, 1890-08-28

this % state. or OF the United States, Tor
| bidding any such crime; or who In any
manner teaches, advises, counseis aids
or encourages any person to enter into
bigamy, olygamy, or such patrinrchnl,
plural or celestial marriage, or to
In%. lave On or y,o'nS TO commit amy amy s"en s%en
crime; or who Is member OF,
or contributes to the support, aid or en-.
| courngement of any order, organization,
corporation or society which teaches,
advises, counsels. encourages or aids
any person to enter into bigamy, poiyg.
amy or such patriarchal or plural mar
riagc. or which teaches or advises that
the laws of this state prescribing rules
of civil conduct are not the supreme law
ofthe state nor shall Chinese nor persons
of MopgoIian descentnot born In the l. nit
cd States, nor Indians not taxed who have
not severed their tribal relations and
adopted the haoits of civilization, either
vote, serve as jurors or hold any civil
office.
The legislature may prescribe quail
fications. Limitations and conditions for
the right of suffrage additional to those
prescribed In this article, but shall never
annul any of the provisions in this arti-
Gle contained.
And hence no Mormon can hold
office, sit on n jury or vote. The law
applies with equal force to all who
support the institution I'm any way.
DIsF RANcHIsE THEM
Idaho's answer to the question,
"What to do with the Mormons?"
is: ave will disfranchise them."
In addition to this all violations of
the statute will be rlgidly prose
cuted. In all this the aim Is simply
and solely to stamp out the illegal
and demorallzing practices of the
Mormon church. These are at war
with civilization, with the instincts
of the race, with motherhood, with
the home, and must go down before
the chariot wheels of progress.
To some unfamiliar with the
gravity of the Mormon problem in
Idaho these measures may seem
harsh, but 1t is the only remedy for
the disease ON the body polite.
Napoleon was wont to say that the
only way to deal with mob was to
strike at once and to strike hard. In
dealing with this hydra-headed in
stitutlon Napoleon's rule holds good.
1t Is of course q serious matter to
disfranchise 1000 citizens of q state,
doom them to political vassalage,
and tax their property to support II
have no voice, but II Is also serious
matter for the state to be menaced
by people hostile to her laws,
holding them In contempt, violat-
ing them at pleasure aud promul-
eating principles that threaten her
life. No amount nor parade of
rhetoric about the inalienable rights
of man can avail to blind the moral
sense of the general public to the
justice of this decree. The first duty
of the state as of an individual is to
protect itself. The right of suffrage
Is not an inherent right, but one
conferred by the legislature on the
basis of the general good. The al
most unanimous verdict of the peo-
pie of Idaho Is that the gen.
eral good demands the disfranchlse-
ment of the Mormons. The recent
decision of the supreme court of the
United States settles the right of the
state under the. constitution to pass
such an act, and this will hold
and determine the political status of
Mormons in Idaho. The sensible
thing, therefore, for the Mormons tn
dois to formally,change. the tenets OF
their church rs to polygamy and
the supremacy Of the church over
the state, and obey the laws, or, fail
ing In their efforts to secure such a
change in the creed of the church
on these points, to sever all connec-
ton with 1t. This will remove
their political disabilities and re-
store them to citizenship.
RELIGION NOT ATTACKED.
The fight against the Mormons is
not one against their religion per Sc,
only so far as it is hostile to the
laws. People should not he misled
by the cry of religious prosecution
raised by the Mormon leaders. Eff
forts are making by them to pose
before the country as martyrs, and
to create the impression that this
movement against them is instigat-
ed by malice because they differ
from us in religion. This charge is
entirely without foundation. We
simply insist that they shall not
violate the laws. All the instincts
of the state are averse to crime, and
her whole power is pledged to its
suppression. When any body of
men single out crime and embody
1t us an article of faith in so-called
system of religion, and boldly pro-
tect 1t, they can not escape the con-
sequences of such crime under the
plea that the constitution guaran-
tees them the right of liberty of
conscience and of worshiping
God as they please. 1t does
so guarantee, but 1t does not
protect them In the commission of
crime. Suppose for example So
called religious society is formed, a
part of whose creed is the offering
up of human sacrifices to appease
the wrath of Diety, and members of
this society actually kill their chill
dren in obedience to such creed.
Would the plea of religious tolera-
tion shield them from the punish
ment allotted to murderers? Plainly
not. The movement against the
Monnons In Idaho Is not u crusade
against their religion, but Is an at
tempt u suppress their crimes
When Mormons eliminate from
their creed and practice what our
statutes condemn, the trouble will
end. No question will be raised as
to their form of worship nor to any
matter in the realm of relig-
ion proper, but an un-
ceaslng warfare will be
waged against their criminal prac-
tices until they cease to commit
them. There is no class prejudice
In idaho against the Mormons. The
various religious denominations of