Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-10-02
mn UTAH COMMISSION.
Many Reasons Why Utah
Should Not Be Admitted
into the Union.
The Teachings and Practices
of Polygamy Have Not
Been Abolished.

WASHINGTON, September 27.-The annual
,.port of the Utah commissions has been
,scsived by Secretary Noble. The report
.svs the commissioner on November Sd,
1888, appointed a c~anyassing board Of
Ave reputable citizens, three OF whom were
csntiles and two Mormons. This board
made returns OF the votes cast for dele
,stes to congress on the 9Th OF that month
vbsu it was found that John @. Cannon.
Mormon, has received 127 votes, r. N.
Raskin 34S votes and s. z. Thurman gil
untes. Cannon was given a certificate OF
~slection. With but m exception, the re-
mort states, there was 40 charge OF fraud
in the conduct OF the election. The COM.
missioner has, continued the report, fol-
lowed in the footsteps Of the
rat Utah commission, which recog.
nized the fact that congress, in creating
il desired it to use it's best endeavors to
wipe out and extinguish polygamy and, as
far as possible, all ~polygamous Influences
and tendencies. With this purpose in view
the commission, in appointing registers of
election, selected, when possible, those be-
longing to the non.Mornon element and
always appointing a majority OF the judges
OF election, two out OF three, OF the Gentle
class. In some places, however, there we're
no GentiIes to fill the positions. This
course, the report states, has had the effect
OF decreasing the Mormon vote.
Touching the question IL polygamy the
report says: "Pclygamy is not at the
present time openly practiced except, per-
haps, in a lew remote and out-of-the-way
-. h,A %ha -nro.no1 ,lar.ank -
sists that plural marriages are solemnized
clandestinely and practiced secretely in the
larger centers throughout the territory"
This may or may not be true. The CON-
missioner neither afirms nor denies in the
absence OF positive evidence. Doubtless
many members OF the Mormon church never
have practiced and never intend to
practice polygamy, and probably many
Of them do not believe in the practice, but
from the standpoint OF their faith and
creed they accept it as a revelation from
God through the prophet, seer and revela.
tor, Joseph Smith, ratified Ind approved
BY the great president Brigham Young, and
that whoever desires to do so should have
the right to comply with this ordinance OF
the church. All laws forbidding the prac-
tics OF polgyamy, the report continues, the
Mormons pronounce I'm constitutional
There are grounds for the belief, it is
stated, that polygamy is still taught by
the church as q saving ordinance, and that
those who practised it are assured OF
higher e~xaltatiou in heaven than those
who content themselves with one wife.
Extracts are given from Mormon papers
showing that they still openly advocate
.polygamy; that the teachings n practices
Of polygamy nave not been discontinued as
claimed by some is proven. The report
says it is q fact that since Sep
tember /, 1888. there have been in
tue territory OF Utah 357 convictions for
bigamy, adultery, f~ornication and unlawful
co~habitatiun, only two for bigamy. III
plural marriages are now celebrated, says
the report, it is lone in secret chambers OF
the temple. If polygamy is practiced, it is
with a secrecy with which a burglar guards
his house breaking and q thief his larcenies.
Those who are convicted of ~polygamy re-
gard themselves and are regarded by their
friends as martyrs and think it no disgrace
to be sent to the "pen." The courts are
commended for their vigilance and also for
the mercy with which the mandates are
tempered.
The commission, in view Of the present
condition OF the territory as regards polyg-
amy, does not think Utah should be ad-
mitted at a state. Should it be, the coin-
mission says it would not be
long before che Gentle element,
with all it's advanced civilization,
it's trade and traffic, would be driven from
the territory and Mormon theocTacy made
supreme. The commission makes several
recommendations that jurisdiction OF all
polygamous and sexual offenses, without
regard to place, committed within the ter.
ritory, be conferred ON district courts;
that the term OF imprisonment for un.
lawful cohabitation be extended to at least
two years for the first and three years Tor
the second ~offense; that it be made q penal
offense for any woman to enter into q
marriage relation with any man knowing
him to nave q wife living undivorced,
coupled however, with the provisions that
in cases where q poligamous wife is called
as q witness against her husband her testi-
mony could not be used in any future pros
ecution against her, and a like provision as
to the husband; that any person who re-
fuses to take oath that he or she is not
c~ohabitating with more than one husband
or wife in marriage relations as the case may
be. shall be excluded from making q location
and settlement upon public lands; tina
the laws with reference to the immigration
OF Chinese and importation oil CONTRACT
labor, paupers and criminals beso amended
as to prevent the immigration OF per-
sons claiming their religion ~justifies
the crime Of ~polYgamy; that the constltu-
ton should be so amended as TO furtner
prohibit polygamy; that q law be enacted
creating q board to consist OF q governor.
the Utah commission N q secretary OF
the territory to apportion Salt Lake City
into aldermanic and councilmanic districts.
IL also recommends that the commission
in it's discretion cause to be made annually
new registration lists instead OF a revision
Of the former lists; that congress pass laws
for the government and Conduct OF puohc
schools in the territory OF Utah; that as
soon as the result of the eleventh census ID
known the territory shall be redistricted
for legislative purposes.
The commissioa believes that the llmlta-
ton on prosecutions for polygamy should
be extended and sentence to hard b
should be added, that their confinement
NAV not be spent in idleness and glorlnca-
tionof their supposed martyrdom. The COM
mission has no doubt that the punishment
Of women for voluntarily entering into
polypamous relations would do nauch Go
lessen Ter zeal for the peculiar institution
and thus tend to removes n OF tne strone-
est bulwarks.
In regard to the prohibition OF irnmigra-
ton the report says: "Wniie eIoEolI Sno
Immigration OF the non-proselyting, place
Iovine Socile Cinnamon because we fear
future danger from his coming; while we
forbid the landingo on ourshores OF CONTRACT
laborers because they Chez pen the wages
OF American-born citizens, and paupers pc
cause they become a burden, there Is a ial
greater reason for closing u door as q
nation and iorbidding citizenship 70 the
ranks Of any organized body which teaches
them in advance TO hate our
government, denominates It's eA
prosecutors az prosecutors, and instill in.
to every mind by constant teaching Snat
their pretended revelations are more PING.
inc than the highest and best laws OF tine
land, and that resistance to such avs Is .
virtue and a rendering OF obedience to Zoo
How far short OF treason these measure
are we gave to those who can answer.
In concluding the report, the commisslo
saws congress- should take no backwatero 0
evan wayeripp step in the enforcement o
the laws against polygamy.