Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-05-14
THE MEN OF MANY WIVES
Call on The President and Protest
Against Federal Action.
THE MoRMoNs COMING TO A STAND.
The President lnsinuates That He Thought
They Could Live Like the
Rest of Us.

Rest Of Us.
TEXT OF THE MosMoNs ADDRESS.
WASHINGTON, May l3.-Congressional
Delegate, John Q. Caine. of Utah, Mr.. John
W. Taylor, SON of the President of the Nor
mon Church, and Mr.. John Q. Cannon, son
of ex-Congressional Delegate Cannon, who
compose the delegation sent by the Mormon
Church to lay before the President, state
ment of the grievances of the Mormons and
present the protest adopted by mass meet
ing of Mormons against the action Of the
Federal officials, called BY appointment at
the Executive Mansion this morning,
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 Mr..
Caine, and was then introduced to Mr..
Taylor and Mr.. Cannon. Mr.. Caine then
read the address to the President, who re-
mained standing during the interview. The
President listened courteously and atten'
lively to the address, and upon its conclu.
sion said: "Well, gentlemeH, so far, Of
course, as the Edmunds law was concerned
l had nothing to do with that. OF course,
it is my duty to see that it is
enforced, as well as all other laws.
You are entitled to fair consideration
and to have the law impartially administer
ed as you ask, and 80 far as any appoint
ments which shall make are concerned, |
will endeayor to give you the character OF
men who will see that the law is impair
TALLY administered. hope soon to be able
to get at these matters, out it will require a
little time
The Presidents face broke into smile
as he concluded: 81 wish you out there
could be like the rest Of US"
"All we ask" rejcined Mr.. Caine, lis that
the law shall be impartially administered. "
"You are entitled to that" said the
President land so far as am concerned l.
shall see that it is so. / will give these
matters my attention as early as possible"
Another delegation entered at this time and
the Mormons saluted the President and
withdrew.
Following is
| The Address Presented by the Mormons.
Mr.. President-Tbe Latter Day Saints,
assembled in general conference at Logan,
Utah, on the 7th day Of April, 1885, ap'
pointed a committee to draft specific
statement Of the wrongs they have suffered
and are stil suffering from the tyrannicsl
! conduct offederal officers. The committee
thus created submitted the result OF its la
bors to the Mormon people of Utah gathered
in mass meetings in several counties Of that
Territory, on the I'd of May, 1885. The
people, of their own free will, unanimously
and enthusiastically ratified this "declara.
ton Of grievances and protest" and the
undersigned were delegated to come here
and formally present the same to you.
In the performance of this duty we beg
leave to assure you that this document
voices the
| Unified Sentiments
Of the whole body of the Mormon people. 1t
| is not the mere diction of the church author
tiles. The first presidency Of the church
had nothing whatever to do with the prepa-
| ration or ratification of this declaration of
the peoples grievances and their protest
against the wrongs inflicted upon them.
| The people wanted 10 have formulated the
facts of their faith which are made the cause
| of complaint against them and Also the state
ment of the men who have been sent by
the general government to rule over them
| This has been done and the people have
approyed thereof and made it their act
and deed. In the exercise Of the right
guaranteed to them by the constitution OF
the United State nearly two hundred thous-
and citizens appeal to their fellow citizens
for a fair hearing and petition you for
redress of their grievances.
The Mormon people have been patient,
forbearing and long suffering. They have
not been, they are not, and they will not be
disloyal or law defying. They have, within
the law, steadiastly resisted what they
| believed to be unjust enaetments, bnt they
have not resisted and will not resist the
| judgments of the courts. They maintain,
however, that they ought not to be made
the
victims of Special Legislation
enacted under the form Of general laws. The
act of Congress Furnishing by fine and i'm
prisopment unlawful co.habitation is un-
auestionably general law, applying alike
TO all inhabitants of the territory over which
the United States claims exclusive jurisdic'
tion. 1t must have been intended to sup
press vice and immortality as well as to pun
ish Mormons who maintained marital re!a'
tons with their plural wives. But the pros
ecuting officers in Utah have declared this
law was not made to be applied
to non -Mornons and the courts have
held this to be the tair
and rightfll Interpretation of the unlawful
cohabitstion act. They have moreover
held that Mormons who have maintained
the offspring of their plural marriages and
recognized as their wives the women they
espoused before the passage of the Ed.
munds 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 to prove that they had not "cohabited
with more than one woman. Very recently
anaA who eonfessed.so having
seduced His wife's Sister,
was arrested upon the charge Of unlawful
cohabitation" but was upon a habeas corpus
proceeding relessed-set free BY the Chief
Justice Of the Territory who held that the
Edmunds law was not intended to and did
not apply to such cases 1t is probably
/ needless to add that the accused in this
case was not Mormon. The Mormon Peo-
ple do not ask tkat you shall even 'Wrest
once the law to your Authority in ordor ito
do 5 great right to them. Thsy viii endure
| vastly more than ths public conscience
| would expect Of any people, but they insist
as they have undoabted right to do that
laws should be inpArtiallJ administered;
| that men who administered them should be
! fair nnripht. unbiased and impartial; that