The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-05-07
HOLR AMENDMENTS.

We have heard much concerning
the "Hoar amendments" to the Ed
munds supplemental bill. The lat
ter, it will be remembered. was re
ported from the Senate committee
on judiciary some time ago, ant
Mr.. HOar has announced ever.
week eince that he intended to cal
it up for action at an esrIy day. L
has not yet come up, and On Tues
day the Washington prognosticatOl
of the press relegraphed thst Ii
would not be reached this week.
On April 18th the amendments tt
the bill which Mr. H0ar eaid he
would offer were ordered printed and
a copy has been received. Mr. Hoal
has doubtless heard the expression
about Htsking the bull by the
horns" and he proposes to apply it.
AS our readers are aware from
perusing the Edmunds supple.
mental bill as published in these
columns some time.ago.the Vermont
Senator has gone further in suggeat-
ing legislation regarding the Utah
problem, than lawmakers have
heretofore thought Of goiDg; and
Hoar supplements him with some
of the same kind. One Of the Mas
sachusetts Senators amendments Is !:
That whoever commits adultery shall
be punished by imprisonment In tie
penitentiary not exceeding three years,
and when the act is COM mitted between
q MARI; cd woman and man why Is IN
married, both parties to such act shsll be
deemed guilty Of adultery; and when
such act is committed between married
man and 8 woman who Is unmarried,
the man shall be deemed guilty of
adultery.
It is plainly evident from this
section that Mr.. Hoar doesn't under
stand the situation mere, and in his
ignorance he has ovGrshot the
mark. Those who are mast
exercised over this Mormon
problem, and who are taking the
iveliest interest In lis adjustment.
never asked for any such measure
as is here proposed. Nor do they
want a law of that kind. Senator
Edmunds, in his bill which is now
law, did more than he was asked to
do, and tent CONSERVATION to the
souls Of the most active Iegene1a-
tore, who for time were sorely
troubled over that annoying section
3, declaring tia nisdemeanor for a
male person to cohabit with more
than one woman, and making the
offense punishable by fine and i'm
prisonment. However, their minds
were soon made easy by the Commie-
sion who helped them out Of the diff
Guilty so far as voting and holding
Office were concerned, by inserting
the now famous phrase and saving
clause OF Gin the marriage relation"
Courts and grand juries also have
found it ineonvenient to bother
about section 8, which might as
we'll be stricken from the law sS a
worthless declaration.
But here comes the venerable
Senator from Massachusetts,, and
perpetrates a clause which is sharper
than a serpent's tooth, and which
cannot possibly be dulled by any
Commission of the marriage feia-
ton" order. i
In his next proposed amendment, /
Mr.. Hoar has set himself squarely |
and unequivocslly against persons
that the local performers" are urg
ing be not interfered with; indeed,
he would discourage by heavy pen.
alties what is advocated and COM
mended by those very persons Who'll
are presumed to be standing at his
back, Here is his amendment:
That if an unmarried man or womarI
commits fornicstion, each OF them shall
be punished by imprisonment not ex-
eeeding ak months, or By fDe not ex-
ceeding one hundred dollars.
In all seriousness, We ask Mr..
Hoar if he knows What he is about,
when he thus strikes a death blow
to a policy that has been publicly
urged as a corrective agent by the
very persons with whom he is hand
and glove? He may imagine he
knows Whist be is doing, but if so he
is mistaken. Both these amend
ments might have been suggested
by the MormoLs themselves, and
we will undertake to say that the
latter will support their adoption
much more heartily than the re-
formers can be urged to do. Were
it not for the Senator's pronouncedll