Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-07-24
NUMBER Fl.
THE MORMON QUESTION

cltlzen OF the Republic. Congress is
forbidden by the Constitution to make
any law respecting the establishment
OF religion, or prohibiting the free ex-
ercise thereof For a century, under
this guarantee. Protestant and Catho-
lie, jew and Gentle, have worshipetl
| God according to the dictates of con-
science. But religious liberty must not
be perverted to the justification of of
fences against the law. A religious
| sect, strongly intrenched in one of the
territories of the Union. and spreading
rapidly into four other territories. claims
the right to destroy the great safeguard
and imminent of social order, and to
practice as religious privilege that
which is crime punished with severe
penalty in every state in the Union.
The sacredness and unity OF tho family
must be preserved as the foundation of
all civil government, as the source of
| orderly administration, as the surest
guarantee of moral purity.
The claim of the Mormons that they
are divinely authorized to practice po-
lygamy should no more be admitted
than the claim of certain heather tribes.
II they should come among us, to con-
time the right of human sacrifice.
The law does not interfere with what q
man believes; it takes cognizance only
OF what he does. As citizens. the Nor
mons are entitled to the same civil
rights as others, and to these they must
be confined. Polygamy can never re-
ceive national sanction or federation by
admitting the community that upholds
! or 70 I,o
the Mormons must learn that the hber-
ty of the individual ceases where the
rights of society begin.
OUR CURRENCY.
The people of the United States,
though often urged and tempted, have
never seriously contemplated the recog-
milton of any other money than gold
and silver-and currency directly con
vertible into them. They have not done
so, they will not do so, under any neces-
sty less pressing than that of desperate
war. The one special requisite for the
completion of our monetary system is
the fixing of the relative values of sill
yer and gold The large use of silver
as the money of account among Asiatic
nations, taken in connection with the
increasing commerce of the world.
gives the weightieSt reasons for an inter-
national agreement in the premises
Our government should not cease to
urge this measure until common
standard of value shall be reached and
established-a standard that shall en-
able the United States to use the silver
from its mines as an auxiliary to gold
in settling the balances of commercial
exchange.
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
The strength of the Republic is in
creased by the multiplication of land
holders. Our laws should look to the
judicious. encouragement of actual
settlers on the public domain, which
should henceforth be held as sacred
trust for the benefit of those seeking
homes. The tendency to consolidate
large tracts of land in the ownership of
individuals or corporations should, with
proper regard to vested rights, be dis
couraged. One hundred thousand acres
of land in the hands of one man is far
less profitable to the Nation in every
war than when its ownership is divided
among one thousand men. The evil of
permitting large tracts of the National
domain to be consolidated and con-
trolled by the few against the many is
enhanced when the persons controlling
it are aliens 1t is but fair that the pub
lie land should be disposed of to actual
settlers and to those who are citizens
of the Republic, or willing to become
so.
OUR SHIPPING INTERESTS.
Among our national interests one
languishes the foreign carving trade.
1t was very seriously crippled in our
civil war, and another blow was given
to it in the general substitution of steam
for sail in ocean traffic. With front
age on the two great oceans, with
freightage larger than that of any other
nation, we have every inducement to
restore our navigation. Yet the Govern
ment has hitherto refused its help. A
small share of the encouragement given
by the Government to railways and to
manufactures, and a small share of the
capital and zeal given by our citizens
to those enterprises would have carried
our ships to every sea and to every port.
A law just enacted removes some of the
burdens upon our navigation and in
spires hope that this great interest may
at last receive its due share of atten-
ton. All efforts in this direction should
receive encouragement.
sACREDNEsS or THE BALLOT.
This survey of our condition as Ma
ton reminds us that material prosperi-
ty is but a mockery if it does not tend
to preserve the liberty of the people
A free ballot is the safeguard Of Repub-
lican institutions, without which no Ma
tional welfare is assured. A popular
election, honestly conducted, embodies
the very majesty of true government
Ten millions of voters desire to take
part in the pending contest. The safety
of the Republic rests upon the integrity
of the ballot, upon the security of suf-
frage to the citizen To deposit
fraudulent vote is no less a crime against
constitutional liberty than to obstruct
the deposit of an honest vote. He who
corrupts suffrage strikes at the very
root of free government. He is the
arch-enemy of the Republic. He for
gets that in trelnpling upon the rights
of others he fatally imperils his own
rights at is good land which the
Lord our God doth give u.s. but we
can maintain our heritage only by
guarding with vigilance the source of
popular power.
! am with great respect.
Your obedent servant,