Omaha daily bee., 1885-05-14
THEY SQUIRM.
MOTm0IS Present Thtir Protest to The
President,
They Demand an Honest Bxecu-
ton of General Laws,
Cleveland Assures Them That Faith
Shall BE Kept With Every En-
actment of Congress.
THE MoRMoNs PRoTEsT.
H R ARE W OUT,

WASHINGTON, May 13.--Oongressional Del
egAte John T. Game, Of Utah; John w.
Taylor, SON of the president of the Mormon
church, and jain Q. Cannon, son Of the ex-
congressional delegate, who compose the dele
CATION sent by the Mormon church to lay be-
fore the president a statement Of the griev-
ances OF the Mormons and pre-
sent the address recently adopted by
the mass meeting Of Mormons
against the action of federal officials, called
by appointment at the executive mansion this
morning and were received by t 10 president
In the library. As the delegati on entered
the president was seated at his desk, but i'm
mediately arose, shook hands with Game,
and WAS then introduced to Cannon and Tay-
lor. Caine then read the address to the
president, who remained standing during the
interview. The president listened cautiously
and attentively to the address, and, upon its
conclusion. said: well, gentlemen, solar, of
course, as the Ednunds' law was concerned,
/ had nothing to do. 1t is my duty to see
that it is enforced as we'll as all other laws.
You are entitled to fair consideration and to
have the law fairly administered, as you ask,
and so far as any appointments / shall make
are concerned / will endesvor to give you the
character of men who will see that the law is
fairly and impartially administered L hope
soon to get at these things, but it will require
n little time"
The presidents face broke into q smile, as
he concluded: Il wish you out there could
be as the rest of us"
"All we ask, - rejoined Mr.. Caine, 'fs that
the law shall be impartially administered.
'You are entitled to that" said the presi-
dent, and so far as l am concerned l shall
see that it is done, L will give these matters
my attention as early as possible"
Apnthar Ialapatiop aE,faro1 M this am on
and the Mormons saluted the president aud
withdrew.
The following is the address presented by
the mormons to the president:
'Mr. President: 4 general confer,
d dnS' of at April L0s iss5, o Appointed on a the eo Ssn
mittee to draft a specific statement of
the wrongs they have suffered and
are still suffering from the t%yranical conduct
of federal officials, The committee
thus created submitted the re:
suit of its labors to the Mormon people of
Utah gathered in mass meetings at the sever.
al counties of that territory on May 2, 1885.
TIL people of their own free will unanimously
and enthusiastically ratified this declaration
of grievances and protest. and the under
signed were delegated to come here and for
mally deliver the same to you.
in the performance OF this duty we beg
leave to assure you that this docu-
ment voices the unified express
sion of the whole mormon people
1t is not the mere diotum of the church au-
thorities. TIL presidency of the church had
nothing whatever to do with the preparation
or ratification of this declaration Of the peo'
pies grievances and their protest against the
wrongs inflicted upon them, The people
wanted to have formulated the facts of their
faith which are made the cause of complaint
against them and also q statement OF the acts OF
the men who have been sent by the general
government to rule over them. This has been
done, and the people have approved thereof
and made it their act and deed. In the OK
ercise of a right guaranteed to them by the
constitution of the United States, nearly
for a fair hearing and petition
grievanoes. The mormon people have beer
patient, forbearing, and long-sutfering. They
have not been, they are not, and they will mo-
be disloysl or law.deiying. They have within
the law steadfastly resisted what thev believed
to he UT just enactment, but they have no
resisted and will not resist the judgments o
the courts, They MAINTAIN, howe yer, tina
they ought not to be made the victims o
special legislation enacted under the form
of general laws. The act of congress pun
ishing by fine and Imprisonment unlawful
cohabitation is uuquestionably a general law
supplying alike to all the inhabitants of tn
territory over which the United States CLAIM
exclusive Jurisdiction. 1t must have baer
intended to suppress vice and immortality, n
well as to punlsh IN ormons who maintaii @,
martial relations with their plural wives. Blu
the prosecuting officers in Utah have declare
this law was not made to be applied to nor
mormons, and the courts have held this t
be the fair and rightful interpretatio
of the unlawful cohabit ton act. They hay
moreover held that murmons who have main
tanned the offspring Of tneir plural marriage
and recognized as their wives the wome
they espoused before TIE passage of tn
Edmund's law were guilty of its violation
and upon this ruling men have been COZ
demned and sentenced and are now under
going punishment although they were read
and offered to prove that they had not CO
habited with more than one oman"
VERY recently a man who confessed to ha'
ing seduced his wife'S sister was arrested upO
q charge of unlawful cohabitation," but wa
upon o habeSs corpus p oceeding, released an
set free by the chief justice of the %territor!
who held that the Edmunds law was not il
tended to and did not apply to such case
1t is probably needless to add that the accuse
in this case was not a mormon. III
mormon, people do not ask tn
law to your authority in order to do a gre
right Rto them" They will endure vast
morethau than the public COINCIDENCE wOu
expect Of any people but they insist tn
they have the und ubted right to dem Al
that the avs should be impartially admin
tGIbls LuaJ INC men WIN uulDlulsJHt blc
should bs fair, upright, unbiased and imp
tial; that the executive end admlnistTati
etiicer sent there by the fe
eral government should be hone
and contine themselves to /
performance of their legal duties and n
become the allies of en- INSCRIPTIONS cotei
whose sole object is to plunder the mormon
their property and their liberty. The mt
mon people are charitable and are not prom
to speak evil, even OF those who despiEeful
use and prosecute them. The mercile
crusade which has been waged against the
for many years they believe to be directed
their religion. They know that the faith viii
they profess and practice 10 unpopular, l.
they know also that in this respect thew a
but enduring that which has been the co
mon lot of true believers 10 every age of I
world. They believe 1t is as true as it was
those of whom the son of mrn SIP ke mt
than 1,S0O years ago. ''And ye shall be hal
OF all my men for my names sake, |
he that endureth to the G
shall be- saved" Their abiding faith in
oyerruling providence makes them con6ds
Of the ultimate triumph of their course. I'll
feel and know that their religion is Of q
and that the wicked and ungodly win ltr
against IL In vain.
w are not here, Mr.. President, TO
tayoIs at YOU hands. Those who sent us
but for simple justice. They do not ask yo,
stand between them rd the aw, but they do
slst that the laws ought 20 be administered "
equal eXscs1ess, rega dless of race, prejud