Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-12-22
AFTER THE HOLIDAYS.


Senator Edmunds has given notice that
he will ask the Senate to take up his
Utah bill Immediately after the holiday
recess. This shows that Utah is to oc-
cupy prominent place in Congress this
winter. The earnest, persistent work Of
Congress is not begun until after the hol-
idays, and the fact that the Utah bill is
TO come up Immediately after New Year
is proof sufficient that legislation OF some
sort on the Utah matter will be had early
in the session. There may be other bills
introduced beside this one of Senator
Edmunds', but ii none are, it goes TO
show that Congress has no interest in
Utah, or that Congress is content with
the measure now before it,
This bill OF Senator Edmunds' is not
entirely adequate to the Utah question,
while it contains some provisions that are
pernicious, and others that will prove in
operative. There is no reason in the
world why the jurisdiction of justices of
the peace should be conferred upon
United States commissioners, and such
jurisdiction can only tend to degrade the
Office Of commissioner. II commission
ers are to have the same jurisdiction as
justices OF the peace have, that jurisdic-
tion will not be confined to any particular
county, but will extend throughout the
Territory. Is there any reason whatever
why this should be?
That provision OF this new bill to cure
all our evils which contemplates the con-
tiscation of the property of the
Mormon church, will prove to be
imperative, while the policy of such
a measure is extremely doubtful.
The spirit OF the age is against such
measures, and the spirit of the age means
civilization softened by the influence OF
Christianity. The United States are not
in as much danger from Mormonsm as
England was from Catholicism in the six
teenth and the seventeenth centuries,
and yet the coniiscation of Catholic prop
erty in England in those ages is even to
this day looked upon as an act of barbar.
ism. II may be desirable to re-enact in
the United States the statutes of mort.
main, but to prevent Il future ac-
cumulation OF property in dead
hand is entirely different from wrest-
ing present accumulation from
such hand. And then again, the
property Of the Mormon church at which
this bill aims is in such n condition and
the title is SO held that it will be next TO
impossible to come at the property The
chief source OF wealth OF the Nor
mon church is the tithing. The Nor
mon people will not pay their tithes
to the fourteen trustees to be appointed
under this bill, and they would be foolish
il they did. A manddmus could not issue
to compel them to pay tithing, nor would
quo rarranto lie against bishop who
should receive it. Tithing offices would
of course be done away with. The pow
ers conferred upon deputy marshals are
most extraordinary, and the situation in
Utah does not warrant their grant.
The provision relating to adultery is
probably the most searching OF ALL Un-
der this clause it will be impossible for
men who have been living in unlawful CO.
habitation to cast off their legal wives after
having promised to obey the law as re-
CARDS unlawful cohabitation. For such
men to choose to live with second or
third wife and abandon the first wife will
be impossible so far as running no dam
ger from the law is concerned. If this
new Edmunds bill shall become law such
course OF action will lay these men liza
bic to prosecution for adultery.
All these provisions for the suppression
OF polygamy will fail OF desirable result
unless this new bill shall be SO amended
as to require the registration OF births,
and make the failure to register births
punishable by fine and imprisonment.
Polygamy is inconsistent with the unit
OF the State as founded, but the family as
such unit looks forward to the rearing of
children to be future citizens. If the
State did not look with solicitude upon
the family as the source from whence
its citizens come, the danger to it from
polygamy would not be so great. Hence
the necessity for Il registration of births in
Utah.