The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-10-07
THE COMMISSION
Make Their Annual Report
from Utah,
an POLYGAMOUS MARRIAGES.
lrrbe Only Immediately Effective
remedy Would be the Use OF
the Military, But -"
Ths Utah Commission.

WASHINGTON, October 6.-The Utah
commission, by its chairman, A. B.
Carlton, has fled with the Secretary
Of The interior its annual report, of
which the following is a synopsis:
During the year, a law regarding the
Acknowledgement of polygamists and
those living in unlawful cohabitation
has been fully and successfully en-
forced. All such persons, with very
few. if any exceptions, have been eX-
Guided from voting and holding offices.
A large number have been fined and
imprisoned in the penItentiary for pc
Ivgamv or unlawful cOhabltatlon,
chiefly for the latter otfenSe. 1t IS re-
norted and believed by many resident
6on-Mormons that during the year
large number of pOlygamOus marriages
nave taken place in the temples at Lo-
can CITY and St. George. We have not
fne means of verifying such reports,
vet we have no doubt that consider
able number of such marriages rave
bpen celebrated, with the knowledge,
snprobation and active cooperation Of
me leading men of the Mormon church.
Upon the whole. pOlygamous marriages
are on the decrease in Utah. Ihls IS q
matter ON which different opinions are
expressed, but undoubtedly many have
been restrained by lear OF dlsiranchlse-
mpnt and the penltentlary, and we
think II is safe TO say that in the more
sllightened portions OF the Territory
as for example, Salt Lake City and its
vicinity, very few polygamous mar
RIGGS have occurred within the last
YER.
Referring to the Joint resolution now
pending IN both houses Of Congress,
proposing an amendment to the
Constitution of the United STATES,
prohibiting and Furnishing pOlyg
amy in all the Stats and Terri
tories, and extending the judicial
power Of the Federal government to the
prosecution Of such offenses, the report
SAYS: While We are of the opinion
that this should not Supersede the
present measures, we are satisfied that
itWOuld be an efficient factor in effeC-
tustng the desired result. In addition
20 the reasons presented by the judi
cary committee, we suggest that
the Incorporation of this pro-
vision in the Constitution Wsuld
serve as an advertisement to the people
Of all civilized nations that in the
United States polygamy had been put
under ban in the most authoritative
and emphatic manner" The report
calls attention to the magnitude Of the
evil by saving that there are more than
2UOOO MOrmons in the world, large
majority of whom live IN Utah, and
thar While only portion of them praC-
lice pOlvgamy, they believe IN it as
divine revelation; have been taught 1t
il their schools and churches for q
third of 2 century; are led by men Of
great skill and ability, aud fanatiCal to
4 marked degree; that the only imme-
dlatsly effective remedy WOul- be the
use OF the military, but that a sense of
mod n civilization will not permit the
employment Of bavonets against
women and children. Yet, the Ameri-
can people regard pOlygamy as a crime
and L cannot be ignored by the govern
nent. Here We may say that, while
We recognize the obligation of the gov
eminent 10 protect the personal and
property rights of the Mormon people,
and to deal with them as equals before
tae law, yet it is fully the duty of the
government to punish crimes within
rs jurisdiction, and religious liberty
cannot be Lleaded as a bar to punish
Ment IoT criminal acts In violation OF
S9e laws OF the land and of social order.
Il Ine present laws and proposed Con-
sNtuuonal amendment are not sufti-
cent 70 suppress the evil more stringent
slactIoents must be adopted, and the
.ssuLt VIII be that, at no distant day
ais relic OF Asiatic barbarism, this blot
"a Ihe lair lame Of America, will be
swept from Ireland"