San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-25
VEST ON POLYGAMY.
Woman's Religious Fanaticism the
Bulwark of the Hierarchy.

Woman's Religious Fanaticism the
Bulwark of the Hierarchy.
From the Debate on the Appropriation
of $4,000 for the Utah Industrial Home
Mr.. Vest. 1 saw statement in q
paper of Salt Lake Il do not under
take to say to what faction it belong
ed) that there had not been from the
beginning. since this institution was
established at cost of $50 900 to the
people of the United States, a dozen
inmates, women and child rem includ-
ed.
Now the matter is presented to the
senate in this guise: We are asked,
after giving $4,000 to this Utopian,
mOonshi9e arrangement, to now make
an appropriation of $4,000 q year for
no other purpose whatever but to pay
the salaries of a lot of people who
have managed to obtain these posi-
tions under the appearance of philan-
thropy.
This was started as an asylum for
the poor deluded Mormon women
who wanted to escape from polygamy
1t seems they do not want to escape.
1t is q notorious fact, every man who
has been to y tab or near it knows it
to be the truth, that the women of
Utah today are more opposed to doing
away with polygamy than the men.
Every intelligent man knows that
the opposition today to doing away
with polygamy is among the women
and is very easily explained.
1t does not come from any sensual
sfry. r RI or do n
ed feeling; it comes from their religi-
GUS sentiment. If you want to find
the home of absolute religious fanat-
icism, you will always find it among
women. If there is any fault about
it, it is in the great Architect who
made them, and constructed them
that way. They are sentimental;
they are religious; they are depend
ent. The essence of the female ma
ture is dependence in this world and
next. Therefore you find our churches
now, no matter what the creed, no
matter how erroneous, full Of women,
not of men. 1t has been so since the
beginning of time, and will be 80 I'M
til the world is wrapped in milIennial
glory.
When you 60 to Utah you find the
women devoted to polygamy, because
it is part Of their religion. I asked
a Mormon woman in the vicinity of
Ogden, "Are you plural wife?'
Eyes; am a plural wife; the third
wife, Said I, do you believe In
that thing?" "Why it is the Bible"
And she pulled out her bible to show
me where it was. She said, "It is the
Bible my husband could not go to
heaven if he did not practice the plu-
raj system. When he is able to take
care of so many women, 1t is his Chris
tian duty to do it; and believe in it,"
1t was her religion.
Now, We have had a strange ex-
perience with this female nature out
in Utah. At one time Senator Pome-
roy invented the ideal believe he
was the author of it-that the poor
women of Utah ought to be given the
right of suffrage so as to escape from
polygamy, and he appealed to con-
gress and to the Christian women of
the United States, and, OF course, God
bless them, they responded with all
the influence possible, as they always
will for anything of this sort. So we
gave them the right of suffrage by a
large majority, and what was the re-
suit? Every one of them voted the
polygamous ticket. Then We turned
around under the leadership of my
friend from Vermont, and took the
suffrage from them. 1t was found
that their votes were the bulwark of
the hierarchy.
We have now put up an asylum for
these poor deluded creature to escape
to, and they do not escape worth a
cent, and they never will escape.
The result is that here now under
this appropriation we are paying
$4,000 year to somebody to go around
in an official capacity to protect from
lot of women who will not be pro-