Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1883-11-08
National News.
sgrokr or THE coMVlssIoNERs APPOINTED
UNDER THE ASrl.roLTGAHY ACT.

WASHINGTON, October 80. The com
missioners appointed under the anti.
polygamy act in their second annual re
port quote the recent act Of congress
and cay at will thus be seen that the
duties OF this commission appertain
only to matters of registration and elec.
ton and eligibility to Office, while the
punishment OF the crime OF polygamy
is left, as under the former Law, to the
courts Of justice" After referring to
their efforts to carry out the Law and To
the opposition thereto, especially By
the elder Mormons they say " A. to tie
declared objects OF the act OF congre-s
~ therein set forth, 30 far as apperlsin,
to our duties, II ia not denied that thu
opera ion OF the act has been eminent
Iy successful that ia to say, the polygs
mists have all been excluded from the
polls and from eligibility TO Office. Con
sidering that during the twenty year,
since the auu.poiygamy set Of 1862
was passed the penslties OF that las
have been enforced sgAinst not exceed
ing three persons, it would seem that III
The enforcement OF the present laH
against some twelve thousand polyg..
Mats, who have been excluded from thr
polls, il must justly be regarded that
the set has been fully nd successfully
executed. Before passing from the
topic We deem it proper TO observe that
no person we'll informed with regard to
Utah affairs could reasonably have ex.
pected at the passage OF the act that
there would be an immediate change ia
the political situation nor that it wouli
cause an immediate effect 10 destroy ing
The practice of polygamy but the ACT
must necessarily have q strong influence
IN that direction. The very existence
Of the law disfrAnchising the polyga
Inists must tend to destroy that inhu
encs whenever il is understood that thu
is to be a permanent determination.
Those Mormons who have ballots will,
after q time, be CONSCIOUS OF power
which they will be unwilling to use for.
ever at the bidding Of those who have
IL not. The fact Also il that it will be
necessary to the preservation of the
political influence Of the peoples party
las the Mormons style thPlnselVes) to
have large body Of their members who
are not polygsmists must tend in time
to weaken the practice of polygam
tor every married Mormon who take.
but one plural wife loses three votes for
his party-his own aud those OF his two
wives woman suffrage being establish
ed by Law in Utsh). Another consider.
alton, already Adverted to, the influence
upon the young men and rising gener
alton is entitled to great weight. See
ing all the Offices Of honor, trust and
profit, such as delegate to congress,
members Of the legislative assembly,
probate judges, clerks OF the county
courts, sheriffs and others. many Of
them quite lucrative, held by monogA
mists while polygamists are wholly ex'
oluded, the aspiring young men OF the
territory would present an anomaly 10
human nature II they should fail TO be
strongly influenced against going into q
relation which thus subjects them 10
political ostracism aud fixes upon them
the stigma of moral turpi,ude."
prrTrcuLrA oT the SITUATION.
The difficulty Of the situation can be
better understood from the fact that
among the orthodox Mormcns of Utah
polygsmy is part Of their religious faith,
and while but small per cent. OF the
whole adult Mormon population have
actually entered into pOlygsmic relation
yet all faithful believe in II 81 = divine
revelation. Tho right of congress TO
eui press this great evil is undouhied.
It is equally plain that Tho dignity and
good fame Of this great government