The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-09-21
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to the registrars ard deputy registrars
printed blanks, bearing this request:
Sir:-As soon as the June revision is com
pleted, you are requested to furnish the
Commission the names of all persons male
and fe male who you have good reason to
believe have entered into the polygamous
relation since the close of the June revision,
1856.
In doing this the Commission
went outside Its legitimate duties.
The Commission was sent here to
administer our election laws, and not
to perform police or detective duty. 1t
is none OF the boards affair if half the
men in the Territory marry polygam-
ously every six months. The Commits
sion's business in the matter ceases
when it exercises the proper care to
prevent polygamists from registering
and voting.
However, it is with another object in
view thai we speak of the above re-
quest. II we remember Alright the re-
gistration officers named between
sixty and seventy persons as
having committed polygamy during
the year. The majority of the
Commission made much of the report,
using it against the people to show that
while there was seeming or professed
compliance with the anti. polygamy
laws, these statutes were really being
quite generally deied. 1t was mean,
contemplate piece of business on the
part of the majority of the Commission.
The Board had not the slightest legiti-
mate and proper evidence that single
poIygamous marriage had taken place
during the twelve months. 1t nigh.
have sald-and could have estab.
lished the truth quite as readily
in one case as the other-that six
hundred instead Of sixty unlawful mar
riages had been celebrated. At the
time The HERALD denied that the
polygamous marriages alleged had
taken place, and urged the Commission |
to take steps to bring the accused par
ties to Justice by reporting them to the |
District Attorney and the grand jury. |
Nothing was done, however, and if one |
of the sixty and odd persons asserted |
in the Commissions report to govern |
ment to have married polygamously. |
was ever prosecuted, we have not heard |
of the circumstance.
At the last June revision of the regis |
tration lists q request similar to the |
above was sent to the officers, and it is
presumed they reported as before.
Their report will be made use of by the
Commission as formerly. and on the
unsupported word OF men inimical to !
the people this community will again |
be made to pose in an attitude of def
ance to the laws. 1t is asking too much |
of the majority OF the Commission to |
ask them to put forth an effort |
to verify the alleged polygamous
marriages. They don't want to make
that effort, which would show that as
to nine cases out of ten of the alleged
marriages, personal spite on the par
of the registrars was at the bottom Of
the charge, and in the other cases there
was not the slightest evidence that
would be entertained in a court OF
justice.
The Commission has the list and will
undoubtedly use it in the forthcoming
report. The HERALD suggests that the
marshal, the district attorney or the
grand jury, one or all, demand the
names of the alleged violators of the
law, and that the deputy registrars
who have charged the parties
with polygamy be subpnnaed before
the inquisltors to give the information
upon which they based their accuss-
ton. If polygamous marriages are
being celebrated, as alleged, not only
the courts but the community should
know it, and if eueh marriages are not
taking place, as we claim, those who
say they are should be exposed and
punished for lying, whether they are
Inembers of the Utah Commission
dep lty registrars or private citizens.
IT WILL help along the real estate