Arizona weekly citizen., 1890-10-25
HAVE THEY CHANGED.


 ruff, declaring polygamy thing of tn
 past, we have watched the papers care
 fully for opinions. Some believe thu | announcement sincere. A great many
 more do not. One thing is plain, anc
 that is, while the church denouncel
 polygamy, nothing has been done in [
 practical way to enforce the law. There
 still exists the Perpetual Emigration ' Fund, which brings here from Europe
 young and beautiful converts; there
 still remains fact that since tine edict
 more than score of men have been in.
 dicted for spolygamy; the jail at Salt
 Lake contains 175 converts, and 145 of
 them are polygamists; and Milford
 Woodruff, head of the high priests, and
 ordained by God to marry and divorce
 at will, still maintains and supports
 three wives.
 There is an old maxim that you can
 lead horse to the.strough, but you can't make him drink. The feeling is forced upon us that this IS the trouble
 with the Mormons.
 It has not been very long since this same President Milford Woodruff said:
 "These things are clear, they arc point
 ed, they are strong, and they are revel-
 ations of God, and they will be fulfilled
 whether men believe it or not. I say
 there is not nation under
 heaven, there is not a King, a Prince, nor president, nor any other man who has power over the sons of man, but should give unto their subjects the privilege of worshiping God according to the dictates of their own consciences; they are not responsible to the Emperors, or Kings, or Presidents, or Governors who rule over them"
 And it has notIbeen many years further since Orson Pratt stated publicly that it was not meant that Murmons should obey the laws of men. We know that the book of Mormon not only encourages polygamous marriages, but it enjolns it in the most energetic manner by teach ing the women that through this. and this alone they may inherit eternal sal vation; and that Christian marriage is denounced as illegal. We knox that theI Mormon church has been hierarchy in the past; that it has aetied the laws of the land; that it has taught treason, and openly proclaimed treason until the time comes when apparently more can be gained by a flank movement. We do | not say but what the Mormon church as | a body MAY intend to change, but their | actions in the past and their present | conduct arouses suspicion of their sin cerity.
 As territory Utah is the ward of the | nation; as a state the functions of the | government pass into the hands of the people therein. The mass of people in Utah are Mormons. They scould make their own marriage and divorce laws; they would elect their own judges; in brief they would have it completely their own way. Can the national govern ment under these circumstances do less than proceed with caution. The govern ment has Milford WoodrUff's word, SUD- by ether saints and mass meeting of the laity, that polygamy will 0e abolished. On the contrary it has -he testimony of It's own commissioners lnder oath that since Sept. l, 1889, POP complaints were made against alleged polygamists; lS6 indictments ound, and l46 convictions secured, and hey add: "When it is remembered hat there is a large number of con- nunities and precincts where there are 10 anti-mormons to act as registrars, md the commission is compelled to ap- ppoint them from the membership of he Mormon church; that these reports unions) come only fir m where there are watchful op- { of the crime; that Mormon reg sters never report the cases occurring n the precincts in which they erve and in which plural marriages are probably most ire uently entered into; and that the great st care is observed to keep such mar | iages secret, so secret that the birth of child is generally the first cause to aspect the fact of unlawful marriage, . is more than probably that only mali proportion of the polygamous mar [ ages really contracted are reported, e nd still smaller proportion where con- I ictions could be had even for unlawful ! 
 It has the Associated Press reports to erify the fact that girls not yet out of heir teens are being imported by CAR OBS, WHO STATE THAT TEeY KNOW THEY ( RE ITO BE PLURAL WIVES. It has the c sil statistics of Salt Lake, and it has the d lackest and most blood curdling page in c merican history to turn to for the past S ecord of the Mormon church. Is it t range that the question Have they l hanged" arises amongst the ablest .atesmen of the land. Can the people | 0 less than insist upon a fair trial Of $ leir intentions before the greatest gift t an American citizen is placed in theIr ands. No man who has the best wishes of Il lis territory at heart can wish for a u