The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-09-18
WHY is 1rq


u'ly convinced that mans conscience
toettsr law han the Constitution, and thai
ne Is DOuud To obey it before any statute
MADE D men They thereiors hold on to
polySamy as divine revelation, and say
that though tn revelation may be spurious
tbeI are as conscientiOusly convinced o! lts
truIh as the Gentj!es are of the revelations
u tnetr olDle. They so say, hat with the
excess OF women it would not be common
sense fot them to be loading hemsel yes ooWn
with Inc expense of the support OF man!
wives and children If they were not I'm
pei. ed to do so by the teachings OF their re-
llglou. The repub, lean S-are the chief ppo-
nents OF the twin relic, but they can Only
appreciate benefits of higher law When
II T bounds to their own advantage, or rat
Ines their own prejudic and mahce. Al
andrla Gazette,
1t is seldom our friends or enemies OF
the press put the Mormon question II
a clear light before their readers, but the
Gazette has presented the issue involved
in the Mormon question in single pr
agraph, bu: it is putin such manner as
will not be relished by the anti
Mormons. This Mormon question re-
peats an Illustration that is so FIRE
quently found in the history Of th,
human race, of how it is that certain
line of action that makes men pure,
noble patriots in one generation, may,
IN the next be regarded as making them
arch traitors.
In 1857 the bred Scott decision was
rendered, by which ;he highest tribunal
known TO our laws decided that a negro
could, not become a citizen of the
United States by any process known
20 the Constitution. And further de-
clared that the Missouri compromise
act, and all other acts of Congress re-
stricting slavery we're unconstitutional,
and that neither Congress nor the
local legislatures, had any authority for
restricting the spread of the institution
of slavery. The decision of the Supreme
Court made of slavery a national in
stltution 1t is impossible to conceive
of a decision mere emphatic in its char
scter than this one made by the Supreme
Court and delivered by Chief Justice
fancy. Now, when the decision of this
court was made known, what did the
people of the United States doP Die
they say, "Well, that decision puts the
matter beyond all controversy; we must
submit to that decision. 1t is the law;
We have no right to question it. Faster
to the trembling limbs of the black race
the chains that we hoped to strike off
Let slavery with all its attendant evils
be esta blished in all our States, those
which hitherto have been called free, as
well as those where slavery has become
a settled institution, for We have no
right to oppose its spread; neither have
our State legislatures nor Congress am
right to interfere with it." Is that what
the people did? When the courts de
csIon was announced in g political
meeting in New York, where Charles
Sumner was speaking, he stepped for
ward on the platform and exclaimed,
That being the decision of the Supreme
Court, all we can say is, there is q
higher law than the Constitution" In
Iced that became the cry of the party
opposed to slavery. The decision OF
he Supreme Court made valid
he fugitive slave law, but did
be people in what was known
s the free States honor that law and
AIRY it out? No; they received the
Ieeing slaves and helped them In their
light. and hid them from the blood
POUNDS of the south, and the still more 1
eartless overseers; and in every man
er strove to render the Infamous law
leffectual. In what hight do We regard
be people who took that course2
Would we brand them as traitors?
Would we clamor for every politi- !
al franchise to b. taken from I
hemp Or were they friends to human '
y, friends to the cause of human free G
ON, the preservers OF their country
ON the blighting effects of slavery {
ven though to do it, it became neces-
.ry for them to oppose what had been
eclared a constitutional law of their 6
1untry2 They have been and are still t
ED in high esteem; and it is their
oast that they stamped out the deci- !
on Of that court, though they had to q
0 it in blood.
But now the Aormons talk of a
lgher law than one of Congress, and ]
ley are ira tors It is impossible for a {
srson holding such views to be good {
tizen, they are told. They are IN /
orthy TO sit as jurors, or to elect their B
IN officers, to manage their own affairs .
zen, to say nothing of taking any part :
the affairs of the nation. Is it only $
who can believe in higher +
" than the Constitution and still re- I
in their hold upon patriotism? Have .
ley a patent on the mysterious pro- {
,ss2 Why is it that Rep lblican can s
aIieve in a higher law than the Consti-
Ition and still remain patriot, while f
Mormon Democrat can't believe the b
me doctrine without becoming a trail 7
~ VIII someone fxOlain3