Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1885-05-08
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
fFrom our Regular Correspondent.


WASHINGTON, April n, 1885.
A step in the direction of squelch-
ing polygamy in this country has been
taken by the Supreme Court Of the
United States in the Clawson case,
wherein the court decides that the
exclusion Of polygamists from the
jury. box is not only lawful but is alb
solutely demanded, to make the adj
ministration of justice in Utah any
thing but legal farce. To admit to
the panel for the trial of a prisoner
charged with polygamy, set OF men
who believe that the crime committed
lis justified by Divine decree, and that
it is no offense at all, is the highest
absurdity and a travesty upon the
system Of trial by jury. This man
Clawson was convicted and sentenced
to the penitentiary for term of four
years, and the case came up before
the U. S. Supreme Court on appeal
based upon the assigned error Of ex-
GLIDING polygamic jurors. The de-
cision paves the way for more convic-
tions of the same sort, but the Nor
mons declare that the enforcement of
the law against polygamy shall be re-
sisted even to resort to arms, be-
cause all such prosecutions are nothing
more nor less than an infringement
upon that religious liberty which the
Constitution guarantees to all the cit
liens Of the United States, Utah in
cluded.
Now that the cancer that General
Grant never had is expected to get
well, it may not be out of place to
make reference to the unbosoming of
James ID. Fish, who promises to make
somewhat protracted visit to New
York penitentiary, for the hand he
took in the downfall Of the late Ma
rlne Bank. Fish declares that Grant
was privy to every one of Wards ras-
cally transactions, because it was ut
terly impossible for him to have been
imposed upon in the way that he pre-
tends that he was, for no man in his
right mind could have conceived the
legitimacy OF transactions upon which
Ward made such enormous returns
where so small an amount of capital
was invested. Besides this, did not
Grant sign the guaranty to the genu-
ineness OF Government contracts? and
did he not permit Ward to use his
name to accomplish successfully many
very infamous transactions, even af-
ter the bank had demonstrated its in
ability to keep its head above water?
When the excitement over General
Grants illness dies out, Fish promises
TO furnish some more interesting chap
ters concerning this great crime.
The last Congress, under a press
ure of public sentiment that it could
not longer bear up against, passed am
act prohibiting the fencing in of the
public domain, and requiring the re-
moval OF all fences now existing that
'nolose the lands belonging to the
government. OF course the law will
not enforce itself, and therefore the
same pressure that bore upon Con s
gress has now oeen transferred to the
President, who has issued his procla-
nation announcing that the law must
be enforced, aud that all persons.
companies or corporations who are
maintaining fences upon the public
lands of the United States, must re-
move them at once, in default Of r
which the President will take such
measures as shall be necessary under y
ne law to remove or destroy them.
3y the fifth section of the law