Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-07-21
FOR SELECTMAN:
BOLIVAR ROBERTS.
A DEMOCRATIC QUERIST."

A correspondent in this mornings
Herald, who signs himself Democratic
Querist," asks some questions and offers
some suggestions The "Querist" begs
the true issue in Utah, and would make
the question here question as to whether
Christianity and the Government of the
United Statea are in danger. The ques-
ton in Utah is simply this: Shall the
laws of the United States be enforced
and obeyed in United States territory, or
shall a religious sect be allowed to defy
and set at naught those laws, and estab-
lish a family relation that finds no sane
ton in the law, and which is, in fact in
direct conflict with the family as estab
lished not only throughout the Ameri-
can Union but throughout the
Christian world? That is the
issue in Utah to-day. That disobedience
to and defiance of the law is extensive is
no reason in the world why the law
should surrender to its violators, no mat
ter by what authority they may claim
right to violate law. The Government
claims as a primary right the right to say
what the family shall be, as the rights
and duties growing out of that relation
ship are the most important in the State.
That such relationship must be regulated
all admit The question now is, by whom
should it be regulated? Experience has
taught the world that the interests Of the
State and of the citizens composing the
State are best guarded and conserved by
the State having the power And why?
Because the State looks after the tenn
poral welfare Of its citizens, and enacts
such laws and adopts such rules as will,
to use the Utilitarian phrase, secure the
greatest happiness to the greatest num-
ber. Any church will necessarily and
naturally confine its care and solicitude to
its own members Churches may be
anxious that all people recognize and
accept what they deem their truths, but
still their interest primarily is for those
truths. The interest of the Church is
special; the interest of the State is gen.
eral. The Church has to do with things
of hope and belief; the State has to do
with things of experience. The one has
TO do with what may be; the other with
what is.
If church may found family differ
ent and distinct from the family recog-
,,;,od l,,, +ba Stota ,yb1, p,o,, po4 n oburoI,
establish unit of value, length or
weight? Why may it not control the
State in all departments as well as in
one?
The "Querist" wants to know if the
people are not giving Mormonism too
much attention. Perhaps so; but to
continued violation of the law in Utah,
they are not. The question naturally
suggests itself whether the people of
Utah are not giving too much attention
to the cry of persecution, when they
claim that only two per cent. of the Nor
mons are suspected of practicing polyg-
amy, and too little attention to render
ing obedience to the laws? Abuse of the
people of Utah for abuses sake is wrong,
and the sooner it ceases the sooner will
come the era of obedience to the law, as
the "Querist' suggests But the people
of Utah are not justified in calling an en-
forcement of the law, when some of them
break it, on abuse of them. Likewise
would it not be well for the people OF
Utah to cease abusing Government Off
cials when they but do their duty?
The "Querist'' wants to know what ad-
vantage there is in pleading guilty to the
charge of unlawful cohabitation, and be-
ing fined and sentenced to the same term
of Imprisonment as those who plead mot
guilty." "when men say they have tried to
conform TO the Edmunds law? None
whatever as the question is asked, consid-
cradle as the facts are. The men who
plead guilty and said they had endeav-
ored to live in conformity with the |
Edmunds law, put their own con-
struction upon that law, and when
construed by the courts, the only |
proper authority, they refused to say
what they could and in future would do. |
1t was tacitly refusing to promise obedi-
ence TO the law in future, and the only |
presumption to be made was that if men
refused to obey It in the future, and had
broken it in the past, that they would !