Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1886-10-14
FIGHTING POLYGAMY.
The Utah Commission Gives q
Synopsis Of its Work During
the Past Year.
The Duty Of the Government.

The Utah commission, by its chairman,
A. b. Carleton, has fled with the secretary
of the interior its annual report, of which
the following is synopsis:
During the year the law regarding the
acknowledgements of polygamists and those
living in unlawful cohabitation has been
fully and successfully enforced. All such
persons, with very few, IL any, exceptions,
have been excluded from voting and hold
fined and imprisoned In the penitent iary
for polygamy or unlawful cohabitation,
chiefly for the latter offense. 1t Is
reported and believed by many resident
non Mormons that during the year large
number nt of polygamous marriages have
and st. George. We have not the means
of verifying such reports, yet we have no
doubt that considerable number Of such
marriages have been celebrated, with the
knowledge, appreciation and active CO.
operation of leading men of the Mormon
church. Whether upon the whole, polyg-
amous marriages are upon the decrease in
Utah, is n matter of which different opin-
ions are expressed, but undoubtedly many
have been restrained by the fear of dis
fanchisement and the penitentiary, anil
we think it is safe to say that in the more
enlightened portions OF the territory, as,
for Example, Salt Lake City and its vicin-
ity, very few polygamous marriages have
occurred within the last year.
Referring to. the joint resolution now
pending in both houses OF congress, pro-
posing an amendment to the constitution
of the United States, prohibiting and
Furnishing polygamy in all the states and
territories, extending the judicial power
OF the Federal government to the prose-
cution or such offenses, the report says:
NV lille we are of opinion that this should
not supersede other measures, we are
satisfied that ii would be an efficient fac
tor in calculating the desired result. In
addition to the reasons presented by the
incorporators of this provision in the con-
stitution would serve as an advertisement
to the people of all civilized nations that
in the United States. polygamy had been
put under o ban in the most authoritative
and emphatic manner"
The report calls attention to the magni-
tude of the evil by saying that there are
more than 100000 Mormons in the world,
a large majority of whom live in Utah,
and that while only a portion of them
practice polygamy, they all believe in it
as a divine relation; have been taught It
in their schools and churches for third of
a century; are led by men Of great skill
and ability, and are fanatical to q marked
degree; that the only Immediately effect
i've remedy would be the use of the
military; but that the sense of modern
civilization will not permit the employ
ment of bayonets against women and
children. Yet, the American people re-
gard polygamy as crime and it cannot
be ignored by the government. Here we
may say that while we recognize the obli-
CATION of the government to protect the
personal and property rights of the Nor
mon people, and to deal with them as
equals before the law, yet it is equally the
duty of the government to punish crime
within its Jurisdiction, and religious lib
erty cannot be pleaded as bar to punish
manf for criminal acts In yinlafin M thu
laws of the land and of social order II
present laws and the proposed constitu-
tional amendments are not sufficient to
suppress the evil more stringent enact
ments must be adopted, and the result
of Asiatic barbarism, this blot on the fair
fame of America, will be swept from the
land.n