Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-02-06
MoNTEsQUIEU ON PoLfGAMY.

MoNTEsQUIEU ON POL9GAMY.
In that oade mecum of all statesmen
in that book whose deep study con
stitutes superior political education, the
esprit OF Laws" Montesquieu speaks O
polygamy as follows:
With regard to poIygamy in general, indie
pendently of the circumstances which may
render it tolerable, it is not of the least ser.
vice to mankind, nor to either of the two
sexes. whether it be that which abuses, ol
that which is abused. Neither is it of SER
vice to the children; for one of its greatest
inconveniences is that the father and the
mother cannot have the same affection fol
their offspring; a father cannot love twenty
children with the same tenderness as q
mother can love two. 1t is much worse
when wife has many husbands: for their
paternal love is only held by this
opinion, that a father may believe, if
he will, or that Others may believe, that GER
tain children belong to him 4
Besides, the possession of so MANY wives
does not always prevent their entertaining
desires for those of others; it is with lust as
with avarice, whose thirst increases by the
acquisition of treasure. Nav not
say, that a plurality of wives leads to that
passion which nature disallows? for one
deprivation always draws on another.
The words which the great French
thinker wrote above hundred years ago
very well describe the evils of polygamy
which are seen in Utah to-day Polyg-
amy is of Oriental origin, and it can never
be harmonized with the civilization of the
West. To the Mohammetan it is well
suited, for the Mohammetan is supersti-
tious, tyrannical man, who looks upon
women as being the inferior OF men, as
being the toys OF men, and not their COM
panlons. The effect of polygamy upon
those who enter into is baleful in the ex
treme, but those who enter into it do so
fully aware of the step which they take,
but perhaps not always fully conscious of
the inevitable consequences which
will follow that step. Upon the
children born of polygamy the effect
is worse than upon the parents.
The children of the half blood rarely have
the same love for each other rs children
OF the whole blood do. When this fact
IS cited as an argument against polygamy,
the defenders of that. institution answer
that it is not natural that children of diff
ferent mothers should have the same
feelings towards each other that the
children of one mother do. That is true.
and being true, is it not an unnatural svs-
tenn OF marriage which creates such con-
dltlons? This is not all The law for
bids this system OF marriage as being in
consistent with the best interests of the
State. Ii polygamy is inconsistent with
the best interests of the State, then how
much more inconsistent must it be with
the best interests of those born in it.
As Montesguieu says, polygamy sis not
OF the least service to mankind, nor to
either OF the two sexes" The people of
Utah have made polygamy the basis of
both their religious and political
systems, yet the people of Utah have |
never once attempted to make legal this
system. When polygamous children have
ceased to belong to the church sanction
ing the practice of polygamy. the officers
OF the church have invoked against them
every law of the land to deprive them of
their inheritances of property. Those
who preach and laud polygamy never
hesitate to take advantage of any and all
laws which deprive polygamous children
OF their natural rights because of the
laws condemnatory of the system of DO
lygamy, and merely because those chill
dren do not uphold wrong doctrine and
uphold an illegal practice. That any
citizen should be deprived OF any rights
On account of his birth is as wrong as
wrong can be, for in this case the innocent /.
Ire made to suffer for no fault of their
OWN. If the citizen owes duty to the
government, then the Government owes
duty to the citizen, and in the case of
hose citizens of Utah born of polvg-
my, it is that the Government shall alb
olutely suppress system which gives !
hem birth and in giving them birth de-
'rives them of those rights with which
I'll other citizens are endowed from
birth, or that the Government shall Y
make legal the system it now makes
Illegal. 1t is the duty of the Govern
nent to take immediate and decisive .
.ction in this matter, and to cease
making the enforcement of the law II
gainst polygamy an irritation and an ag- g
ravation. That polygamy will be sup =
ressed there can be no doubt. and such o
eing the case, why does not the Govern v
lent provide ample means to make this u
Impression speedy? The present force d
officials in the Territory engaged in 2
ntorcing the laws against polygamy is =
holly inadequate to the task to be per- " y
'rmed. The present policy is penny :.
ise and pound foolish. ei
THE JURY BILL VETO. az
nv