The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1883-11-10
THE UTiH COMMISSION.
hhat liaS Been Accomplished TEder
the intI-PsIygauy Law.


Board Of Utah Commissioners sub.
mitted their second annual report
to the Secretary of the Interior.
After making a statement of the
former legislation of Congress in
relation to bigamy, or polygamy,
they say the duties of the commits
sloners pertains only to matters of
registration, election aud eligibili.
~ to office, while punishment fer
polygamy is left, as under the for.
mer law to the courts of Justice.
Under the anti.polygamy act, the
commission had good success at
the general election in August,
1888. in excluding polygamists
from the polls, and as far as adyi-
sed, very few, if any, illegal votes
have been cast in Utah since the
commission took charge of the
registrations and elections in Au,
gust, 1882. The enforcement of
the present law against 10000 pol
ygamists who have been excluded
from the polls shows that the act
has been fully and successfully ex.
ecuted. 1t is thought that dis
elimination between those Nor.
mons who practice polygamy aud
those who do not, while not likely
to have much effect upon elderly
men, who already have a plurality
of wives and several families, must
have great weight with young
mea, many of whom are ambitions
and aspiring, and would not like
voluntarily to embrace political
ostracism. The very existence of
the law DISTINGUISHING polygam-
lists must tend to destroy their in
tluence, whenever it is understood
it is to be a permanent discrimi-
nation. The fact, also, that it will
be necessary for the preservation
of the political influence of the
Peoples Party' (as the Mormons
style themselves) to have q large
body Of their members who are
not polygamists, must tend in
time to weaken the practice of
polygamy, for every married Nor
mon who takes but one plural
wife loses three votes from his
party-his own and those Of his
two wives, woman suffrage being
established by law in Utah.
PLURALITY OF WIVES.
Concerning the plurality of
wives, the report says that doe
trincs and practices SO odious
throughout the kingdom should
be upheld SO many years against
the laws of Congress and the SEN
timents OF the civilized world, is
one of the marvels of the nine.
teenth century, and can be scarce
ly appreciated even by those fa'
miliar with the worlds history il.
relation to the difficulties of gov
ernmental efforts for the suppress.
sion of religious fanaticisn. Ger
tainly no government can permit
violation of the laws under the
guise of religious freedom, and
while Congress may not legislate
rs to mere matters of opinion, it
may denoancc and punish as
crimes those actions which are in
violation of social dutios or sub.
versivs of good order. The right
of Congress to suppress this great
evil is undovbted. 1t is equally
plain that the duty and good name
of this great government among
the nations Of the earth demand
such Congressional action as shall
effectually eliminate this national
disgrace. Tho recommendations
contained in the report of Noyem-
Der II, 1882, notably the one re-
gardlng the enactment of y mar
riage law by Congress. declaring
all future marriages in the Terri
tory null and void unless contract
ed and evidenced in the manner
provided by the act, are again call
ed to tho attention of the govern
ment. If the next Legislature
shall fail to adopt measures IN
conformity with the act OF 1857
for the suppression of polygany'
the committee twill be prepared to
recommend aud Congress will GER
taiuly not delay the adoption OF
the most stringent measures COM
patible with the limitation of the
constitution, that may be consid-
cred necessary for the suppress
ion of this great evil.n
MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS.
The report refers to the various
municipal elections, and says the
important election was that OF
August 0, 1883. The total num-
Der of votes cast in this contest
was 21,9l6, against 1898 in the
last November election. The prin-