Daily Republican., 1884-04-16
The POlygalny Curse.

and a President for 1885 that 1t has not
the time left to devote to hemming in
with view to the utter extinction OF
the curse of polygamy in the Terri
tories. This abomination has grown to
dangerous proportions, and Is now so
firmly established in the great Salt
Lake valley that it defes the Federal
authorities and disregards the laws Of
the United States. 1t now holds the
balance of power in the Territory OF
Utah, and not checked will soon con- |
troll Nevada, Montana and Wyoming.
The Mormons now number about 2OO,-
600, and the yearly accessions to their
numbers from all portions of the world
are astonishingly great. To say that
their recruits are mostly from the easi-
lily infatuated, ignorant and depraved
classes, is but proof of their dangerous
character. The conflict between poly
gamists in this country is no less ire
pressible than was the question of free
dom and slavery. The people must
take stand either for or against the
evil: the two systems cannot peaceful
lly exist on this continent.
If polygamyis is to be suppressed by
the authority of the United States
there is no time to be lost in securing
the enactment of such broad humane
land comprehensive laws as shall prove
effective in crushing it out. The sys-
TEN of polygamy originated in this
country under the name of Mormonism
r within the memory OF many now liv.
; ling. 1t first concentrated its followers
at Nauvoo, Ill, under the leadership o.
s Joseph Smith. The first Mormon
t temple was built there.
l They were driven from Nanvoo IL
It the year 1912, when they took up thei
$ line of march for the Great Salt LAX
y valley. When they left Nauvoo they
o were much distracted and broken up
b The government at that time, with thu
II slightest effort, could have extermi
g mated polygamy, but that opportunit,
was allowed to pass unimproved. Th'
|, government not only neglected to crust
:, it out at that time, but it has sine
h made polygamy honorable by appoint
" ing the chief polygamist Governor 0
5, the Territory of Utah, and by admit
, ting polygamists to the halls of Con
d gress.
/, We regret to say, and yet we mus
y say, that the government itself is re
l, sponsible for the condition of things il
y Utah and the adjacent Territories. Hat
tn &. ,f, l,t,y
g. the nation would not to-day be dis
ID turbing element in our social and pc
le litical structure.
g. This question should be squarely me
s. and solved by the present generation
n and we are glad to see that there is
at disposition shown to blot out the evil
ef the only difficulty being to know exact
b. ly how to do it in the most human
Ill manner.
he The most practical plan suggested
that mothers who have borne childre
e, in plural wellork and the Chi drsn Dor
T. in plural we'il"ck should become tt
ne wards of the Government, to be prov
lel ded for at the expense of the Cover
TT, lment until the children so born sha
as have arrived at their majority, an
he the mothers shall have settled again
he single wedlock or shall have passt
las away in death
hW These unfortunate women and CHI
all dren could be provided for on farms,
he be furnished by the Government, or
ds, communities which may engage in V
ent rious departments Of manufacturers,
nts the Government may furnish the
elr homes in the farming districts in sevt
the atty, and grant a pension to each mot
lily er with children dependent upon III
It would not do for the Government
leave these mothers and children u
provided for and unprotected ; such
'els act would be berbarOus in the extren
sh' and a disgrace to the civilization
ices which we live. The details OF this VIC
'u0 must, in the main, be left to the wlsd'
'ah- and discretion of a commission appol
'uh ed by Congress to execute the laws, a
zee" it is high time Congress was dol
',l'n something to meet the case.
ism Rrino vOur ioh nrintinu 70 the REP