The Portland daily press., 1886-02-04
THE MoRMo oNs.
Additional Legislation Necessary
for Utah.
Senator Ean1unds Reconsidering His
Recent Sill Passed by the Senate.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3.-Senator Edmunds
has recently been considering the subject OF
his Utah bill, and he has come to the con-
clusion that some additional leglslatlon Is
necessary to meet the conditions in that ler-
ritory. 1t is understood that he will Suggest
10 the judiciary committee of the House ad-
ditional sections, which he formulated re-
Gently, 1t is proposed in these sections to
exclude every person from participating III
the Territorial government unless he is reg
istered hereafter, and to entitle him to be
repistered he must take an oath in writing
thSt he is sincerely attached to the pr1ncl-
nles of the constitution of the United States j
that he regards the constitution, the acts OF
Congress and of the, Territorial LeglslsiIa-
ture. as interpreted by the courts, as the
supreme law of the land, and that he de-
clares allegience to the government, OF the
limited States and ren0unceS all allegiance
to any other power, civil or eccles-
iastical; that hehas no sympathy
tentions of the Mormon church, and
is opposed to any interference by that
church with the exercise OF the elective
franchise by debating to or counsellng
voter how he shall vote or how he shall per-
form official duties; that he denounces as
perncious, and holds not binding upon him,
any such counsel or dictation; that he IS
separated from the political party OF the
church, and solemnly promises and sWearS
that he will not act or be IN concert with any
political party acting, or which may here
church or of ony Mormon political party.
A gentleman who has long been resident
of Utah says the object of this test oath is
not to disfranchise anybody, and its effect
will not be to disfranchise any, unless they
choose to refuse to take an oath which
merely emphasizes the duties Of loyal cit
izen The fact is, he says. that the Nor
man political party aims at usurpation, aims
to supplant the government which Con-
gress has established in the Territory, and
Substitute for it the rule of the church,
which is an unmitigated tyranny OF the rule
of the priests. There are many in the Nor
mon church who are only nomlnally MOT
mons. They adhere to the Mormon party
ernment. They could conscientionsly and
without any real change of views take the
proposed oath. 1t is believed that if the
amendment becomes a law only the ,polyga-
mists and fanatics, that part of the Mormons
that have always been hostile to the govern
ment. will accept Acknowledgement that
more than one-half of the Mormons, with
the non-Mormons, will take the oath and
will divide between the national political
parties and administer the territorial gov
ernment in such manner that at an early date
will commend the Territory to Congress for
Statehood. The votes ascertalned by this
test will elect the next Legislature. That
Legislature will deal with polygamy and all
the offenses connected with it, with the
benefit of experience, to suppress it effectual-
ly and judiciously.
In the hands of the Mormons the State if
made such, would be only Republican in
form. Essentially it wouln be monarchy.
The head of the church would be a kind, and
government would be administered in such
way as to be intolerable to non-Mormons and
they would be obliged to abandon the coun-
try About so per cent are foreigners
proselyted from the lowest condition. They
are poor and ignorant and accustomed to
monarchial forms of governments. They
yield ready obedience to their leaders in the
church, but their children born or reared in
this country show a commendable desire for
independence.