Arizona republican., 1890-07-31
ARIZONA MORMONISM.

When the Mormon press apologists of Arizona, such for instance as our morn- ing contemporary. asserted that no Mormons had ever been convicted of polygamy in Arizona, they either were wofully ignorant or else thought the reading public were such fools that they could be easily gulled by these false statements.
 In the United States Court at Pres colt in 1884, Judge Sumner Howard presiding, P. J. Christoierson of Springer vile, Apache county, Ammond Penney of St. Johns and c. J. Kemp of St. Johns were all three tried and convicted of the crime of polygamy and sentenced to three and one-half years each in the Detroit penitentiary. At the same term of court James Flake of Snowflake, and Skomson of Springerville, plead guilty to the crime of polygamy and were each sentenced to six months. All of these. men were living openly with two or more wives and besides them were Wilhelm, Nail, Ramsey, Romney, Parson, Williams and others, Apache county polygamists, who as soon as the first named were ar rested ran away and have never been seen in the Territory since.
 Previous to his conviction Penney openly boasted that he had two wives, and defied arrest. After twenty-two months imprisonment, Penney, Chris toferson and Kemp were all pardoned by that great Mormon lover and apostle of Democracy, Grover Cleve- land. Is it to be wondered at that the Mormon church issued orders to it's followers to vote the solid Democratic ticket.
 As further instance of the wilfull defiance of the law and the deifcation of criminals by the Mormons as body, as previously cited in TIE REPUBLICAN, may be noticed the case of Christofer- son. Upon the first Sunday after his return from the penitentiary he preached sermon in the Mormon church at Springerville, in which he said: "I have suffered for polygamy, and have been martyr to my church and my faith, but I will continue to practice the true faith as long as live" What did he mean by the "true faith ?". Any good Mormon will tell you polyg- amy.
 tatn ntNt1 ErGt NtFtfn just past middle age, lived in small cottage in the same lot on which his store was located in Springerville. He was little cautious about his open practice of polygamy after his return from prison, so his second wife, woman of twenty-five years, "clerked" in his store. Ten months after his return this "clerk" gave birth to child.
 This brings us to another proof of the charge that Mormons are notorious crim- inals and law breakers. A short time after the birth of the child just noted there was school election in Springer vile. Every Mormon brought out all the wives and concubines possible to vote, in order that they might control the public school. At that election this plural wife of Christoferson's or rather ''Clerk" as she was called after his return from the penitentiary, went to the polls with her babe in her arms, and, being challenged there, under oath swore that her name was Miss SARAH DEWITT, thus declaring under oath that she was an impure woman and that her child was illegitimate. All this in the name of religion.
 We would like to ask the Republicans of Arizona if it is not time they took firm stand against this infamous and criminal organization. Let us cease to wink at their crimes, but rather force them to become law-abiding and loyal Americans, or else take from them the right of franchise as has been done in Utah and Idaho.