Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-05-02

has proved that ii checks ii; and lnstea
=. of being destructive OF the family relation
il is preservative OF it.
Plural marriage was publicly pre-
claimed a doctrine OF the Church in 1852
Congress declared it crime in 1862; bu
p. the law enacted against it remained 10
seventeen years dead letter, the Fedora
officials hesitating to enforce it, as if they
doubted its constitutionality. The law o
1862 was not declared constitutional unit
It the 9Th of January, 1879. Plural mar
riage, therefore, was openly taught anC
practised ten years before any law existed
against it, and twenty-seven years hao
! elapsed from the time of its first public
PRONUNCIATION until the Supreme Court
decided the law to be constitutional Thus
it is apparent that plural marriage was
not introduced in violation of law, but the
' law was enacted against this principle OF
our religion.
The charges OF treason and rebellion
made against our people, are as absurd as
/ they are untrue. We have given too
many proofs of our loyalty for such accu-
sations to have weight Thrice driven
from our homes, and while fleeing from
the confines of the nation which refused
us protection, call was made upon us
for 500 men to assist in fighting our coun-
try's battles in Mexico. They were
promptly furnished, though it took the
flower of the camp-the able-bodied men
of that band of refugees. They left their
mothers, wives and little ones, encamped
in tents and wagons upon the prairies,
and performed an unparalleled march of
1000 miles, over barren plains and bleak
mountains, to the scene of action, where
they rendered signal service in their
country's cause. The main body of the
eXiles continued their western flight until
they reached the Rocky Mountains,
where they unfurled the Stars and Stripes,
which had led their desert march, and
two years after framed a Republican con-
stitution and applied for admission as a
State into the Union. Are these evil
dences of disloyalty?
All through our history.the general gov
eminent has seemed to regard us less as
| loyal American citizens than as danger
Gus alien element. 1t may have been in
duced at times to recognize that we had
! some Justice on our side, but it has never
come to our defense To a delegation
which narrated in burning words the
story of our wrongs in Missouri, the Chief
Magistrate of the nation made the hui
initiating confession that though our
cause was just he could do nothing for us.
The land whose Constitution, in the Ian
guage of its trainers, was hoped to be |
broad enough to shelter under its mantle /
the Jew, the Mohammedan, the Pagan,
as well as the Christian, has scarcely .
been able to tolerate, much less to pro-
tect, the numerically Insignificant Nor
mons.
The general government has ever man
ifested readiness to give ear to the
unsupported charges of evil-disposed per-
sons against us, and has sought to correct
alleged evils with extreme rigor. We
point particularly to the inglorious cru
SADIE of 1878, known as the Mormon
War" based upon the falsehoods of
Federal official, when the Executive dis
patched an army to whip us into a 10y
atty from which, on investigation, it was
proved we had never departed. Our re-
bellion was found to be, what it always
has been, the mere creation of an en-
emy's fancy.
The authorities at Washington have
our rights in the matter of
local self-government. As early as l849
the people OF Utah framed State consti- !
tuition, and applied for admission into the
Union. Their application was repeated, I
as conditions became more favorable, :
first IN 1886, again in 1862, then in 1872,
and lastly jr 1882, and each time has {
been ignored. A Territorial government i
is not Republican institution; but for ]
thlrty-five years we have been compelled
to accept the colonial conditions which it |
imposes, and denied the most precious of
all rlghts-that of self-government. Only F,
Tor the first ten years of our existence in
the mountains, were we vOuchsafed this G
precious boon to any considerable degree, 7
turing which time man of our choice I
occupied the position of Governor. We t
possess every qualification for Statehood e
population wealth, stability of COM C
nerce and society. No reasonable ex- S
;use can be assigned for the refusal OF our
application. We submit that it should, C
II right, he considered and favorablV 8
acted upon n
1t has been the undertaking policy to e
send strangers into our midst as gov W
'rnors, judges, prosecuting ATTORNEYS and !,
men who, with honorable ex- n
,eptions, had no interest in the common v
Welfare. We complain not only of the g
PERSONAL character of these officials and in
hat they have acted the part of petty OF
!espots among US, tramplng on our tiber- u,
ould presume to exercise except among M
o unpopular a people, and haughtily iG ri
orlng our rights and feelings, but also AZ
nat where this disposition has not been w
pronounced popular clamor ne
ending to engender and develop if. has sill
cen SO strong that fair minded. lust men th
ave enjoyed but short terms of office
'hlle those who possessed the one quail hr
cation OF hatred of the Mormon naonla on
ere kept secure in seats which they al
lost daily disgraced vi,
we complain OF repeated manifestations bu
lIl-feelmg from the parent government on
Ven IN small country towns Mormon lat
ostmasters have been displaced for up
some instances mere tran mr.
entS, who IN many cases have been re- WI
lned IN office although serious charges
pported by evidence sworn to bv re- lot
table citizens, have been preferred tbf
alnst them. Mormons have been fire. off;
estly removed without just cause. The ma
mes OF post-othces in towns named sh.
leading and beloved citizens-men for
10 Land the foundation of the Territories NOT
been changed at the I
Inn or suggestion of some small-sOuIed ed
got or insignificant minority of petition ner
J, the Federal government in all these 9
,yements using its power preiudicialIy ste,
the great majority of the people. bed!
our numerous petitions, protests and Chi
in our own defense have been as /
Tally passed over unnoticed, while peti- rem
MS urging governmental action against mis-
from religious denominations, unac- of :
alnted with us except from hearsav nell
We been accorded consideration and buS
lerally acted upon. Sixty-five Thousand ans
mes appended to document askino 70
orc H. oT Is oI the Utah situation won