The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-02-04

tne law IN the case. Still. this does not
preclude from remarking that this opinion
must necessarily be regarded as a
alrec ubiow at religious liberty. not
only by the Mormons, but by
other religionists. 1t is not Grim
lnality which is held to disoualifv and
als1ranchlse man. The Idaho law makes
membershipin the church the disqualified
ton, and the supreme court holds the
statute to be valid and constitutional. The
act does not run merely against the man
who is guilty of polygamy or other inhib-
lted things. nor only against one who
breaches and teaches the rightfulness of
| certain things declared to be unlawful. but
applies to the purest and most upright citi
zen If he shall profess faith or belief in the
Mormon religion. For the life of us we
cannot comprehend the line of reasoning
followed by the learned judges which has
LED them to the conclusion announced We
cannot understand how the court can saw
that law does not abridge the rights of
the individual in the matter of RELIGIONS
belief when that law makes that belief
disqualification for citizenship. 1t goes
even further, denying rights to the indi
Vldual IN spite of himself, as in the case of
the man born and raised in the Mormon
church, and who is essentially and neces-
sarily member of that organization at
least until he arrives at the years of man.
mood; then by the rulings of the Idaho
courts he must continue to be Mormon
there being no way for him to get away
from the church and obtain a re ease. The
text of the opinion, it is hoped, will explain |
matters somewhat, and show how it was |
that the court reached its decision. One
does not like to even suspect that the |
great tribunal-the greatest on earth
will base an opinion involving a constitu
tlonal question on the proposition that the
end justifies the means.
Meantlme the sympathies of all good
men, OF all men who have hearts, will 90
out towards the Mormon people in Idaho.
Ihere are $4,000 of them, forming fully
one third of the entire population of the
territory, and we do not hesitate to say
they are among the best people of the com
nunlty. They are honest, enterprisinp l.
Industrious and progressive; they give
solldlty and prosperity to great section
and southwestern Idaho would be little
Else than a desert waste, for there I
ire no mines in the districts where [
'ney predominant, and nothing to
attract the class of people who settle the
'eglon embraced in the interior west. ONLY
small percentage of the Idaho Mormons |
lave ever violated the laws forbidding q
'olygamy, and few, if any of them. who I
married plural wives are now living in t
efiance of the statute. They have CON c
ormed their lives to the requirements of t
ne law, and are to-day good citizens in L
MS respect as they always have been in C
IL Others And yet this great body of t
law-abiding people are made t
olltlcal outcasts, this decision subiecting f
hem to the oppressive rule of bitter enc t
lies and persons bent on driving them h
rom the land. Truly is their lot a sad g
nd deplorable one. 1t would be hard to t
onceive a worse fate than theirs. When f
ne is familiar with the character. aims
no ambitions of those in political control
Idaho, he can almost weep for the Door 4
lormons IN their deprivation of all rights n
40 denial of all privileges, save only the n
ght to air and water and the privilege of tt
aylng taxes by those who hate them with b.
hatred that is as vicious and senseless as G
is fanatically intense. NJ
1t is probable that the full text of the H
lpreme court decision will arrive in the E.
urse OF a few days, when its scope NAV C
discovered, and we may learn by what &c
coess OF reasoning the learned judges re
we arrived at the conclusion that law er
hich disfsarchi ses solely on the ground at
religious belief is not an interference Oh
th religion. W