The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-09-28
CAPT. JOHN GOODMAN
Exposes the anti-Mormon Crusade
in Utah Territory.
DISFRANCHIsEMENT IN IDAHO
Shown up--The Utah Commission Handled
Without Gloyes-A Testimony TO
the Loyalty of the People.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 27.-ISpecial
telegram to TIE HERALD. The National
Democrat in its issue to-day under the head
ing "rhe anti-Mormon crusade published
an dole and interesting letter from Captain
.Iohn Goldman at Soda Springs, Idaho. He
says: Il have carefully read the communal
cation Of Judge Carlton 20 the Democrat
August 50 and fully endorse every word
Of it. If proof IS needed of the veracity of
MS statements 1t is furnished by the Salt
Lake Tribune, which, without undertaking
"a d;sprove them, attacks their author in
the most venomous personal abuse which
forms the staple argument Of that news
paper when it has TO deal with an opponent.
| hive been intimately acquainted with the
Mormon people for seventeen years. l
have Travelled through the length and
breadth of their land before the railroads
came there and have mad business rela-
tons with them in which / always found
them trustworthy. Barring their practice
of polygamy, now fallen into ,nnocuous
desuetude, there is not such law abiding
people within the limits of the United
States And yet, these are the men who
are in Idaho, where l have resided for
many summers and know them to De the
most honest conscientious and Industrious
people of this new state; these are the men
VINO are disfranchised, excluded from the
jury box, and denied every political right
excepting that of being taxed
Referring to the small number of po-
lygamists in Idaho he adds. ''Of the 5000
disfranchised voters there are not POO who
are amenable to punishment for trans
crossing the law. II is not pretended that
there are more, but their crime is that they
belong to an organization that teaches pc
lygamy and it is made a condition of their
voting in future that they shall produce
satisfactory evidence that they have left
the Mormon church two years before ask
ing for registration. 1t is in vain that they
urge that the Mormon church no longer
teaches polygamy. and that they produce
the authoritative declaration Of its presi-
dent to the Associated Press that he has
given positive orders that no more plural
marriages small be solemnized. They are
asked. DO yon believe that Joseph Smith
was a prophet! Do you believe that he
had a revelation instituting polygamy.' 1t
might as well be asked of the Presby-
terian, DO you believe that Jehovah was
Goo and that he gave wives to David!'n
Treating of the loyalty of the
Mormons, he says: 'sThe Mormons
are accused of dislayalty If the
charge were true, yet in spite of every ad-
vice to bring on rebellion, they remain
quiet under the iniquities heaped upon
them, still under the belief that the Declar-
alton of Independence and The constitution
of the United States were issued by the
Almighty, who in his good time will see
that obtain justice at the hands of their
country"
He pays his respects to the Utah COM
mission in the following pitny style: SIN
the first place, this Utah commission never
had any rGisoa 'etrc. 1t has never accom-
plished any work that could not have been
done there by the secretary of the territory
single handed. It'was the child of per-
jury Judge Carlton is the only one
OF its members who has the candor to ad-
NIT thatit was piece of useless legisla-
ton and he values the truth more than the
salary of s., GOO a year and those who
signed the majority reports, their salaries
more than the truth. That is the whole of
it. Hence their labored efforts to prove
that their semi-annual visits to Utah were
necessary for the suppression of polygamy
and disloyalty. They are upheld in this
pretense by the newspaper already refer
red TO, but there is not a Mormon or 9
gentle in the common walks of life who
does not look upon them as actors in 6
ridiculous force
he then turns his batteries on the anti
Mormon crusade and says: 1.-THE effect Of
the anti-Mormon crusade for ali these
years has deem for evil, and that continu.
ally. Ii has got the community of Salt
Lake city by I'd ears. 1t has demoralized
society by introducing obscenty into the
papers, and into caily conversation. ever
among ladies Of culture BY giving the
impression that life and and capital were
not safe in tie territory. it has retarded
the influx of a good and varied population
and mas prevented the Investment of money
there. All that was needed was to have
made polygamy punishable like any other
crime, according TO its degree. Criminal,
Of all sorts frequently escape conviction
everywhere, but in Utah, where the Who'll,
power of the courts is in the federal courts
who construe the laws of evidence to sui
themselves. Conviction for poygsmy !!
almost always sure, though other crime.
may be unpublished"