Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-03-09
THE TRUE REMEDY.

In referring to the legislation hereto
fore directed at the Mormon evil, it il
interesting to note how little has really
been accomplished by it. One of the
first methods proposed by the Gentiles
for the settlement of the difficulty, was
to enfranchise the women of Utah. 1t
was argued that with the power placed in
their hands, the enslaved Mormon wives
would sweep away church tyranny and
set the people free. 1t proved mistake,
because these women, like the men of
Mormondom, are slaves to an idea,
coupled with design to establish the
Kingdom of God on the earth. The
proposition to place the ballot in the
hands of the women was promptly an
swered by the Mormon Legislature doing
it at once, thus showing that the Gentiles
failed at that time to grasp the true
inwardness of the Utah scheme.
The Poland bill, as originally intro
duced in Congress, was deemed too rad
the political deadlock in Utah, SO far as
civil suits and criminal prosecutions
against non-Mormons were concerned,
and that was ALL 1t left the Mormon
political power intact, and effectually
shielded their. arch rogues from prose-
cution. 1t failed to recognize the real
evil.
The Edmunds bill, with Zane and
Dickson to administer it, has stirred up
this incestuous hornets nest, but, not
recognizing the fundamental wrong of
Mormonism, namely, its political con-
splracy, it, too, is failure, leaving the
Mormon Church quite as strong politi-
cally as it ever was. 1t is, of course,
clear to all Gentiles here why it is a fail
ure. They all know that the Edmunds
law undertakes to cure the disease by
treating mere symptom, by poulticing,
instead of recognizing the constitutional |
trouble and striking it at once Indeed,
the results of the symptom treatment
are not fattering, except in one respect.
They have served to demonstrate to
the country that this polygamous
ulcer cannot be cured by said rem
edy, and that it is one only of
the symptoms OF great constitutional
disturbance. Every Gentle in Utah
knows that if the Mormons should sur
render polygamy tomorrow, in good
faith, it would not settle the trouble. In
deed, they recognize the fact that such
a surrender would seriously complicate
the difficulty. They all fully understand
the real trouble to be the domination
by the church OF all state and political
affairs. Then, why should any intelli-
gent person hope for single moment to
see Utah redeemed while there is Il pos
'ibility left open to this theocracy to rule
the land?
The thing We want is to have all DO 6
itical power taken from the hands of this 9
called the Kingdom OF God on +
'arth, and have it placed in the hands of +
he Americans resident here This
method would recognize the real evil to ,
De cured, and would afford the means by :
which it could be done. But if, in the
wisdom of Congress, the numerical +
strength, or rather lack of strength, of
he minority here be such as to engender .
ioubt as to the practicabilitv of this
method, then place the political power q
n the hands of men directly represent q
ng the United States Government-call 9
Legislative Commission, if you will,
'ut anything to work out the Territory's g
peedy redemption .
In view of the fact, then, that Congre SIS v v
ready to help us, and that nothing short q
the political scalp of the theocracv p
ill suffice, the DEMOCRAT renews its sug- :,
estlon that a convention of non- Nor ~
hons, without regard to party lines,, be h
allied as soon as the Legislature adjourns II
discuss and decide upon what We will p
ask Congress to do for us. ~