The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1883-12-12
THE MORMON DlFFICUJ9s
The Evening Post" Shows mn.
Insanity OF the Commission 'n'
Project.

= Il d
distance in deciding what furtSs
: steps should be taken for the snS
} preston Of polygamy. Mr.. n
munds' new bill, which may be ~
sidered as a formal confession Of ~
failure-of the first one, makes ~
lawful husband or wife of a ppr.as
accused of blgamy or unlawful o.
haoitation a competent witness +
the prosecution, who may be CON
pelled TO testify, provides for II
compulsory filing of a written eerr
fcate of every marriage ceremnsY
in any of tie Territories of ~
United States, aboliShes female On.
frsge, and declares vacant ali o..
tive Offices The message, on n.
other hand. recommends the %.
sumption by he national legislatn,.
of the entire political contrOIof tbs
Territory, and the committaI of IT,
government TO a commission vi.S ~
such powers and duties that NAV 5a
delegated to it by law. Such a COM o'
mission might, however, be srno5
with complete military power -
morrow and putt q; CON n,sfs ~ W
session WLhA TerritorE ana Yer ~ ~ !:
should not be much nearer t6an NJ
are now to e2tirpatipn of DOlygamv
Moreover, the nlywsy to ebfofcs
the registration of marriages uHts,l
Mr.. Edrhunds' billWoqld be to puS,l
ish the people gWh0l,do take part i
the marriage without registeria
But how are these to be got al.
Who is going TO accuse them.
Would it be- s particle easier to:eon.
vict q mar Cor WDHaR) 0 failureh
register than Of pol yganaJ Itself?
The powet to compel the Iayfa
husband dWifs to: test ii does m
doubtedly seem to be mMe nearly
effective than anything else aeretc.
fore thought OF. 1t is neither more
nor less than the. power 20 examine
any maniA Tho community as tStAe
numberH Wites9ie he's, ariit mar
be an experiment Worth j trying
But suppose the church we're to per
NIT any man aE WunaRn exsmiusd
before atGentile IcphrE ip boltgam5
cases to Commit perjury " hIeh q
will alma6toeFtalnly1 how should
We 'T %S 'SGs ore looks At he IaSs.isf.l
and, indeed, thee more ooe hears
about it from every quarter, the more
satisfied one becomes that the evil, IL
il is to besput down by law. calls fnr;
remedies very much more violent
than any yet proposed.-for-the appIi;
cation ofwhich our Government pos
sesses no adequate MACHINERY. The
Mormongproblem really briggs as, fdr
the nrst time in American history,
face to face with the task Of goyan-
ing a wholly hostile dependeney-a I
task for whiGa the constitution has =
made no proper preparation, AID
which. even if the constitution hsd
made preparation for It, American
manners and ideas would render very
diff cult. Our experience ia the south !
furnished q fair example OF the
troubles into which We plunge when;
re attempt anything of the kind, and
Jet the south was only half hostile.
We had the negroes on our side, and
had to deal with indictments whose
.eligious and legal ideas were the
came az our own. Nevertheless the
,nly way ne could manage them was
% let loose on them swarm of ras-
,sllE adventures to take possession
If their treasury and local Offices,
md then support the adventures
With our army and navy. The sean-
lals to which all this led are sHI
resh in everybody's mind. The
public soon came to the conclusion
hat the worst government that the
natives could set up, was better than
hat which we tried TO impose upon
hem. The explanation efthe matter
vas that We had no trained body Of
,ficials, such as European govern.
nents have. to take charge of oully-
ng and subjected territories whose
populations can only be governed
~ force, and whose manners hsw1
,e reformed and customs chsuaS,a
be point OF the bayoret, liEslndls
md Algeria. When We Undertake
OF The kind we have 70 ssKe
Tom, Dick or Harry for she work
md generally selec. him With Oo'
light reference TO his special fitness
for considerations con.
Iec.ed with the party politics. more
lelicate work of this kind than !ns
ule of Utah as a conquered provinces
Or the sole and simple pai-
,ose of reforming It's domestic
Citations, no government ever enteFsu
n. In fact, no government! has ever
'efore undertaken. to scppEes.
'olygsray by force, in q case where
vas sanctioned by the manners an
eligion of the people. Such a Guy
involves arming the Um,
or in charge of it with enormous
iscretionary powers. He ought u
ACT. to have the power of making o.
into every Mormon
household. OF srresting any man q
roman whom he suspects OF ilViDs
. bigs poes relations, and exsmlni9s
in or her ON oath; and moi only s9ls,
ut OF utterly disregarding his OF DC.
entails and denidiDg the case o.
lere appearances. VINO sre tn'
len among us, civil or military
,wvers or lapmen. whom the Amer,