The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1889-10-03
UTAH COMMISSION REPORT.
Some Facts Regarding the Practice
of Polygamy.

of Polygamy.
The annual report of the Utah commission
has been received by Secretary Noble. This
commission, under authority of congress,
has general supervision of all elections in
the territory, and specially intrusted with
the enforcement of the "Edmunds Tucker
act" Of March 8, 1857. The report, touch
ing the question of polygamy, says; 'Poyg-
amy is not at the present time openly prac
ticed, except, perhaps, in few remote and
out-of-the-way places, but the non
Mormon elements insist that plural
marriages are solemnized clandestinely
and practiced secretly in the
larger centers and throughout the territory.
Doubtless many members of the Norman
church never have practiced, and never in
tend to practice polygamy, and, perhaps,
many of them per Sc do not believe in the
practice, but from 'he standp ONT Of their
faith and creed, they accept it as reyela-
ion from God through the prophet, seer and
revelator, Joseph Smith, ratified and APP
proved by their great president, Brigham
Young. and that whoever desires to do so
should have the right to comply with this
ordinance of tn, church." All laws for
bidding the practice of polygamy the Nor
mons pronounce unconstitutional. There
are grounds for belief, it is stated, that
polygamy is still taught by the church as
Saving OIuludilce, tlu tuab buOSo WHO pfaC-
tise it are assured of higher exaltation in
heaven.
The courts are commended for their vigi-
lance, and also for the mercy with which its
mandates are tempered. The commission,
in view of the present condition of the terri
tory as regards polygamy, does not think
that Utah should be admite ed as state.
The commission makes number OF recon-
endations, among them that jurisdiction
of all nnlyUempus and Snyna1 pff,npnS with.
out regard to the place, committed within
the territory be conferred on district courts:
| that the term of Imprisonment for unlawful
| cohabitation be extended to at least two
| years for the first, an three years for the
second offence; that it be made penal of
| fence for any woman to enter into the mar
ria 90 relation with anv man, knowing him to
have a wife living, undivorced, coupled how
ever with the provision that, in cases where a
polygamous wife is called as witness
against the husband, her testimony could
not be used in any future pros acution against
her, and a like provision as to the husband
| that no person who refuses to take an oath
| that he or size is not cohabiting with more
than one husband or wife in the marriage
relation, as the case may be, shall be exclud-
| ed from making a location and settlement
upon the public lands: that the laws with
reference to immigration of Chinese and the
| importation of contract labor, paupers and
criminals be so amended as to prevent the
| immigration of persons claiming that their
religion '-,stifies the crime of polygamy; that
the constitution should be amended so as
to forever prohibit polygamy; that law
- enacted creating board to consist Of
the governor, Utah commission and the sec
tary of the territory, to apportion Salt
lake city to aldermanio and councilmanic dis
| tricts 1t also recommends that the commission
be authorized in its discretion to cause to be
made annually a new registration instead
Of revision of former lists; that congress
pass laws for the government and conduct
of the pubic schools in the territory of
Utah, that, as soon as the result of the 18th
census is known, the territory be re-dis-
tricted for legisl ,tive purposes.
The commission believes that the limitation
on prosecutions for polygamy and bigamy
should be extended and sentence of hard la
Dor should be added The commission has nc
doubt that punishment of the women fol
voluntarily entering into the polygamous
relation would do much to lessen her zeal fol
the peculiar institution and thus tend to re-
move one Of Its strongest bulwarks.