the rest of the Union going to do
about 1T
Nothing can be DONE except by the amendment pro-
posed. The lmpossblllty Of solving the Mormon prob
lem in any other way. and the substantial unanmity OF
the OF the country that the Mormon problem must
be solved are the flcmm for the lever But the full
OF without the lever And the lever the
proposed amendment Now for the power be applied
the The elections last have shown that
"sunday school poltlcs"-as they have been called in
cOUtempt-have come To tho front with tremendous
phasls They ncOmparably moro powerful with the
Republican party than with the Democrats; aud II any
thing Is DO done In that line, t must be through
the Republican party In the attempt 20 give uniformity
and stability the laws marriage and divorce there
would be the hearty support Of the entire body of Roman
Catholics and Protestant Eplsoopaans, and the wiser
and better OF all evangelical denominations New
England has association already formed to try u
counterfeit the Generalization Of tho family The lead
ing Methodist organs have expressed themselves as IN
earnest for something 10 DO DONE And with an issue