Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-03-03
THE WOODBURY. BILL:
Opinions of Prominent Local Attor-
neys ON the Anti-MOrmOn
Measure. Neutrality-suspicious.
1t May Be Added to the Edmunds Bill
and Other Alterations Made.
The General Idea That Radical Legis'
= lati0n Must Come, and
Let 1t Come.

e chise the entire Mormon population, CO..
It tanned the statement that the bill ha
e received the approval of the prominel
v Gentiles in Utah." and not few con
d ments have been called out hel
t by the announcement. The fact ths
a general and concerted actio
does not seem to have been take
: among the. Gentiles in relation t
: the measure, has been used to show tina
the statement was false and unwarranted
To ascertain some facts in regard to thi
matter, and to obtain the views of law
yers on the bill, DEMOCRAT reporte
. called on several prominent attorney
this morning, most of whom were feunt
in their Offices ready to express a candle
opinion. as well as to furnish what infor
nation was in their possession.
J. C. RoYLE,
OF Marshal & Royle, had not known OF
heard of the bill before he read it in the
newspapers. He was OF the opinion that
it had not originated here, excepting sc
far as being influenced by the expressed
opinions of some of our citizens. 1t Ger.
talnly had not been framed by the prom
inent Gentiles here; nor that it had been
submitted to them for their approval,
he was equally assured The popular cry
OF the Mormon people that the Gentiles
were seeking to obtain possession of the
offices and property here would he
thought, constitute sufficient cause to
prevent any such action on the part of
the respectable Gentiles. Speaking for
himself, he would rather help the Nor
mon people than hurt them in this re-
spect, and there were many others who
felt exactly the same. But the people
must cease their defiance of the law or
they will precipitate things disastrouslv
for themselves. The Woodburn bill
would, in his opinion, be tackled on to the
Edmunds bill, and both of them would
probably undergo some alterations; i'm
the latter it was quite probable that the
clauses pertaining to the confiscation of
church property and the testifying of the
wife against her husband might be strick-
en- out. The assertion that these measures
sought to discriminate against re-
ligious belief was not true. 1t was
only intended to reach class who aid
and abet crime; and certainly all the
Mormon people are guilty of this, either
In the matter of preaching, encouraging,
advising or sustaining by tithes and other
contributions. The law everywhere has
always punished persons who aided and
abetted crime. and .polygamy was de-
clared to be crime, and is still upheld
and practiced by the people here. OF
course it would appear strange to deprive
a man of his franchise who never opens |
his mouth against the law, but those who
do not preach or advise the practice of |
polygamy unquestionably aid and sustain
the practice by contributing to the sup
port of those who have declared their
to adhere to the law of God
at the expense of the law of the
land. l have advised some of nv
Mormon friends that nothing but
obedience to the laws would save the
people here from serious trouble, and l
am very sorry to see that they are deter
mined to bring on the issue.
C. W. BENNETT,
Who recently returned from Washing
on, was pretty certain that the Wood
0urn bill had been formulated under the
,ognlzance of Senator Edmunds, as such
measure had been contemplated as an
addition to the Edmunds bill. The
points covered by this new bill
we're talked of in his (Bennett's) presence
before Edmunds and others, and there
vas little doubt it would pass and ,
.ecome law. 1t might take the place of
he former amendment which Edmunds
ad consented to have attached to his
ill, and there might be still further
editions made before the Edmunds bill
Touid come up for final action. As to it's
assin@, Mr.. Bennett thought there was !
o doubt whatever that any measure re-
orted favorably by the Judiciary Com
llttee would go through both houses
ithout any difficulty. ;
j. L. RAwLINS T
,ad not heard anything of the Woodburn Fl
Ill, except what he had read in the =,
'ess dispatches. He had, however. u
armed from parties at Washington that a
lch a measure was to be framed and e.
ought before Congress n
J. R. M'BRIDE q.
id not know of any action having been w
ken to obtain his approval or that of -
~ other lawyer upon the bill recently -
troduced by Representative WOODBURY.. d'
was, however, pretty generally I'M "
rstood fact that such a measure was Ill
Vored by many attorneys and promi- pl
mt citizens here, and it is more than TO
ely that those who have gone to the TO
ltlonal Capital from here have adyo- II
ted such bill as the one referred to. 81
( F p L. WILLIAMS - m
as found in his new offices in the
ooper and Eldredge block. He had no di
ubt but the approval of prominent ga
ntlles referred to in connection with an
Woodburn bill consisted of the knowl- SIX
&c at Washington that such a law as of
; Woodburn bill provided had been DR.
lerally favored by lawyers and leading fae
lzens here. He thought there could be tn
doubt rs to the passage of some WI
N measure during the present a C
sion OF Congress, and believed tin
results would be far preferable rel
| legislative commission. There were sew
Sc here who feared that an admin eve
alton by minority such as would sin
ne INTO control of the local government ant
he event of such bill becoming law wo
I'D give place to asperity and would he
1lsh conditions that would reflect dis
Int upon the local administration.
IT even these results should follow.
re would certainly arise nothing which A
Id not be met and disposed of salts the
orily. As it has been here, officers of ,.st
position have been permitted to "a.
out of Office under ANYTHING ior
honorable circumstances. The a m
difference would be that while here the
re they have been continued in the sust
4 fellowship of the Administration to
lout exposure of crookednass or nm mot
nent for their dishonorable practices ovel
ne change that would be inaugurated of
y officer who failed to honestly ond allo