The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-03-14
The Discussion of the Utah
Question.
POWER ; POOR PROSPECTS
Hunting for the MarshaIship-The
Testimony Against the Judge
Cleveland and thr Senate
WASHINGTON. D. c., March 5, 1886.


From our Own Correspondent
Thirteen weeks of the first session of
the Forty-ninth Congress have not
shown. so far as the enactment of inn
portant measures are concerned, very
great results. No important national
legislation has been effected.
Upon the reassembling OF Congress
after the holidays. Senator Edmunds
soon had the attention OF the Senate in
the Introduction of bis new bin in rela-
ton to the Territory of Utah-the
Mormon church in particular. I sat in
the gallery OF the Senate and listened
TO the debate upon the bill in question,
and must confess that | was very
much disappointed at the lack of inte--
est in the whole affair. The speeches
that were made upon the new bill reac
very well; but the attitude OF Senators
in the Senate when they were being de-
livered would certainly have convinced
any one accustomed to hear the Mon
mon question discussed in both wings
Of the Capitol in years gone by that
there was a spirit of indifference, with
one or two exceptions, not hitherto
manifested. The fact Is Congress is.
heartily sick of the whole Mormon
question, and both houses OF Congress
would be glad, with some show of con
sistency, to get rid of it at any price
OF course the subject is never allowed
rest. The reason for this is obvious to
any one acquainted, as l am, with the
condition of affairs in Utah. The anti
Mormon faction work quietly, but sure
ly. They have the faculty of getting
thar" That is, when the members of
the anti-Mormon faction decide upon
any policy to be pursued in regard to
Utah, they are never at loss to find
man, either in the Senate or House of
Representatives to introduce into
either body bill of some kind or other
against the Mormons. This year, in
this respect, has been no exception to
the rule. First of all, the country was
startled with threatened Mormon
uprising;" raised to fever heat at the
dispatch, by special train, of a com
pany of soldiers and battery of artil-
cry to Salt Lake City; but the country
has never vet heard of any uprising
In all this the American people, can
certainly for those on the east-are be-,
ginning, more or less, 20 question the
veracIty of all that is sent out-more
especially in press dispatches-about
Utah and the MOrmons. Sensational
kilograms have ceased or are ceasing TO
have any weight with the general pub
lie, or the reasoning, thinking portion
of it. l meet with evidence of the
truth of this in Washington every day
Mingling as l do among all classes of
peOple-SenatOrs, Congressman, law
yers, doctors, and other influential
men-I find that the drastic measures
proposed by Senator Edmunds and
Others against the MOrmons do not
meet with approval. After having had
explained to them the real situation of
affairs in Utah-the motives that are
behind the introduction of certain
measures-the answer l invariably re
ceive IS, The whole thing is G.,
outrage" and in this, of course, l ell
tirely agree.
The new Edmunds bill. as is long
since known, passed the Senate. The
to Z. The Senate chamber was nearly
empty during the whole period of the
debate. Senator's wanted nothing to do
with it. As have already said they
are sick of the whole business. Sena-
tor Teller spoke strongly against the
bill. Well acquainted with the people
of Utah, he was in a position to speak
OF them truthfully. But to do this, as
the readers OF The HERALD understand,
requires a great deal OF moral courage.
The Senator or Representative who
dares to say anything in favor of the
Mormons-not necessarily in defense of
polygamy, but of their constitutional
rights as citizens of the United States
is sure to get scored by the press of the
country, more especially the press of
his own district. This has been the
case with Senator Teller. He has been
scored right and left tor the speech he
made upon the billin question. He has
even been accused of receiving $25, 900
for that and some other speech in the
same line. l have been asked hun
bred times if there was any truth in
such report, and have invariably re
piled that any one who would assert
such thing must be Demented. am
in a position to know, however, that |
a finger for all the abuse that can be
heaped upon him in this respect. He
thinks that a man-more especially
man holding a position of high public
trHst-oughU to have the courage to do
right.
The new Edmunds bill is now in the
hands of the committee on the judici-
airy OF the House More strictly speak
ing it Is in the hands of subcommittee
of the House Judiciary Committee
When the sub committee reach the bill
it is to be hoped it never will-the in
terests of the Mormon people will not be
overlooked Eminent lawyers have
been retained to make arguments'be be
fore the Judiciary Committee against
the bill. The unconstitutionality of the
whole measure will be thoroughly ex-
posed, and l am 10th to believe that
1t will ever pass the House and become
law without being absolutely emaScu-
lated of its Interior evil designs. The
Congress of the United States have not
yet lost all sense of reason. They can
not be induced to embrace the doctrine
that Senator Edmunds endeavors to