The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-12-11
rHE MoRMoN QUESTION.
Report of the Utah Commissioned Revival
in POlygamy.

in POlygamy.
WASHINGTON, d c., December 8.
The report of the Utah Commission, ex-
Secretary of War Ramsey chairman, was
made public yesterday. The commission
says that their duties have been faithfully
and successfully performed, with results
showing that at the recent election for
delegate to Congress and other elections
of county officials, held under their su-
pervision, all polygamists were excluded
from voting and holding Office. The
Utah delegate-elect to Congress, Mr..
John T. Caine, is a Mormon, but he does
not now and never has lived in polygamy,
and is therefore eligible Under the law.
The report says that for year or more,
after efforts to enforce the law were in
stituted, polygamic teachings from the
pulpit were rarely heard, and there were
observable indications that the practice
of polygamy might neasurably declines
but during the present year there appears
to have been a polygamic revival. The
institution is boldly and defanJly defend-
ed by spiritual teachers, and plural mar
riages are reported on the increase.
As an Illustration of the oneness
of faith among MormOns respecting
pOlygamy, attention is called to an i'm
pOrtaut pOlygamy case, recently tried in
| Salt Lake City, where every Mormon on
| the jury panel, in answer to the question
"Do you believe it right for a man to
| have more than one living and undivorced
| wife at the same time?" answered unhes-
! itatingly, eyes, sir"
The trial of this case caused a pro-
| found sensation throughout the Terri
tory The defendant, Rudger Clawson;
| (the son of a Bishop, and his two
| wives belonged to the better class of
! Mormon society. Although his polygamiC
/ marriage had been notorious in the COM
munity for months, no direct evidence of
| it was disclosed until given by his
second wife after short imprisOn-
ment for contempt of court for refus-
| ing to testify. All other witnesses exam
| ined and there were many, including
| the immediate relatives of the parties, the
| President and other high officers of the
| church, every one, except the second
wife, disclaimed all knowledge of the
marriage. Clawson was convicted, and
| before sentence was passed declared
| Judgment should not be passed against
| him because the laws of his country were
| in conflict with the laws of God. The
| Constitution, he said, expressly states
| that Congress shall make no law respects
ing the establishment of religion or pro-
hibiting the free exercise of it. POlyga-
! nous marriage, he said, when sanctioned
by religious rites and ceremonies is tho
establishment of religion, and the anti
pOlygamy laws were designed to operate
against such marriages, and were there.
fore unconstitutional. This view eX-
pressed by CIawson, the report says, is in
conformity with the uniform sentiment oi
all the Mormon people; but while this is
their creed, many MOrmOns are reluctant
to enter into the polygamic relation, sc
the trial and conviction of ClawsOn viii
probably have restraining influence upoT
young Mormons.
The commission urge a vigorous en-
forcement of the present laws. The
Government has to deal with people
wonderfully superstitious and fanatically
devoted to their religion; and a suddel
overthrow of polygamy as result OF thu
enforcement of the present anti-pOlygam.
laws is not to be expected. They recon
mend additional legislation in the nature
of amendments to the existing laws
which they think will greatly strengthen
the hands of both the commission and thu
counts. They express the opinion that it /
not unlikely the Federal Government vii
finally find it necessary to take into it
J own hands all civil power i'll Utah.