Morning journal and courier., 1884-12-03
AN EVER PRESENT PROBLEM.

The Practice of POlygamy Among the
 Mormons of Utah.
 WASHINGTON, Dec 2.-The report ot the | ITtah commissioners, Ex-Secretary or war Ramsey chairman, was made public to-day. The commission say that their duties have been faithfully and successfully performed
 with results showing that at the recent cleo
 tion for delegate to Congress and other cleo
 tions of county officials held under tnelr
 supervision all polygamists were excluded
 from voting and holding office. The Otah
 delegate-elect to Congress, MT. John I. Cam,
 is A Mormon, but he does not now live ana
 never has lived in polygamy and IS thereIore
 a1io,ib1e under the law The reports say that
 for a year or more after efforts to enforce the
 law were initiated polygamic teachings from
 the pulpit were rarely heard and there were
 observable indications that the practice or
 polygamy might measurably decllne' put
 during the present year there appears to nave been polygamic revival The institution IS holdly and defiantly defended by splrltual teachers and plural marriages are reported on | the increase Three-fourths of the Mormon adults male and female have never entered into the polygamic relation, yet every ortho- | 5ox Mormon every member in good standing l in the church, believes in poiygamy- AS all | illustration of the ''oneness' Of faith
 among Mormons respecting polygamy atten-
 tion is called to an important polygamy case | recently tried in Salt Lake City where every | Mormon On the jury panel in answer to 'Ie | question, t'Do you believe it right for man
 to have more than one living and undlvorceo
 wife at the same time?" answered unhesi
 tatinply. s'Yes, sir" The trial ot the cast
 caused profound sensation throughout tn'
 territory. The defendant, Rudger Clawson
 and his two wives belonged to the bette } class of Morrnons socially. Although Ill
 polvgamic marriage had been notorious Il inc community for months, no direct eV1
 danca of if was disclosed until given by hl
 second wife after short imprisonment fo contempt, she having refused to testl1I Other witnesses were examined and the1 : were many, including the immediate rel lives of the parties, the president and otht 8 bioh officers of the church. Everyone e IF oo1t the second wife dlscla1med ! l lrnow1edpe of the marriage. Clawse was convicted and before senten a was passed declared that Juogmel - l should not be paSSeu dSolL0o A E the laws of his country were ln conf1ct WI s- the laws of God The constitution he sa IS expressly states that Congress shall make 7, law respecting the establishment of rellgl6 or prohibiting the free exercise ot It; fol
 qamous marriage he said when sanctioned d
 Telieious rites and ceremonies is the estaons ,z me9t of religion and the anti-polygam Ia AA were designed to operate against such mar 1T D. aces and were therefore unconstitutional. | r. view expressed by Clawson is in conforml of with the uniform view of all the Norm of naon1e. but while this is their creed ma = Mormons are reluctant to enter into the pol oi oamic relation, so the trial and conv1ctlon mno m GIawson will probably have a restralnlng a7 ro p fiuence upon the younger Mormons. ~' commission urge vigorous enforcement
 fhe present laws The government mas
 deal with people wonderfully suPerstltl1G l1 ha and fanatically devoted to their rel ion and the sudden overthrow
 n polyeamy as result of the enforcement
 it the 'nresent anti-polygamy law is not to |, m- exnected. They recommend addltlonal | ba islation in the nature of existing amendme1 ac- to existing laws, which they think VIII gre gre n- iV Strengthen the hands of both the comm h. sion and the courts. They express the op ,+a ion that it is not unlikely the federal gove de ment will finally find it necessary to U sc1 | into it's own hands all civil power III Juan