The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-04-12
The Supporters of PolJgamy Amply Supplied
with Money, Which They Will Use in Pre-
venting Further Adverse Legislation.
National Banks Will Not Be Informed
Of Dates of Coming Examinations.
Twenty Million Dollars Annually Sent Abroad
in Payment for Brandies, Wines and
Silks-Notes from the Capital.
THE MoRMoNs OF UTAH.
A Corruption Fund To Be Used to Prevent
Further Adverse Legislation.

A Corruption Fund To Be Used to Prevent
Further Adverse Legislation.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON April 11.-Al sorts of reports
concerning the intention of the Mormons have
been afloat here during the past week. The
Utah Commission has been in session several
days at one of the leading hotels. It's sessions
have been secret. No one has been told of the
steps taken or proposed. This has been severely
criticised by some of the newspapers of Wash
ington and elsewhere, that were not corversant
with the real reasons for meeting behind closed
and guarded doors. It was not because the
commission has desired to be mysterious, or to
unnecessarily keep from the world its doings.
The commission long since learned that it had
a willy and powerful enemy to combat, and for
that reason intends to strike hereafter without
warning.
1t is said the Mormons have employed detect
ives and agents in Washington, and intend using
a large corruption fund, if necessary, to defeat
further legislation on the subject of bigamy. It
was on account of the presence Of these men
that the work of the commission was not made
known. What will be done or is proposed can
not, for that reason, be ascertained.
The Mormons have long retained some Of the
shrewdest lawyers and lobbyists here, and have
had at their disposal fabulous corruption fund,
sometimes estimated at a half million dollars;
but at no time have such bold advances been
taken as now 1t is proposed at this time to
check further encroachments upon plural mar
riage at any hazard.
gentleman is here from Milwaukee, repre-
senting reform society of some kind, who says
hat
methods of the Mormons and urging further
laws upon the subject, which will wipe out the
wicked practices of those people if it takes all
his life to do it. He has been in Utah, and is
shocked at the outrages of the Mormons. If
man should open harem in Eastern State
he thinks, the would be mobbed, but in
Utah they are received into society, and praised
for it.
Within the time the Utah Commission has been
in session here several Mormon elders have yis-
tied Washington. met one of these elders to-
day, and had talk with him. He
was somewhat agitated about the move
ments of the commission, and com.
planned because the proceedings were NOT
made pubic. He said Mormonism was religion,
and could not be exterminated by an army of
last drop of blood for their religious faith, but
he thought polygamy had seen its best days In
fact, he wouldn't acknowledge that there was
such thing as plural marriage among his
people.
'Mormonism, said he, 'is as beneficial to a
country Catholicism orthodoxy in its best
form Our people are devout and moral. In
two hundred towns in Utah there is not house
of prostitution. Only per cent. of the gamblers
are Mormons, and So per cent. of the
saloon-keepers gentlles. AS
church we don't care anything about
plural marriages and it's no hardship for us to
be deprived of them; but it loosens the ties Of
the church and dscourages its members to have
so much agitation on the subject in Congress
and in the press. When Congress convenes
next December we propose to petition
against further agitation of the subject, for this
reason and we will guarantee no more polyga-
my if this is assured and we can rest, feeling
that our church will not be ruined by false re-
ports and cruel stories and harsh criticisms"