The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-02-19
THE ADMISSION OF UTAH.
Mr.. George Ticknor Curtis Rep les
to Senator Dawes.
To THE EDITOR OF THE Sun.

LIZ L G1 4ID11O1 VI II u A0NISs
Sir: 1t is with great reluctance that 1
| comment, AS it deserves, upon the fol-
| lowing assertion made by Senator
Dawes in his recent article in the Forum !:
Considerations like these (Which he had
previously urgedl, arising soIely out of the
defiant persislency OF a large majority of
her people in degrading and vicious social
relations wholly uufitting them TO appreci-
ate and maintain the higher and purer life
in which Statehood can exist, alone delay
the admission of Utah into the Union on an
equal footing with all the other States"
1t is amazing how any man in the
position of Senator should have had
the temerity to write and print this sem
tence. Gross ignorance is the only
excuse that can be made for it. Will
Mr.. Dawes vote for the admission of
Utah if I show him that this assertion
is without the slightest foundation of
truth Probably not. The whole popula-
ton of Utah is about 200, 1000. OF this
number 10000 are nom Mormops. or, as
they are called in the Territory.
"Gentiles." Of whatever other degrad-
ing and vicious social relations the
Gentiles may be guilty, they do not
practise polygamy, and never did. OF
the 160, 900 Mormons, there are not so
many as 5000 men i'll the whole Terri
tory who now have or ever have had
more than one wife living at the same
time. And the only relation that these
men continue 10 sustain with their plu-
raj wives who are living, consists in
the acknowledgment that they are their
wives according to their religion, and
in supporting and providing for them,
and ID such asscclati, as any man
might have with fema,> friend. The
Territorial Judges construe this to be
unlawful rehabilitation" of the Ed
munds act, for which they send the
husbands to the penitentary without
the slightest evidence of any sexual
relations. The residue of the Mormon
male population of adult years, all who
have married at all. are monogamists
Tney and not the polygamiSts, or those
who have ever been polygamists, con-
stltute the body Of Mormons who have
framed the proposed State Constitution
and are asking ID have the Territory
admitted under it as State. What,
then, becomes of MIR Daw.ss Large
majority of the people of Utah " who
dehanug persist IN degrading and
vicious social relations" and thereby
prevent the admission of the Territory
as State?
In reference to marriage, there is no
arithmetic that can make a majority of
the people without adding the Gentiles
to The homogeneous Mormons. The ag-
gregate, made up of these two classes,
are Of one purpose and one practice in
respect to marriage. 1t will be a happy
day for the people of that Territory
when the Gentiles and the homogeneous
Mormons can act together in all inter-
nal and domestic concerns, so that a
line of division, very much worse than
tue color line in the South has ever
oeen. can be obliterated. If taere is any
consistency at all among the GentiIes-
pelleve there is nothing but ring.
hostile in every way to their Mormon
fellow citizens they should do all they
can to promote the efforts of the mon
ogamous Mormons Ii Utah becomes a
State. there is no conceivable reason why
Gentiles OF suitable qualifications
should not have Just rs good chance Of
filling any of the offices of the State as
the Mormons can have. The fear that it
will be committed to band of poly
gamists" 10 execute the laws against
Dolygamy and the bugbear of struck
lurt, ) and conniving Sheritfs are wholly |
oorn OF MIR Dawes's excited imagination. |
L will here take notice of only one |
otner OF the insinuations made in the |
following short paragraph at the end of |
his paper:
ut is no par OF this argument. but one is
strongly tempted TO make the inquiry why |
his loud and anxious voice is raised in the
behalf OF Utah, while absolute silence is
over The postponement of
Dakota, with three times the number of
there are in Utah, homogeneous.
Intelligent, laW-abiding citizens living the
life and practicing the virtues upon which
alone a Christian people can build re-
publican institutions. Why are Washington
iod Montana entirely ignored in this zsa. to
'rect a new State in Utah?"
This implies that | have some political
motive in my efforts to aid the admls-
sion of Utah. Perhaps Mr.. Dawes will
lot understand me. but other people will.
care nothing whatever about the
uture political character of the State of
Utah, if it becomes State. As, to
Dakota, Washington. and Montana,
The people of neither of these Terri
.ories have ever asked me to assist their
admission into the Union. l hope they |
will be admitted speedily, for if there is
anything in our system that dislike, it |
S Territorial Government, although | |
am perfectly aware that iG is constitu- !
tional, and may for tim be necessary. |
Very respectfully yours,
GEO. TICKNoR CURTIS.