Huntsville gazette., 1890-09-20
POLYGAMY
Are he MOrmons Yet Practicing
Their Heinous Doctrine!
Inc Utah Commission Seems
to Think They Do.

Extracts From the Lengthy Report For
ward"d to the Secretary of the In
tefi"4 - IL comm. .'idation of Further
Against toygamy.
oALf LAKE CTT, Sept 1.-THE Utah
conllnlSsi II has forwarded to the sec
fetitfy OF tn llte4l II "a lengthy report
or It's operations and proceedings for the
year ending Sept /, 1890. Tne princI-
pa feature OF the report is the recon-
mendatlon OF further legislation i'll sup
port OF existing laws. After reviewing
the elections aeld in Utah since their
last report the commissioners say:
During the year there have been fire.
quent expressions of the hope that the
church would III some authoritative and
explicit manner declare in favor Of the
Abandonment of polygany or plural
marriages us one OF the saving doctrines
or teachings Of the church. but no such
declaration has been made. There is
little reason for doubling. so complete
Is the C, ntrol Of the church over its
people, that II such a declaration were
AiAesoS ~ eAlcsO Al uui.lOIltD IL 9WOulu D6
accepted ard followed by large major
lty OF the membership Of the so-called
Mormon church and settlement of
the nuch-dr cussed Mormon question
would soon be reached On the coa-
trary. in the teaching IN the tabernacle
and Ill church organs every effort of the
government 10 suppress this crime is de-
nominated persecution, and those
charged with ferreting out and prose
cutting the guilty are denominatcd as
prosecutors OF the saints. The church
seems to grow more united from day t.
day unGer these teachings
AT the general conference Of the
church held at salt Lake, in April last,
Wilford Woodruff disfranchised
Iolygamist. was chosen prophet seer
and revelatOr, and president of the
Church OF Jesus Christ Of Latter-day
Saints III ali the world, the first time
siuce the death Of John Taylor. in 1897,
that that office has been 1illed. At the
same time George q. Cannon was
chosen rs first counsellor in the presi-
dency,' and Lorenzo Snow rs president
of the twelve apostles, all Of them be-
ing disfranchised poly ygamists. The
counch of the twelve apostles was COM
pleted by filing vacancies. A large
portion OF the twelve apostles and the
high dignitaries of the church are poly
gamists, and all are reputed to be open
believers in the doctrine Indeed, it is
believed that no one can be promoted to
office in the church unless he processes a
belief in it as a fundamental doctrine"
They Fear the Law.
The report then quotes from speeches
of Rresident Woodruff, g. O. Cannon
and o&kSs in support of the assertion,
and continues: at is the opinion of
the commission that nothing but q
wholesome fear Of the pesiAaes OF tho
lAv leads them to even make prs
tense ID obedience to it in that there
never has lsen any change In the
gospel ordinances The commission is
in receipt of reports from its registra-
tion officers, which enumerate forty
one male persons who, it is believed,
have entered into the polygamic rela-
ton III their several precincls since the
June r,vision III 1899. Crediting them
with one plural wife each would give
eighty-two persons thus reported as en-
tering into the relation forbidden by
law and said to be forbidden by the
church authorities. The belief is also
expressed that only small proportion
of the polygamous marriages are re-
ported, as many of the registrars are
members of the Mormon church The
commission recommends that the
powers OF the commission be 80 en-
larged as 10 authorize and enable it to
issue instructions which shall be bind
ing upon the registrars Of its appoint
ment i'll the performance of their legal
duties.
4 Test OStI Law.
The report also recommends the en-
actment of law similar to the Idaho
test-oath law. believing that 1t would
do more to put an end to the teachings
and practice of polygamy than has yet
been accomplished by the partial en-
forcement Of existing laws"
stand Firm.
In conclusion the commission repeats
what is said i'll its last report, that in
this matter the government and con-
gress should take no backward or even
waverlng step, but should continue the
active and vigorous enforcement of the
laws, and the improvement OF them by
the amendment of such as would make
them more effective. and by enacting
such other laws as experience may
show to be wise and more efficacious to
accomplish the desir ed end"
Wreck on TIL. iro" Mountain Road.