The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-11-02
SURPRISING POLYGAMY.

mission to Secretary Teller The Ed
munds' Law Pronounced a Success
Some Recommendations.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 31.-The Utah Com
mission has submitted their second annual
report to the Secretary of the Interior.
After making a statement of former legiS-
lation by Congress in relation to bigamy or
polygamy, they say the duties of the COM
mission appertain only to matters of regis
tration, election and eligibility to office,
while the punishment for the crime Of
polygamy is left, as under the former law,
to the courts OF justice. Under the
Anti-P olygamy act the commission had good
success at the general election in August,
1883, in excluding polygamists from the
polls, and as far as advised very few if any
illegal votes have been cast in Utah since
the commission took charge of registration
and elections. The enforcement of the
present law against twelve thousand polyga-
mists who have been excluded from the
polls shows that the act has been fully and
successfully executed. 1t is thought that
discrimination between those Mormons who
practice polygamy and those who do not,
while not likely to have much effect
upon elderly men who have already a
plurality of wives, must have great
weight, as the young men of the Territory,
many Of whom are ambitious and aspiring,
would not be likely to voluntarily embrace
political ostracism. The very existence of the
law DISTINGUISHING polygamists must tend to
destroy their influence whenever it is under
stood that it is to be permanent diScrim-
nation. The fact, also, that it will be
necessary to the preservation of the politi-
cal influence of the peoples party'' (aS
the MormonS style themselves) to have a
large body of their members who are not
polygamists must tend i'll time to weaken
the practice of p0lygamy, for every Nor
mon who takes but one plural wife loses
three votes for his party--hiS own and those
of his two wives (woman suffrage being eS-
tablished by law in UTAH.
Concerning plurality of wives, the report
says that the fact that doctrine and prac-
tice so odious throughout Christendom
should have been upheld for so many years,
against the laws of Congress and the senti-
ments of the civilized world is one of the
marvels of the nineteenth century, and can
scarcely be appreciated, even by those ia
miliar with the worlds history in relation
to the difficulties of Governments
in the control or suppression of
religious fanaticisnl. Certainly no
Government can permit the viola
ton of its laws under the guise of religious
freedom, and while Congress may not legiS-
late as to mere matters of opinion, yet it
may denounce and punish as crimes those
actions which are in violation Of social du-
ties Or subyersive to good order. The right
OF Congress to suppress this great evil is UNI
doubted 1t is equally plain that the dig
nifty and good name Of this great Govern
ment among the Nations of the earth de-
mand such Congressional action as shall eff
fectually eliminate this national disgrace.
The Commission renew the recommends
tions contained in the report of November
II, 1882, notably the one regarding the en-
actment of a marriage law by Congress de-
claTing all future marriages in the Territory
null and void unless contracted and evil
denced in the manner provided by the act. If
the next Legislature shall fail toadopt meas
ures in conformity with the provisions of the
act of 1882 for the suppression of polygamy,
| the Commission will be prepared to recon-
mend and Congress certainly will not delay
| in the adoption of most stringent measures,
| stitution, that may be considered necessary
| for the suppression of this great evil"
| The report refers to the various municipal
| elections, and says the most important cleo
| ton was that of August 6, 1883. The total
number of votes cast in the contest was
| 1890, against 81, 1913 at the last November
| election. The principal falling off was on
| the part of the Gentiles, or Liberal
party" In November the total vote of
the people for the Mormon party was %, O39;
| Liberal, 1854. In August 1888, the vote of
the Peoples party was 20, sos: Liberal, ], 453.
From this it will appear that large numbers
| OF Liberals refrained from voting-a fact
much to be regretted for the reason that
it is believed that by proper effort and
| good management one OF more nom Nor
mons might have been elected to the Legis-
| lative Assembly, who would have an oppor-
tunity of putting the minority on record.
In conclusion the commission say that re-
Gently some ten suits were instituted in the
| Third District Court of Utah by MormonS
| against the members of this commission,
| complaining that they have been uniustly
deprived of the right to register and vote.
| These are understood to be test cases, de
signed to contest the constitutionality of the
| "Edmunds actn as well as the legal con-
| structlon which we put upon its provisions.
The suits are still undecided, and are likely
to be appealed to the Supreme Court of the
| United States.
8 1t has been asserted" says the Commits
/ sion, that polygamic marriages have in
creased since the passage of the EdmundS
i act. On the contrary, we have the opinion
| of many Mormons and non-M ormons that
they have comparatively decreased since
the passage of said act. After diligent in
/ quiry, we believe the latter conclusion
is correct. But the Utah Legislature will
have an opportunity of satisfying the coun-
| try on this particular subject by passing an
act for such public marriage as that which
we have suggested to Congress. BY this
and such other legislation as we have indi-
| Gated they win give the Government asSur-
ance of their loyalty and patriotism and
avoid contest that can not but result in
their discontinue. We consider it proper
! to commend the zeal of the Governor of
Utah in his efforts to enforce the laws"
Commissioner Paddock expresses the be
lief that Congress could undoubtedly frame
| laws that would put an end to polygamy,
i but the thing could not be accomplished at
once. He thought Congress would perse-
we're in the policy it had adopted, and enact
/ the bill introduced last year embodying the
| Commissioners recommendations, which
was crowded out by the Tariff bill.