, 1883-12-20
About Mcrmondom


About Mcrmondom.
5 F. Chcontcie.l
1t has been known for some weeks
that the governor of Utah, who is APP
pointed 10y the President, has no
faith in the Edmunds Act against
polygamy, and that he had plan of
his own. This plan is for the abro-
cation of the organic Act of the Ter
ritorial Government and the appoint
ment by the President, with the ad-
vice and consent of the Senate. of a
Federal commission to govern Utah.
This commission Is to be invested
with Legislative and executive powers,
subject, of course, to review by and
the approval of Congress. The Pres
ident in his message recommends
this plan as his own. Throughout
the United States, so far as heard
from, the leading journals speak ia
vorably of it. One London paper
calls it a heroic measure" while an
other denounces it as IAN attempt to
erect a political despotism on the
prescribed faith" 1t can hardly be
regarded as a despotic use of power
for Congress to undertake the gov
ernment of a Territory directly. If
Utah is the exception, it is proper to
note that Ler institutions are also ex-
ceptional. TO call polygamy a
"faith" or the legitimate part Of any
religion which any Christian or en-
lightened nation not Christian can
tolerate, is a stretch of the imagin-
alton and travesty on religion In
all ages of the world polygamy has
been condemned by enlightened
States as a crime against natural law.
In every European State it is treated
as felony, and there are hundreds
of polygamists now in our State
prisons on this account. To say
what is punished as felony in all
the States and by the universal law
of all enlightened nations should be
treated by our law as faith in one
Territory or when practiced by one
religious community, is preposterous
on its face. By the same reasoning
it might be claimed by the same com
munity and conceded by the Govern
ment and law that arson or burglary
or grand larceny is not a crime, but
the legitimate part of q religious be-
lief. and when pleaded as such, rath-
er meritorious than criminal. In
fanticide was once the universal
practice of the nations of India that
have been subjugatcd by England.
It was part of the religion of the
people. Yet England does not re
spect 1t on that account. She treats
it as 4 murder and so Furnishes it.
Polygamy got its modern footing bv
consent of the Prophet of Mecca, but
not till success had corrupted his
morals. In like manner it was in
jected by the impoStor Joseph Smith
into the Mormon faith, but not till
great wealth and despotic power had
corrupted and brutalized him. Nor
Is it accepted by the great body of
the Mormon Church. But if it We're
accepted and practiced by all of them,
that would make it none the less a
crime against natural law and a
thing to be punished and put down
by the government of 55,000,O00
people-freest and most enlightened
on the globe. On the one side we see
55,000,090 denouncing it and punish
ing it as a felony, on the other 13O.-
600, mostly Ignorant and all darkly
bigOted, upholding it as virtue
and part of their religion. Where
the majority Is so overwhelming both
in quality and quantity, there is
ne room for argument, least of all
for such as that used by this London
paper. The right of Congress to
govern the Territories in its own way.
but with due Difference to republican
forms, has never been questioned.
Senator Benton put it broadly on the
right of guardianship over minor
wards. The Territories are the
minor wards of Congress and the
Federal Government. They have no
separate or sovereign rights till they
are admitted into the Union as States.
As Utah viii never be admitted with
a Constitution that tolerates as a yir
tue and religions conviction that
which the laws of every State and of
the natiCn punish as Il crime, it is in
on Congress and the Gov
ornment to uproot this brutalizing
institution of polvgalny whilst Utah
remains IA Territory, and as discip-
line preparatory to her introduction |