Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-12-22
The Polygamy Bill.


WASHINGTON, December Dist. - The
polygamy bill, reported back to-day by
Senator Edmunds from the judiciary
Committee, provides that in any prosecu,
ton under the statutes of the United
States for bigamy, polygamy or unlawful
cohabitatiOn, the lawful husband or wife
of the accused shall be a competent wit,
ness, and may be compelled to testify; that
an attachment for a witness may be issued
without previous subpoena, when there is
reasonable ground to believe that the wit
ness will refuse to obey subpoena that
every marriage ceremony in the Territories
shall be certified in writing, the certificate
to be signed by each of the parties. and by
the oltlcer or priest performing the cere-
mony, such certificate TO be prima facie
evidence of the facts when produced i.
Court; that a failure to furnish such ccr.
tticate is made punishable by fine or i'm
prisonment; that all records of marriages
kept by officiating functionarics shall be
subjected to an inspection by United States
officials, and refusal to permit this is pun
ishabie by fine and Imprisonment: that ii
shall not be lawful for any female to vote
at any election hereafter held in
the Territory of Utah for any
public purpose whatever, and no such
vote shall be received, or counted, or given
effect i'll any manner whatever, and anv
and every act of the Governor and Legis-
lative Assembly Of the Territory of Utah.
providing for or allowing the registration
or voting by females, is annulled; that all
laws Of the Legislature of the Territory of
Utah which provide for the numbering or
identifying of votes of electors in said
Territory are disapproved and annulled ;
that the laws enacted by the Legislative
Assembly of Utah, comforting jurisdiction
upon Probate Courts, or jury thereof of
any of them in said Territory, other than
in respect of estates of deceased persons.
and in respect of guardianship of
the persons and property of infants,
and i'll respect of persons and property
of persons not of sound mind, are disap-
proved and annulled; that the laws of
utah, recognizing the capacity of illegiti-
mate children to inherit their fathers prop
erty. are disapproved and annulled, and no
illegitimate child born subsequent TO the
passage of this Act shall be entitled to any
share in an inheritance that all laws of
Utah, which provide that prosecution for
adultery can only be commenced on the
complaint of husband or wife, are annulled;
that all Acts of the Utah Legislature re-
cogniZlng the corporation known as the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
and the ordinances of the so-called General
Assembly of the State of Deseret, incOr-
porating this body, are annulled, so far as
they may preclude the appointment by the
President of fourteen Trustees of the cor
poration, who shall have all the powers
provided for in the laws creating said cor
poration that the Legislative Assembly of
the Territory shall not have the power to
change the laws respecting this corporation
without the approval of Congress that it
shall be the duty Of the Acknowledgement
of the United States to institute and pros
ecute proceedings to forfeit to the United
States the property of corporations obtained
or sold in violation of law, and all prop
erty so forfeited shall be disposed
OF, and the proceeds applied to the common
schools of the Territory, provided that no
building shall be forfeited which is had and
occupied exclusively for purposes of re-
ligious worship; that all laws of the Terri
tory relating to perpetual emigrating
fund company are annulled and it shall
not be lawful for the Territorial Assembly
to create any corporation or association for
the purpose of bringing persons into the
Territory for any purpose whatsoever; that
it shall be the duty of the Attorney
General TO bring suit to dissolve said
corporation, and wind up its affairs the
existing election districts and the appoint
ment OF representation to the Legislative