The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-05-15
THE pRoFrEREp AMNESTY.


Penitentiary on Thursday afternoon,
cannot fail to be of great interest to
tne people of Utah. The Governor
doubtless made the visit. and offered
the amnesty according to instruction.
that he received before he came 20
Utah. On the whole, we can but al
mire the spirit that inspired the course
ne has taken. II is the first demonsira-
ton that has been given to the people
of Utah that in their case any degree OF
mercy was to season justice. But
whether the course of the Governor was
devised by the President or had its orr
gin in himself, it fails to reach the sit
uaIion on the social question here The
object of the administration which Gov
ernor West represents, it would seem
and We do not question it's sincerity
is 60 prevent suffering and save
the people from misery that
must necessarily follow an en-
forcement of the Edmunds law.
especially since the method OF
segregating the time Of the offense so
as 10 issue any number Of indictments
for the one simple misdemesnor Is 10
prevail. To accomplish this laudabie
object the Governor goes to the Peni-
tertiary and promises liberty and i'm
nunity from future prosecution to the
tnen there confined for unlawful cohab-
itatiun with their wives, il for the flu
ture they will agree in good faith to
live.within the law as interpreted by
the courts. But look at the effects the
making of such a promise would have
upon the families of these men, and
upon the whole community at large If
such an arrangement were entered into
by the whole Mormon church, The
object of the government is to prevent
misery; yet it seems altogether IN
mindful of the misery that
would arise from breaking up
these polygamous families. Men
may avoid the plain issue as much as
they please, but an agreement in good
faith to live within the law as defined
by the courts means that plural wives
must be driven out of their husbands
kind of "depsrt-hence, l.
never-knew-you" sort of a process. 1t
means that the wives of men who have
borne them large families must be
turned away; be must say to them,
You are not my wives" Whatever
the feelings of the people in the east
may be respecting the plural marriages
Of the Mormons, those relationships
we're entered into and continued by
of men and women with the
ourest of motives. Women of the
ourest lives and exalted characters
we're wooed and won by equally honor
.ble men. These women knew they
would not be recognized by the law as
Elves, but to their minds God approved
he marriage. Both men and women
they were doing Gods will, and
10 them their act was hallowed. So the
women confd;ngly placed their hands
n those of the men they loved. and
entrusted their honor and their happi-
less to their keeping; aud now for those
men to break their trust with them. and
,ast them off that they themselves might
,scape Imprisonment or even death
would be an act Of cruel perfidy, and an
that those guilty of it were
ost to every instinct of manhood. II
he government desires 10 prevent
misery it must offer something more
han it has yet done Let it say. we
will let the past be forgotten; let those
associations that have been
formed be contaminated, and insist up
On men performing their obligations to
their families; but demand that for the
future there shall be an assurance given
that plural marriage shall cease. We
do not say that tbs Mormon people
would make such an agreement. They
are convinced that their marriage sys-
tenn is of God, and until they are con-
vlnced to the contrary but little can be
hoped for in the way of getting nd Of
the practice. But the government can
do more to undeceive them, If deceived
they be, by taking the course we in
dicate than in the methodit has pursued
in the past. Coercion may cause infinite
make many a heart ache. and
many a tear flow, but il will not make
the people yield. Those who think it
wiz have studied history to little pur-
pose.