The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-05-20
! EDITOR F. ]. CANNON.
He Makes an Argument Against
DISTINGUISHING the Mormons
BEFORE THE SENATE COMMITTEE
On Terriuories-He Shows why Disfranchise-
ment is Unjust and Bad Policy-The
Regeneration of Utah.

WASHINGTON, May Especial tele
gram to THE HERALD. THE Senate com.
mlttee on territories this morning resumed
consideration of the Cullom bill to disfran.
shlse the Mermons of Utah. II was ex.
pected that Judge jerome Wilson would
make an argument against the bill, but he
was prevented by illness from being pres
ent. Delegate Game introduced Mr.. Frank
D. Cannon, editor of the Ogden Standard.
saying that though Mr. Cannon had not
come to Washington on this business. as a
young man, born and raised in Utah, and
one VINO was deeply interested in the
question involved in the. bill, he had come
before the committee at his request to
speak In behalf of himself and of the class
10 which he belonged, viz, the young Nor
mons OF Utah. Mr.. Cannon then addressed
the committee.
he showed that the opposition of the So
clal forces was the only thing necessary
10 complete the o-called regeneration of
Utah Without criticism of previous acts
OF Congress, he asserted that true wisdom
consisted in letting well enough alone:
that in all matters of regeneration and pre-
scrlptlon there was danger line to pass,
winch would be fatal. Congress had al
ready reached that line in its special enact
ments for Utah. Another step must seri-
ously injure the plan of bringing it into
accord with the rest of the country and
must work an irreparable injury to
the magnificent business progress
ana prosperity of the territory. The
young men of the Mormon faith had ac-
cepted the conditions imposed by the gov
eminent; they were gring every reason
able pledge that they would not disobev
rhe special laws of Congress relating to
polygamy, and they would not aid or abet
others in disobeying such laws. It was
poor reward which this bill proposed to he
stow-to inflict the same political depriva-
tons on the men who were obeying the law
as had been imposed upon offenders. .Sucb
q measure would destroy the whole idea
OF justice" said he. "You punished orr
fathers for an act and now you would nun
lsh US for thought. You would take
from US the franchise simply because a
certain revelation exists in books of the
church-a revelation for which we are not
responsible and over which we have no
control''
AT this point Senator Payne interrupted |
with the question. "Who can eliminate
that revelation.n
Mr.. Cannon quickly replied, 1.-THE same
authority which brought it into being.r
Being asked if the revelation was man. |
datory, Mr.. Cannon replied: ga great
many men in the church upheld from the
beginning the view that the revelation was
permissive, not obligatory, and bisbops
and apostles had been chosen who had not
the relation of plural marriage,
Senator Cullom-You believe in the
revelation?
Mr. Cannon-I do. AndI also believe in
the divine command to render unto G #sar
the things which are Cesar's.' I believe in
the tenet of our faith which REQUIRE ms m
submit to the laws of the country in which
we live. Therefore in obeying the law of
Congress which forbids the practice of
plural marriages l believe L am not yiolat-
ng the creed of the church.
= MI. Cannon mentioned the Liberal vic
tories in Ogden and Salt Lake where the
5entles had gained control by maiorities
1t the polls. The Liberals ex-
oected to carry Salt Lake and Weber
next August by means of their
preponderance. But in manv of
ne counties they could not do this. and
he instigators of this legislation wanted
% gain control by means of this bill. He 4
ated the case of Logan to show what the
fleet would be, saying: "Here is a CITY of
ZOO population. 1t has probably fifty
male adult Liberals. The bill proposes tn I
ave the administration of that important S
lty TO the minority of fifty The rest of Y
he 5000 are quite the equals of the fifty |
? business capacity, in moral integrity.
patriotism, and in all the qualities
7hlch go to make up the worthy t
nd devoted citizen of the republic.
n all their local affairs the vast MAORI " !
Logan would become the slaves of nifty r
city rulers. 1t would be wiser and safer
allow the minority to wait until it has a
lii1clent population and pays sufficient
lXes to insure conservative administra :
on; wait until it becomes the majority a
nd then by the law of this country it can u
roperly rule.
In closing, he appealed strongly to the I
'-1i-1AOOOS AOb W intervene with anV dis N
legislation between the terri g
'ry and her glorious business prospects,
ld her certain social regeneration p
e. Cannon spoke with great VI
eedom and elaboration and answered Il
the questions put to him frankly and a
'intedly. He spoke nearly an hour and c.
S arguments appeared to make a strong
lpression upon the committee.
West and r. N. Baskin
ere present and were told by the chair a
an that if they wished to submit anv ..
ews they could do so in writing. Delegate al
aine furnished members of the committee
it'll copies of his argument made before
e House committee on the Struble bin.
e viii also file some additional arguments ht
writing before the next meeting of the sc
mmittee. pr
---- co
Editor Frank Cannon on Utah Affairs. he
May 19.-The Senate COM m
ttee On territories to-day heard Frank -
Yonon, editor of the Ogden, Utah, STAN "a
" in opposition to Cullom,s Hill tn mr.