Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-04-28
THE aUTAH JOURNAL ON Us.


against it were valid. Here is its reply
to that question: eve will not undertake
to deny that polygamy exists in Utah,
but we most emphatically deny that the
! laws of Congress against it are valid
So emphatic denial. should be backed
bv most cogent reasons, but in this case
it is not, at least, they will not strike the
average reader as such. Behold what
the Journal says:
1--WE viii admit, however, that the Supreme
Court of the United States has affirmed them
Our reasons for asserting that the anu -polygamy
legislation enacted by Congress is unconstitu-
tional are these: The ancient Jewish scrip
lures came by inspiration and revelation IRON
God: so also did the Constitution OF the United
States. The revelations aud SCRIPTURES OF Coo
( ALWAYS harmoniZe. The Constitu-
ton Is in perfect and beautiful harmony with
the revelations of God the anti-polygamy legis-
l6tiOn of Congress clashes with both"
If the Constitution was inspired by
God, then everything provided by the
Constitution is inspired, and the Supreme
Court being provided for by the Constitu-
/ tion must also be inspired. If it be said
that the Supreme Court is not inspired,
then the Constitution is not inspired in
all its parts, and such being the case, the
rule that false in one, false in
all, must apply. And if God in
spired the Constitution, and some
parts of that instrument are faulty,
and he likewise inspired the revelations,
is it not possible that some parts of them
are faulty? 1t seems that there are eX-
ceptions to all rules, even the harmonies
of the gods, for the revelations OF God
and the decisions of a court specially pro-
vided for by inspiration do clash. So
also do the Journal and the Ne,cs some
time clash, although both are inspired
from the same source and for the same
object, and both are sin perfect and
beautiful harmony with the revelations of
Cod" but not always in such beautiful
harmony with themselves. Each de
clares the other wrong at times, and both
declare the Supreme Court wrong most Of
times.
1 ii
Scriptures is theological and not legal,
and the Talmud, the Koran and the
Sacred Books of the East might as well
be cited as authorities to determine what
is and what is not constitutional and when
the Supreme Court is wrong, as the Jew
ish Scriptures.
The DEMOCRAT does think the poly
gamic system of marriage wrong, for the
reasons given in its article of the Goth,
and for others not given, among which
may be mentioned the fact that it is con-
trary to the highest moral sense Of the
civilized world, and it has found its home
heretofore among those nations that
are nol-Christian and semi-civilized.
1t is wrong, further, because it deprives
those who are the issue of such marriages,
of legal status in the courts of their
country, and places them at the mercy
of caprice when they seek those rights
which the world says are the natural
rights which the child is entitled to from
the parents. And this caprice is used by
those who will tell you of the beauties and
harmonies of celestial marriage, as a
means of coerci IN when some child as
serts his or her manhood or womanhood.
We have had some experience of this
from those Who succeeded our father
in authority i'll church matters, and
it was for such as they for whom
we wrote when we said that
polygamy had damned more than it
could save, and if they were not damned
hereafter they ought to be. The Journal
reaches very far to find something in that
statement which it may turn against us,
and make us say that we have said that
our own father and mother have been
damned for practicing such a doctrine, or
that they ought to be- We said no such
thing, we inferred no such thing; and it
ever has been and shall be our aim to so
act that we shall honor our father and
mother, and while we cannot accept the
doctrines to which they devoted their
lives, We claim just what they claimed,
and have done just what they did
thought and acted in the realm of religion
in accordance with our convictions.
The Journal says we confess what is
our object, which is Democracy and a
severance of the union of Church and
State in Utah, with less frankness than
is desirable" We cannot agree to any
such doctrine, and believe that no man
should have a political object which he
will not frankly avew. Frank avowals
are what are sorely needed in Utah Just
now, and if the mass meetings which
convene this week will only make some,
they will greatly aid matters here.
Is there any particular merit in
fidelity to any religion, because one was
born in it and does not believe in it? Too
many of those who do adhere to their
religion, do so as much for policy as for
+ fidelity. VIII the Journaltell us how Nor
monism could have sprung up if every
body had continued in fidelity to the re-
/ ligion in which they were born? Fidelity.
so long as there is faith, and no longer is
our theory.
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