Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-02-13
RHE MORMON QUESTION.
BeiVa Lockwood Thinks it q Romance
in Real Life Conception of tho
Stage Nothing Compared to IL
Part She Government AIS Played In zor-
RasRgsM-Hkst Sis RdAaABds Bin
has Deas-Bss wac Voted fer lie
How she BIZ Anseted washingson-Kate
Fields "&orman HorrGr"-EoTElE OF
nsrmaas-shsuId Utah Btoamo
STATE!
(CopyEighted, 1851

! Copyrighted, 1851
Written for the, Gazette.
Just at this time, when the territory OF
Utah, now comprising more than 200, geo
souls, is knocking at the doors Of the
United States Congress for admission as
Z state, the Molmon question becomes
very Important one, not only to the peo-
pie ofthst territory, but to the govern
me1t itself.
"a The history Of the Mormon people is 8
ftomauce in real life, more interesting
Than the often tar-fetched conceiG of the
Inovelist, and in soma Instances has been
fmore tragic th&nSthe distorted coscep-
Etions of tia theatrical stage. Foreign
FAatlons, as fcokers-oR, must be amused
ana pTzzfed at our treatment OF
question that has within the last few
yesrs become of SO much legislative con-
sideration, and in which the federal gov
eminent has appeared not only as the con-
seryStor OF the morals OF thst territory,
| but as the expounder Of what lis religious
creed ought 10 be, and, finally, as the
/ trustee or committee OF ali Of the aVallS-
BILE property OF the Mormon church. The
government has initiated the typical guar
dian in this instance, and the proceeds oil
the trust have been virtually confscated,
so that the Mormon people are to-day
paving into the hands of government trus-
'ees two hundred aud seventy-six dollars
per month for the privilege of Worshiping
in their own tabernacle, and occupying
their own parsonage and other church
buildings built by their OWL money and
By their own work. II the government
| 40 ~ Mnrn1nn nbnrRh II
will not take sny greater stretch Of
authority to corfscate in the same way
tue property of the Catholic church, the
! joss house of the Chiusmsn, or the mag
nifcent ediflces of the Methodists.
Utah was organized as territory more
than thirty-seven years ago, and for more
than quarter of a century the Federal
| government tolerated polygamy in
her midst until. it became &
fixed fsct-1n institution; received
aRd swore in as delegates to repre-
cent the Territory aVoWed polygamists;
and then, with 9 sudden spasm of virtue,
#commenced an attack upon the system
.fSwar Ct determination, which for Viru-
11ency and bitterness, for misrepresenta-
A ton and oppression, exceeded the horrors
4 of coercion and eviction IN Ireland, about
Il which our sympathies have been SO
i greatly excited. 1t not only forbade
tgIural marriages. and disfranchised all
paiygznifsts; But punished men for living
with plural wives to whom they had been
married for scores of years, and who,
7gith their infant children, were
dependent upon them fer support
rhe expounders Of the law went
beyond the letter, snd made
the casusl recognition Of the former wife
sppear IS the continuance Of the mar
tisge relation and punished the parties
accordingly; one judge declaring from
the bench during my soiourn in the Ter
ritory that the OBJECT Of "the Edmunds
law was not for the incubation of moral
ity but for the suppression of religion"
The government, under the Edmunds-
Tuckerssct, then DISTINGUISHED not only
all polygamous Mormons of the male per-
suasion but all women of whatever creed
or condition, whether believing in the
Mormon or Christian religion, or
non-belieVers, although these wo-
men had been peaceably and
orderly casting their ballots for twelve
years; had not been charged with or con
victed of crime; and no intimation had
ever been made that any one Of these
women had, or desired to have more
than one husband. No absolute depot
ism could have more fully infringed upon
the rights of American citizens than did
the government upon these Mormon
women.
i : But they bore 1t all uncomplniningly;
took up their own burden Of work,
banded themselves together for protec-
ton, sang and prayed together, believing
that out of trisls would. come blessings,
even as Blessings had come in the early
days CT their tribulations, until their
places of worship were seized, aud por-
ton of tie burden Of rent came upon
them.
By q vigorous execution of the
Edmunds law, polygamY was suppressed
But not more than 2 per cent. Of the
whole number of the Mormon people
we're ever practical polygamlsts. But
8 hen number suficed to throw the terri
DRY into such disrepute that the whole
Christian world threw up its hands il
holy horror, until, SIS rule, no Christian
man or woman believed that he or she
we're wholly absolved from sin until h
had publicly denounced "th0se horrid
Mormons." It was also q noticeable fac
that those members OF Congress most
urgent for the enactment OF stringent
loW6 oS9AASe bLiO NAOA AAOAo "SAO pAOSS
whose moral character WAS far FROM
being above reprosch.
But the Edmunds law was fsr-reech-
ing in It's application, and extendetEo all
Of the territories. 1t included the Dis
trict CT Columbia-s territory exclusively
under the control of the United States
Congress, where no law had previously
5sen enacted to punish the most iagrant
ofenses charged against these rebellious
Mornons Tee district attorney WAS not
slow to discover the application Of the
law, and already score CT cases under it
have been up before our Police court
judge. But perhaps the most amusing
thing in connection with the
enforcement OF the law in
the District of Columbia is the
remarks of j.. Randolph Tucker Of Vir-
GINA, & prominent member OF the House
4 during its p.ssage.j "Why," he exclaimed
recently in talking about the Crawford
Case test case appealed to the District
Supreme court-"I never dreamed of that
law being applicable to the District of
Columbisl II bad 1 would not have
voted for it. That law WAS intended for
the Mormonsl"
Then came Kate Field with her "Mor-
mon Horror" to thrill excited audiences;
snd Atgie Newam with pamphlet which
she was paid for publishing and distribu-
| ting smong the members OF the United
! ~. a a