, 1883-05-31

more dear to us b. reason of a spec
ial remembrance of them. 1t IS but
just to the heroes that their deeds be
recounted with reverence and thank
fulness -thankfuiness because these
United States could claim such sons.
AFFAIRS IN MoRMoxpoN-Every
few days the telegraphic dispatches
contain some account Of polygamous
recruits being brought into Utah. One
of two things is true: either the Nor
mon Church loses many adherents by
desertiou, death or otherwise, or, it Is
growing rapidly in numbers. We in
cline to the belief that it is being
built up and strengthened through
extraordinary excrtions, and for
special purpose. Every polygamist
is educated, and bound by oaths, to
respect the authority of his Church as
being far above everything of an
earthly or temporal nature. Poly
gamy being the chief or distinctive
feature of that Church, and being in
direct violation of both the letter and
spirit of the Z. S. constitution, poly
ganists are necessarily obliged to
defy the laws of the country. Agita-
tion of the question throughout our
land has led TO congressional action
for the suppression of this wholesale
bawdyism; and yet, while the So called
Edmunds law has failed to accom-
plish any substantial good in the line
of its enforcement, it has demon
strated both the desperate determin-
alton of these people to evade our
laws, and the difficulty of success
fully reaching the evil by mere legal
enactment. Let no one delude
himself with the belief that any check
has been put upon Mormonism by the
agitation and Legislation of the past
two years. On the contrary, it has
served to stimulate the leaders, apos-
ties and elders in Zion to renewed eff
forts. They are now fully reused to
the fact that the American people
are determined to wipe this blot out
of existence; and their logical con
!clusion is that they will soon be driv
en- to thewall unless they can strength
en- themselves in number sufficient by
the time the crisis comes to resist the
authority of the government by force.
This conclusion is the only correct
and tenable one warranted by the
facts The events of the past and
present are The first faint mutter
ip6<c-,f - go sttsrG1i. The 949lle peo-
pie of these sad States have borne
with Mormonism and sought to quiet
ly suppress it by force of law and pub
ic sentiment until convinced that
such dallying and foolishness can do
nothing but afford Mormons chance
TO strengthen themselves and become
more brazen and defiant than ever
Slavery was sought to be suppressed
and kept within bounds by methods
similar to those we are now applying
to polygamy, but its advocates only
became more defiant and aggressive
till the great intelligence of the Ma
tion perceived that the evil must be
wiped out by force of arms. Poly
gamy is equally as aggressive today
rs every slavery was. Not content
with recruiting from abroad to swell
the population Of Utah, the Mormon
elders are secretly, at least quietly,
,eolonizing in other states and terrific
ries with view to extending the bor-
.ders of their stronghold, controlling
elections and becoming a political
power in the land. twill be the SOL
emn duty of the ascendant political
party in the United States within the
next few years to take such vigorous
measures as will force polygamists to
either abandon their system of plu-
fality of wives, or back their hostility
to the government by force OF arms,
or else migrate to some portion of
Gods footstool whore they can car
ry out their ideas without violating
the laws of the land or disgusting
the moral sentiments of fifty millions
of people. Free America has al
ready tolerated this abomination long
er than it would have been tolerated
in any other civilized country on the
foce of-the globe It must be ob!it
erated-and the sooner the better.
CIVIL SERVICE. bit of cheer
ing news to the citizens of Washing
ton Territory we may say that the civil
service commission will shortly visit
the Pacific coast. and are expected to
come to Puget Sound. As result of
the visit, it is expected that hereafter
appointments to positions of public
trust will be made from among our
own citizens. OF all those at present
occupying leading positions in the
Territory, only very few were Sc
lected from the Territory in which
they were to hold Office. Distasteful
TO the people and unjust as it has.
been to have heads of departments
sent here from abroad to manage our
official affairs, the evil was made still
mere aggravated in the case of the
customs service, where even subordin
ates as far as possible have been i'm
ported from the East-and that, too,
when the service could have been
more satisfactorily performed by men
whose residence here and experience
in the business better qualified them