Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-30
WORKING WELL.


one took the full penalty of the law, tn,
result may be said to be satisfactory. Mr.
S. W. Sears clearly and distinctly ant
without any equivocation promised tt
obey the law in future. Mr.. 7. o. Angel
Jr., promised the same, but not until th,
Court made him define his position. Ii
his case there was tendency to jesuit
ism, but this may have been because h,
had not made up his mind what to dt
until closely questioned by the Court
The other case was that o
Bishop Hiram B. Clawson. He abso
lutely refused to promise obedience tc
the law and gave his reasons, which
were, substantially, that he had been as
sociated with the Mormon church fol
some forty-five years, and that he had en-
tered into his polygamic relations long
years ago when he and his wives were
young; that now his wives were fast ad
vancing to life's close and already streaks
of gray show in their hair. For him tc
cease TO associate with them now as theil
husband would be for him to forfeit all
that his course in life had earned for him
in the hereafter, and it was better fol
him to 90 to prison than to undo the work
OF his life. Another reason which he
gave was that if he were to promise obedi-
ence to the law in future he would be os-
tracised and looked down upon in the
community where he resides Such were
the reasons which Mr.. Clawson gave for
refusing to obey the law. 1t is to be re-
gretted that the reasons for refusing to
obey the law were more powerful
with him than the reasons for
obeying it. Mr. Clawson has long
been a prominent man in the COM
munity, and Mr.. Clawson's family has
been pointed to as the ideal polygam-
GUS family. The harmony which has pre-
vailed in his family has been owing en-
tirely to Mr.. Clawson and not to the
institution of polygamy. Had Mr.. Claw
son been any less particular to be just to
his various families, there would have
been the same ill-feeling and discord in
his family that characterize the majority
of polygamous families. Mr. Clawson's s
family has been pointed to by all Nor
mons as an example OF which to be proud,
and in books about Mormonism it has
been cited as an instance of
what polygamy may be made.
There is one family that is pointed out
to strangers rs being harmonious and
happy, but what of all the other polvg-
amous families? Is system which
prevades the entire Territory to be
sustained because it has furnished one
worthy example? Is it not strange that
no other family is cited to show the su-
periority of polygamy? A system that
can only produce one worthy example is
not greatly superior to any other system.
In view of the circumstances SURROUNDING
Mr.. Clawson's case, great deal of SYM
pathy will be felt for him personally:
but sympathy should not be allowed to
set the law at naught. Mr. Clawson is
not required to cease to support his
wives and children, but he was required
to cease cohabiting with his wives in
the marriage relation, and he was
required to do this merely because
the law forbids it. We honestly and sim
cerely believe that had Mr.. Clawson, aud
others in the same position as himself.
come forward at the time of the time of
the passage of the Edmunds law, and used
all their endeavors to have it obeyed and
respected, and sought to discourage any
further violations of the anti-polygamy
laws, and had stated their intention to
that effect to the President, and had
asked clemency for past offenses, amnesty
would have been granted them and that
Congress would have made some proyis-
ion for such cases as his, so that his fam
lily relations would not have been dis
turbed. But the very contrary of this
was done. Polygamy was never so urged
upon the Mormon people as since the
passage of the Edmunds law, not even in
the time of what, in Utah, is called the
Reformation. That time was in 1856.
and continued for a year or two. The
people of Utah chose their course, and
now they are to small extent reap
ing the consequences of that course. |
to learn, never a man in the Mormon
church, whether layman or clerical, has
ever advised the Mormon people to obey
and respect the laws passed for the sup
preston of polygamy and the discontinue
ance of unlawful cohabitation. They |
thought to discourage the Government in |
its efforts to enforce the law by more ex-
tensively breaking it. They were mis-
taken. In the enforcement of the law |
there will doubtless be some apparent |
hardships, but those upon whom they
fall, and the public too, should remember
that they never by word or act sought to
have the law respected or obeyed. |
Things are near crisis in Utah when the |
law will be triumphant or will be forever
violated. Which it shall be remains
with the Government to say, for now the
game is in its hands The law should be
vindicated or its violators allowed to 60
unmolested. Does any one doubt which
choice the Government has made?
A CONSISTENT COURSE.