The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-01
THE POLYGAMY PROBLEM.
Gov. Murray Declares the Mormo on
Church a Practical Autocracy.
Government by Commission the Only Rem
edy, OtheEwise a Bloody Conflict win
Certainly Be the Result.

dition of Utah, and reveals an alarming state
OF affairs in that Territory. The Governor
places the population at 10000. of whom
10000 are Mormons. These people are
thoroughly imbued with fanaticism, and
Governor Murray has no faith in the theory
that the advent of railways will in any way
tend to improve the situation. The so-called
militia of the Territory is organized under
Mormon auspices, aud is not available for
use in enforcing the laws. The church
courts take the place of regular constituted
legal machinery and take cognizance OF dis
putes of all kinds between the people. The
Governor states that at no time since 1852
has there been lawful territorial govern
ment in Utah, and that the Edmunds law is
a complete failure. Speaking OF the proba-
bility OF conflict with the general govern
ment, Governor Murray said:
1.-THE collision will come in some casual
way through some incident of ordinary life,
and sooner or later the Mormons will be on
one side and the government on the other.
1 have never suggested the putting down OF
polygauiy or any other single crime or vice
by military force, and l must not be swerved
from my main point, which is not to censure
polygamy, not desire to make this, that or
the other church odious Those are minor
matters in view of the tremendous growth
of a carefully matured plan to establish a
government on United States territory which
is hostile to the authority of the United
States"
How do you expect to overcome this?"
Al Al. -
courts and the dignity of civil authority.
When Mormons are brought face to face
with facts they ingcniously avoid a
discussion of the governmental problem
and begin to talk at once about persecution
OF the church, so that when we, following
their lead, argue against polygamy alone, we
give them a battle-ground of great proper
tions. Nobody knows better than they that
the absolute separation of church and state
was made principal factor by the founders
of our government and the writers of our
constitute on while IN some of the original
States eccleslastics were not permitted to
hold public office. In Utah the government
now needs to be directed against the en-
croachments of the church. The boot is on
the other leg. 1t is not the church who is
assaulted; the church is the attacker The
United States government should be and is
the protector of civil and religious liberty
No church needs protection against the gov
eminent of the United States; any man WHO
asserts and teaches doctrine so infamous as
that deserves the condemnation of the uni
verse"
We'll, the Mormons ought TO enjoy it in
common with all citizens, ought they not?''
Certainly; but the law-breakers, law-de-
fiers and law-nullifiers in Utah who enjoy
this protection in common with all citizens
of this country of every denomination and
faith have abused it and do abuse it. Con-
tinually and deity it is used by those who
abuse it, and the people here who are engaged
in other affairs are invariably misled in con-
siderng what is wrongfully termed the Utah
problem If the question of religion or re-
ligious belief enters at ali into an intelligent
discussion OF the question in a governmental
sense, which | doubt, then and certainly it
must be under the first prohibition, that
Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, rather than under
the second, or prohibiting the free exercise
thereof"
THE CHURCH DEFIANT.
you say, Governor that in this the
church is the attacker, How can you show
that?"
"By reference to the facts as made clear
first by legislative enactment in the inter-
est of the Mormon Church, and, second, by
the defiant attitude of the church, as is pain
fully clear to all who have dealings, officially
or personally, with them. The question is
not whether Congress has or may prohibit
the free exercise of religion, for that has been
decided under the law of 1862 by the Su-
preme Court, in the test case of REYNOLDS
but whether the Territorial Legislative AS
sembly in Utah. an agency OF the general
government, created by Congress and paid as
such out of the Treasury of the United States,
has not made law upon law respecting an
establishment of religion. The constitution
does not say Congress shall not establish re-
ligion. The provisio is more comprehens-
i've. 1t forbids any law respecting an establish
ment of religion, What are the facts? A band
of men, many of them good but undoubt-
eddy misguided, processing in common a re-
ligious belief, elected from Ohio and going to
Missouri, elected from Missouri and going to
Illinois Incorporating in their system of to-
day features and practices more abhorrent
than any known them, elected from Illinois,
turned their backs on the United States with
the avowed purpose of going to the shore of
the Pacific ocean, then a foreign country
These people were possessed of a fanatical
dream of establishing a polygamic empire
that was to supplant this and all other gov
ernments. Helped in their helplessness and
poverty and distress across the plains by the
government, guided in their journey by re-
ports furnished by the War Department at
Washington, whose officers had traversed and
surveyed the roads and mountains and valleys
they settled in this valley with its river
and lake. The willows that marked the
mountain streams gave evidence that the soil
needed but touch of cultivation to yield a
ready response. A valley which numbers of
the earlier pioneers who passed further to
the west, had looked upon with admiration
and left for the fortunate pioneers that we're
to follow. The purpose of going to the Pa
cific coast having been abandoned, the young
men who, as favor, had been mustered into
the service and paid in advance, and known
as the Mormon battalion, having gone on to
California by the southern route, returned
from their battleless march but creditable
service, and three days after the arrival of the
pioneers joined them where Salt Lake City is
now situated. With their pay and horses
and arms material aid was given to this set
tlamenL which nnder the FAC of the ITnitnd