The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-01-14

His Opposition to the Edmunds Bill Excites
the Wrath of Utah Anti-Polygamists.


the Wrath of Utah Anti-Polygamists.
Salt Lake Tribune.
Senator Teller, in the debate on Wednesday,
showed his cloyen hoof. He has always been a
Jack Mormon, though he learned to Keep hls
mouth shut for afew months prior TO his election
to the Senate. Now, with his commission secured,
he shows his real nature, and to do so Is not az
all careful to confne himself to the truth. Ii
what he said of things here be meant as only
his private opinion, still he showed a Willingness
to interpose his opinion between Utah and the
real facts. His assertion that Great Britain
has never put her hard on the polygamists with
in her dominions" is utterly pointless. Neither
has the government of the United States put its
hand upon the savages within her borders who
have p%racticed polygamy. But what would
Great Britain do if some knave was to 60 fifty
miles outside of London. and, gathering
some misguided men and women around
him, to preach to them that
their only chance of exaltation in the next life
lay through ~polygainyg And when he stated
that ''twothirds of the world to-day believe in
polygamy," why did he not add that wherever
believed in the people are so broken that they are
degraded. women enslaved, and that, though
some of the polygamous nations number hun
dreds of millions of people, the manhood of the
people are but the pity Of the earth. Ii he was
here when there was not a grog-shop, he was
not here when there were not from five to thirty
distilleries in operation-they were here in 1851
or when anyone could not in fifteen minutes
get blind drunk in Mormon stores. on the most
villian0us article of concentrated hell-fre that
was ever offered to human lips. II he was here
before sny gambling dens, he was here when a
dozen men in this city absorbed all the earnings
of the people and there was nothing
to gamble with: no was here
could be found within the entire limits OF the
city, he was here at a time when the masses of
the people had not enough money to buy medi-
cines for their sick children, but he never was
here when animalism was not preached in every
school-house, or when there were not more sex
ual crimes being committed than among the
same number of people anywhere else in the
Union. See Jedediah Grants sermons His idea
that with different mon here, if only "a velvety
hand" had been laid on Utah, polygamy would
long ago have died. is but gibberish, and ranks
Senator Teller merely as a knave or a credulous
fool, and no one has ever called him the latter.
When he says any officers here have prosecuted
the people he fatty lies, unlessfor an officer to do
what he is instructed to do, and what. if he re-
CARDS his oath, he must do, constitutes persecu-
ton. If it is persecution here, there is not con-
Wet in any penitentiary in the United States who
has not a right to plead the same Irritation"
and persecution" We ara told that on the trial
of Apostle Snow at Ogden, the other dav. it trans
pired that he p~racticed polygamy in Nauvoo. To
commit that crime was one of the objects in
view when the chiefs led their people here. He
reveals his ignorance when he says that men
who do not believe in polygamy have. by the Sc
verify Oh TIE government, Deen driven INTO the
condition of opposition to the policy of the peo-
pie Of the United States" That lie was probably
fed to him by John 4. Game. But we believe
that there was more than ignorance in this state
ment. We believe he lied, for he must know
that no man can be a Mormon and not believe in
polygamy. His speech is simply infamous. Il
10 not the speech of 3 sincere. but rather of a
thoroughly dishonest man. We understand now
why Governor Murray's reappointment was SO
long delayed. 1t was because the Mormons had
an attorney in the Cabinet. We believe
that Teller is their attorney now. If
he is not he ought to be. He
probably does not know the fact that
his speech dishonors the mother that bore him; if
he has a wife and daughter, his speech dishonors
them; as a senator Of the United States, he dis
honors the government of which he is a part, and
trif1es with the oath which he has taken Ito faith
fully execute the Office of senator of the United
States and with his best ability preserve, protect
and defend the Constitution of the United
States" A power that defes and always has de-
fed the laws; that spits upon the decisions of the
Supreme Court; that enters an insolent protest
to the President against its adherents being re
CURED to obey the laws. is hardly something
which a United States senator is required to in
terpose falsehoods to excuse; hardly something
which a senator of the United States should plead
to have touched ealy with soft gloves and fed
only on soothing syrup; hardly a thing for a
lawyer in Congress to defend. We wonder how
the men of Colorado will accept this speech from
their new senator-how they will relish being
represented by a Mormon attorneys