McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1885-05-21
uRoses ruEr HAVE SUFFERED.
The address Presented by The Mormons TO
the President of the Untspd States.

4
Congressional Delegate John T. Game, OF
| Utah; John w. Taylor, son of the president
| OF the Mormon church, and John q. Cannon,
son OF the ex-conressional delegate, who COM
pose the delegation sent by the Mormon
| church TO lay before the president a statement
| of the grievances of the Mormons and present
the address recently adopted by the mass
meeting OF Mormons against the action OF
federal officials, called by appointment at the
| executive mansion and were received by the
| president In the library. AS the delegation
entered, the president was seated at his desk,
but Immediately arose, shook hands with
| Game, and was then introduced to Cannon
and Taylor.
The following is the address presented Dy
| the Mormons to the president:
The Address.
Mr. President: The Latter Day Saints, as
sembled in general conference, at Loy.
| Utah, on the 9th day Of April, 1885, appointed
q committee to draft specific statement Of
| the wrongs they have suffered and are still
suffering from the tyranncal conduct of the
Federal officials. The committee thus erea-
ted submitted the result of its labors to the
Mormon people of Utah, gathered in mas
| meetings in the several counties of that ter
ritory, on the I'd of May, 1885. The people of
their own free will unanimously and enthu-
siastically ratified this declaration OF griev-
ances and protest, and the undersigned were
delegated to come here and formally deliver
the same to you. In the performance OF this
duty we beg leave to assure yOsI that the doc
ument voices the united expression of the
whole Mormon people. 1t is not the mere die
tum of the church authorities. The first
presidency of the church had nothing what
ever to do with the preparation or ratification
of this declaration of the peoples griev-
ances and their protest TO the wrongs inflicted
uIon them.
The people wanted to have formulated the
facts of their faith which are made the cause
of complaint against them, and also state
ment of the acts of the men who have been
sent by the general government to rule over
them. This has been done and the people
have approved thereof and made it their act
and deed. In the exercise of a right guaran-
teed to them by the constitution of the I'm
tied States, nearly two hundred thousand
citizens appeal to their fellow citizens for a
fair he ring, and petition you for Il redress
of their grievances. The Mormon people have
been patient, fOrbeaTing and lOngsutfering.
They have not been, they are not, and they
will not be disloyal or law-defying They have
within the law, steadfastly resisted what they
believed to be unjust enactmcnts, but they
have not resisted and will not resist the iudg-
ment of the courts. They maintain that they
ought not to be made victims OF special legis-
lation enacted under the form of general
laws. The act of congress Furnishing by fine
and Imprisonment unlawful cO-habitatiOn is
unquestionably general law, applying alike
to all inh abitantS of the TERRITORY over which
the United States claim exclusive jurisdiction.
1t must have been intended to suppress vice
and immortality as well as to punish the Nor
mons who main tanned marital relations with
their plural wives But the prosecuting Off
GERS in Utah have declared that tGis law was
not made to be applied TO nOn-MOrInons and
the courts have held this to be the fair and
rightful Interpretation OF the unlawful CO.
habitatiOn act.
They have moreover, held that the Mormons
who have maintained the offspring of their
plural marriages and recognized as their
wives the women they espOused be. ore the
passage of the Edmund's law were guilty of
its violation, and upon this ruling men have
been condemned and sentenced, and are now
undergoing punishment, although they were
ready and offered t. prove that they had not
cOhabieed with more than one woman. Very
recently a man who confessed to having Sc
ducei his wife sster, was arrested upln the
charge of unlawful cOhabitatirn but was upon
a habeaS corpus prOCeediu ri ased, and set
free by the Ceief Justice Of the Territory, who
held that the EdmUndS law not intended
4 j
probably needless to add that the accused in
this case not Il Mormon. Mormon people
do not ask that you shall even wrest once tbs.
law to your authority in order to do Il great
right to them. They will endure vastly more
than the public conscience would expect of
any people but they insist, as they have I'M
doubted right to do, that the laws should be
impartially administered; that the men who
administer them should be fair, upright, IN
biased AMI impartial; that the Executive and
Administrative officers sent thither by the
Federal government should be honest, and
cOufine themselves to the performance of their
legal duties, and not become the allies of an
INSCRIPTIONS coterie whose sole OBJECT is to
plumber the MormOns of taeir property and
their liberty. The Mormon people are charitable
and are not prompt to speak evil, ven of those
who deS ,itefully use and IerSecute them.
The mcrcess crusade which has been wIged
against them for many years they believe to
be directed at their religion. TEey know that
the faith which they profess anu Practice is
unpopular, but they know also that in this
respect they are but enduring that which has
been the common lot of the true believers in
every age of the world.
They believe that it is as true as it was OF
those of whom the Son of Man sLoke, more
than 800 years ago, And We shall be hated
of all men for NV names sake, but he that
endureth to the end shall be saved" Their
abiding faith in an Oycrrulin@ Providence
makes them confident of triumph in the course.
l.
God, and that the wicked and ungOdly VIII
strive against it in vain.
We are not here, Mr.. President, to ask IA
vors at your hands. Those who sent US ask
for but simple justice. They do not ask you
to stand between them and the law, but tney
do insist that tie laws ought to be admins
tered with equal eXactness, regardless of race,
reiudicC or religious antipathes. Ther rec
Ognize the fact that it is your duty to see that
the laws enacted by congress are faithfully
executed, but they maintain that faithful
execution in this instance means perfect
equality before the law of Mormons and non
MOrmOns. Therefore in their Eehalf, we ask
that you will heartily respond and give heed
to their request Tor a fair and impartial
investigation of the Utah question. This is
their protest: I'VE protest against the I'M
lair treatment on the part of the general Gov
ernment: We protest against tn continu-
ance of territorial bondage, subversive
OF the rights of freemen and contrary
to the spirit of American institutions ; we pre-
test against special legislation which is tae
result of popular prejudice and religious In
reference: we protest agains. the con- oience
of enc class of citizens being made the critic
rion by which to judge another; We protest
against the tyranny of Federal officials and
ba in off of -rbn liz