Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-05-15
CONFINEMENT AND APPROVAL.


adage which says, 'TWhen We canno
have what we like, let us like what W
have" This very aphy express the posi-
ton of the church papers in regard to th'
presentation of the Declaration to Presi
dent Cleveland and could the course O
the President and his conversation have
been ordered from the head quarters O.
the Peoples party, as were the delega
tion's, it could not have been more salts
factory. 1t is very much like the JOY
which Mr.. Angus NJ Cannon felt to thinl
that he was going to suffer Imprisonment
for righteousness sake. One OF "oul
esteemed morning contemporaries" de
clares that $50 far as we are able to learn
the protest and petition met just such a
reception as the Mormons expected it
would have; and the President certainly
made all the promises that was or could
have been expected" VIII the healthy
imagination of our esteemed morning
contemporary inform the public whether
the President made all the promises that
were wanted? 1t would seem to a dis
eased imagination that if all the people
of Utah wanted was that the President
should promise to have all laws impair
TALLY administered, that the mass meet
ings, the Declaration and Protest, the
sending of a delegation to Washington
with that document, The wisdom of a
halt, The Improbable raid, Is it wise,
The right thing to do, Not a success,
Judicial halucination, and all the wild
talk OF tame editors, were useless,
more than useless - actually an
active retrogressive movement, espe-
cially when it is remembered that
on the fourth of last March President
Cleveland swore to do what now so re-
joices the people Of Utah-administer the
law impartially. 1t is said that the reply
OF the President was all that was ex-
pected. If this is the case, was it not a
FOOLS errand to 60 to Washington to get
what every man and woman, Mormon
and Gentle, expected? It was very much
like Thompson's colt, which swan across
the river to get drink. If this was all
that was expected, it would have been as
well to have sent a telegram to Washing
ton requesting the President to see that |
the laws were impartially enforced in
Utah, and the answer would have come |
back in twelve hours and been the same !
as that which the delegation received
from the President in person. .n
But are not the laws already impartiallv
enforced in Utah? The cry for an inn
partial administration OF the laws is
based upon the construction given to the
word "cohabitation," as used in the Ed
munds law. Judge Zane, in defining the
word "cohabitation, - said that it was the
of Congress in passing the Ed
munds law to do away with the polygamic
system existing in Utah, and that the
whole act must be construed in accord
ance with the object for which it was
passed. In constituting the act, the Chief
Justice held that the word "cohabita-
tion," as there used, meant cohabitation
with more than one woman in the mar
riage relation, and giving out to the world
that she was wife. This is fully in ac-
cord with the doctrine of the law as TO
what constitutes a marriage, for the
law says that it is consent and ,
not consummation which makes the s
marriage. 1t is this view of the law
which the Chief Justice took in regard TO 6
the Edmunds law, and he applied the :
old doctrine to the new circumstances. ,
and held that it was consent and not con-
which constituted unlawful CO. }
nabitation under the Edmunds law. With .
his construction of the Edmunds law :
here can be but one class TO whom If
VIII apply, which class is those who are | Y
lVlng with more than one woman in the y
marriage relation and giving out to the
world that they are wives. Those who .
ire OF this class are. all Mornons. and b
nus 1t is that against Mormons only is 81
his particular law enforced and If is =,
niorced against them because they are c,
lolators OF that law, and not be- n
ause they are Mornons. If any other n,
lass shall do the same thing. against 20
lem also will the law be enforced is,
1he Mormon people have sought to in ar
oduce the polygamic system as a cure of
II those sexual crimes which attend ~;
loden society, and which society reprpts 90
ut cannot fully control This is the
'ciai aspect OF the Mormon polygamic Y
stem and does not pretend to touch the os
llglous phase. 1t cannot be denied that ox
e efforts of the Mormon church in this N
'rtlcular have been in favor of chastity. of
tn what result is no difference. They no
i've seen IN the marriage relation merely on
sanctioned association of man and wi
'men, and have thought that the asso- If
ltlon OF one man with more than one fo,
'man, If sanctioned by those to whom
eE nave always looked for approval or in,
VICE. was proper and legitimate, and fir
ncerneu no one but themselves. There Fl,
Is no idea that there sbonId bo NJ
y promlscuous associations, but onlv H.
sanctioned one. They have nevor y
that the associot;or -
man and one woman as bpshond '-'
wife was sanctioned by the State that 90 ~
family might exist and be the unit ~,
he State. The State is an aggrega- Ge, %
OF families, and the status of the sn.
dly must be defined and regulated yer
lewhere. The family has legal re- of