Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-04-25
LAW OR LIGHT !

Utah has pretty fatty demonstrated, dur
ing the last session of her Legislature, tina
it will take more than the knights lance of
law to Stay the many-hcadcd dragon of
Mormonism. There was not a polyramist
IN the legislative body. The members were
all chosen by the votes of morogamists.
Every voice in that hall of rcprcs .ntativcs
ought have been the voice of free man and
a champion of law and virtue But what do
we find to have been the case 4? The poly
gamist leaders ruled that Legislature as
absolutely as though it had been COM
posed entirely of their own number.
Every vote Upon every measure was
controlled by the leaders of the Mormon
church. Their command of the situation
was despotic. SO far as the interests of the
Genliles in Utah are concerned, they are
positively worse than when the church
hierarchy was IN the ascendant,
Now how is this state of affairs to be nc
counted forP How is it possible that a
purely monogamist body should have legis.
lated purely in favor CT polygamy? The
explanation is this; Utah is populated, in
the main, by density ignorant and pliablc
people. The Gentle clement of the
Territory, taken through and through,
Is little less than herd of serfs under a
spiritual despotism. They are rest
less but have not the weapons
nor the wisdom for successful
resistance. The power hes in the hands
of the Mora hierarchy, because they are
The enlightened element Of the population.
the able men of Utah are nearly all Nor.
mons. When, therefore, the brains OF the
community were DISTINGUISHED, the clement
OF powers retired with them. A lot of men
intellectually unfit for legislative action were
chosen by monogamists votes to take their
places. These men placed suddenly in such
an important and responsible position, very
naturally turned to superior Knowledge and
experience for the very first pinciples of le-
glslativc action. None were capable to adj
wise them save the party out of power.
win the willy caution of wise
demagogues, 1t is easy to see how they grad
ually gained the asccndancy over the feeble
minds of these raw legislators. 1t was not
long before the Legislature became mere
| cats paw with which to save the endan-
gerod husk of superstition from the Goals of
public indignation. During the last two
days OF the session half dozen o. the chief
Mormon magnatcs were closeted constantly
with committees, or sat with their agents in
secret joint session. Every committee was
absolutely controlled by this gigantic system
OF lobbyism. Not single vote was cast by
a polGamist, nor was one of them to be seen
in the legislative hall aud yet, sitting be-
hlnd the scenes, were those who governed
the actions OF this brave body US neatly as
the Glow n who hal dies the strings cf his
puppet-show.
Just as long as Utah remains in the dark
ness OF ignorance, SO long will she lie led bv
the willy hand OF priest and demagogue. She
has proved that she is utterly incapable of
self government. Her power has come be.
fore her light. What she needs is not vet
freedom, but change of guiding strings.
Let us give Utah education. Let there
be National appropriation for this
purpose; let there be National leg
islation to this end, Why not provide
Utah with great non-sectarian university
The Mormon legislature two years ago voted
to appropriate $50, 900 for this purpose, but
the Governor vetoed the bill on the ground
that the institution was sectarian. 1t would
have been scctarian, in the worst sense of the
word. 1t would have bred a still vaster army
Of demagngues and priests. Utah does not
want scctarian university of any kind but
she docs want great home school open to all
the people without distinction of belief or
practice. She wants schools for her chill
dren scattered up and down all through
the Territory, She wants the nations help
TO bring this about. Give her light, and she
will take care of her law. We agree with
Henry Ward BE ,cher, that what Utah
needs is not an army of fighters, but
an army Of educators. Send her ap-
preparations for cannon, and books for
muskets Build her schools, and she will
build her own forts. Let n the light and
she will sweep down her own cobwebs. She
is not ready for law yet. She does not un.
derstand it, and cannot handle it. By-and-
by, after she can distinguish right from
wrong and wisdom from folly, then give
her law, But what she wants now Is light.