St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-06
TIE ANTI-POLYGAMY BILL.
Important Amendments by III
House Judiciary Committees.

House Judiciary Committee.
WASHINGTON, June 5.-The house judic.
larry committee, to-day, agreed to report
| favorably the Edmunds anti-polygamy bill
with many amendments, some of which
are of radical nature. The bill as it came
from the senate compelled the lawful wife
of the person accused of polygamy to ties.
| tify against him. The committee propose
to amend the bill in this respect so as to
make the wife a competent witness, but
/ not to compel her testimony, or permit he1
to testify to any confidential matter con-
trary to the rule of common law. The
change in the statute of Limitation of the
bill as it came from the senate is stricken
out, and the second section of the bill, re-
lating to the attachments against witnesses
is amended so as to authorize the issue of
such attachments only where it is necessary
as shown by the oath of ten credtable
witnesses. The system requiring the
record OF all marriages is retained, but the
fifth system which autho riZes the examina-
ton of private records of marriages is
stricken out. The section prohibiting
female suffrage is retained intact.
A MATERIAL CHANGE
is made in the twelfth section, which
authorizes the appointment of fourteen
trustees to act in conjunction with the
thirteen trustees of the Mormon church in
administering its affairs. In its place the
committee has inserted section annulling
the act of incorporation of the church and
dissolving it, The charter of the perpetual
emigration fund society is also annulled and
the society dissolved. and it is made the
duty of the attorney general to proceed in
the supreme court of the territory to effect
the dissolution, pay the debts and dispose
of the property of the society according to
the laws of equity. The bill provides pen
altles for the crimes of adultery, incest,
polygamY, polygamous association, and CO.
habitation between the sexes, the last named
in the same terms as is proposed in the con-
stitutional amendment submitted by the
commission. The Office of territorial super
intendent of schools is abolished and new
Office is created in its place to be filled by a
commissioner of schools to be appointed by
the governor. The provisions of the original
bill touching dover and recognizing the
claims of the first wife are retained. An
additional section gives the president power
TO GRANT AMNESTY
as to all crimes created by this as well as
the original Edmunds act. ALI laws in
reference to the militia of the territory
creating the Mormon legion are annulled,
and all general officers of the militia are re-
quired to be appointed by the governor by
and with the advice of his council, while
the legislative assembly of the territory is
authorized to pass laws providing for the
organization Of the militia subject to the
approval of congress. The bill makes the
council of the territory to consist as now of
thirteen members, to be appointed by the
president. by and with the advice and con-
sent of tie senate, Of citizens resident in
the territory, one to be selected from each
district, as provided by law. 1t is pro-
vided that the chief officers of the territory
shall be appointed by the president and
confirmed by the senate, and the minor
offices by the governor, by and with the adj
vice and consent of the council. To each
religious society or denomination is given
the right to hold, through trustees appointed
by the county courts of the territory, ten
ancies of land in the towns and fifty acres
in the country for houses Of worship and
for residences of ministers, priests and re-
igious teachers, but it is provided
that no such society shall, besides
this, hold more property in money value
han $50, 900. It is provided that all laws
granting water. timber or herd rights on
any part of the public domain to any per-
son or corporation shall be annulled and
declared void. and the attorney general is
directed to enforce the provisions. Every
male person in the territory is required to
appear before the clerk of the probate
court in the county where he may reside
and register his full name, state whether he
is married or single. take an oath that he
will support the constitution and obey the
laws of the United States, and especially
the laws in respect to the crimes defined in
this and the original Edmunds act, and that
he will not, directly or indirectly, aid or
advise any person to commit such crimes,
No person not so registered, or who shall
have been convicted of any of the crimes
specified, or who shall be polygamist or
associate or cohabit polygamously, or who
shall not take the oath aforesaid, shall not
be entitled to vote, sit on a jury or hold any
Office in the territory. The bill as amended
will be reported to the house On Monday.