St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-04
Utah's Governor Points Out
Some of the Evils Of
Mormonism.
Minnesota Gets $4,000 for
Government Surveys Of the
Public Domain.
Thirty-Seven Days Spent by
Congress in Calling the
Roll.
Clarkson's Successor to Take
Charge Of the PostoHee
Guillotine To-Day.

WASHINGTON. D. c., Oct. 3.-The
Mormon question was discussed at some
length by Arthur L. Thomas, the gov
ernor of Utah, in his annual report to
Secretary Noble. He asserts that the
Mormon people are governed by the
priests, and that in every political and
business act the church is put first, the
country afterward. The population of
the territory is estimated to be 22O,932,
an increase of 55 per cent during the
past ten years. The numbers of the
Mormons are recruited by immigration
from Great Britain and Scandinavian
countries. The report says that the
average number of foreign born
brought to the territory by the
Mormons have been during the past
nine years about 1,S00 annually, and that
this average has probably been main
tanned during the past year. The gov
ernor says that political and official
MormOnlSm deals in evaSionS and mean
Ingless words, or words of double mean
ing, hypocritical pretenses and false as
sertions. It's attitude toward polygamy
is delusive in the last degree. 1t knows
that there has been no change on the
subject, but it seeks to convey the i'm
preston that there has been. Prom
lnent church officials, the governor
states. have declared that the church
does not now grant permits to enter
polygamy, and the nominal head of the
church has announced that poIygamous
marriages do not now take place.
The governor adds, however, that
when the attention tof the head of
the church was called to a notorious
case uncovered in the First district
court, he disclaimed any knowledge of
it. Admitting that these statements,
however, are literally true, the governor
says 1T does not prove that the church
has met the public sentiment of the
nation as expressed in its laws, nor
does 1t prove that the church is loyal to
the law. There is no reason to believe,
the governor asserts, that any earthly
power can exact from the church any
declaration opposed to polygamy. He
accounts for the hold which Mormonism
has upon the people by the fact that
they are taught to keep aloof from in
huences outside of the church, that
their lives are directed by the
Lord and that the priesthood
a;un, Is the te only al authorized me
will of the Lord and obedience to the
priesthood is practically obedience to
the Lord. The governor says that it is
now over UWenIy-elgnt years since con-
greSs condemned polygamy in Utah.
The laws of congress have been ridi-
culed and treated with contempt SO
long as such course was safe and then
evaded and resisted as far as possible,
and during all this time no change has
taken place III the counSels Or aims of
MormoniSm, and the conflict to-day is
as clearly defined as ever. The gov
ernor recommends the passage of the
bill reported in the senate by Senator
Edmunds, which authorizes the gov
ernor to appoint certain county officers
and providing for a legislative reap
portionment. He states that if this bill
becomes law it will place the control
of twenty-five counties in the hands of
men loyal to the government. He also
recommends the passage of either the
CuIlOm or the Struble bill.