Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-11-11
THE oMORMONs" OF IDAHO.


vised. The shalSy candidate for tht
United States Ssnatorship proposes
new legislation to fit the new situa'
ton created by the recent action Of
the ''AIormOn'' Church in relation
to polygamy. He wants the State
Legislature to invent some fresh
provisions to prolong the disfran-
chisement of the Enormous" His
views and desires, however, are
not shared by all the active politi-
clans of Idaho, and the indica-
tons are that his influence is on the
wane.
A very comprehensive letter on
Idaho affairs from Boise City, ap-
pesred in the Chicago Times OF the
Slst ult. 1t discusses the question
OF irrigation in an able manner and
touches on the subject Of the SEN
atorship. The following paragraphs
in it relate TO the "Mormon''
question:
s'The next subject of importance to
engage the attention OF the Legislature
will be as to how the Mormons can be
kept away from the polls. This elc-
ment prevails largely in the four
eastern counties - bingham, Bear
Lake, Cassia, and Oneida. During the
month OF February, 1885. law was
passed providing that a test oath be
administered to the voters OF the Ter
ritOry by the terms Of which the cleo
tor must make affidavit that he did not
belong 10 any order, organization or
association that taught advised, coun-
selsd or encouraged its members or
devotees, or any other person to COM
init the crime Of bigamy or polygamy,
or any other crime defined by law. or
to enter into what is known as plural
or celestial marriage. The oath is
much longer, but the forego-
ing is its substance. II il was not
taken the elector could not vote.
II a recusant Mormon took it and
voted the democratic ticket he was in
dicted for conspiracy in attempting to
evade the law. and as none Of his
creed were allowed to sit upon juries
the conviction was quite certain.
Those who took such oaths were
men who had Withdrawn from the
church, but 10 amount OF evidence
colld be sdduced 70 convince the
court and jury THAI the accused was
honest in his recantation. The Nor
mons have always commended that
polygamy was no part OF their creed,
but was only permissible, and that
any or all Of them could take the pre-
scribed oath, but the courts and juries
seemed to know more about such
matters than did the Mormsns them
selves, or at least assumed to know.
In January, 1859, the legislature
supplemented the act Of 1885 by pro-
viding that any person Withdrawing
from the Mormon Church might ap-
pear before a clerk of the district
court and subscribe 10 tbs test oath,
when he might receive his first pa
pers- After the lapse Of two years the
backslider could again appear and
with the aid Of two witnesses. who
were not Mormons, show to the court
that he had kept the provisions of his
oath, when the court might make an |
order permitting the registration OF |
the applicant.
The act OF 1855 has been declared |
legal by the Supreme Court Of the |
United States. but The latter has not
been passed upon. On the 9th dav OF |
Sep ember President Woodruff. the
head OF the church, issued manifesto |
denying that celestial or plural mar
rage had been practiced for a series O; |
years or was now being performed
within the pale Of the church. He
also forbade all MormVns from enter
ing into the prescribed relation. The
twelve apostles ratified the edict. The
act OF 1859, passed by the Idaho legis-
lature. relates only TO such az have
Withdrawn" from the Mormon
church and NOT to any change Of creed
The MormOns are, therefore. a. the
present time legal voters. As there
are but about go out Of the 500 voters
OF that class in the State who are Re-
paolieans, and these were permitted
20 vote az the last election through the
eonnivance Of federal officers, some
legislation viii be presented by which
Inc Mormons can be kept from the
polls IN the future. Il would be diff
cult to tell how this can be- Success
fully accomplished without the enact
ment OF an er past .faeto law, but our
Republican friends will be found eoual
to the occasion. They avow openly
that they intend to keep the prescribed
sect continually in the Supreme Court
and during the interval from the yot-
ing Places
The next paragraph alleges some
thing that viii be new to most Of our
readers:
The Hon. Alexander II. Maybew s
has announced his intention of con- 4
testing the seat of Willis Sweet in the {
next Congress. The grounds for such ,
contest will be open bribery practiced
and the COO Mormon votes received Z
By Sweet Il is intended to compel
ne Republicans to take the ground :
nat the Mormon vote cast for Sweet
vas legal or lose their representative :
IN the House from this State
fisk hundred "MormonY voted !,
n Idaho at the last election il is q
iomething that people here know 8
nothing about. We regard the story n
Is mere rumor, but at the same time p
We know that the very Republicans 8
VINO were the most violent in de. g,
iuneiation Of the "Aformons - n
Focid move all earth and the lower
'egions if possible to gain the votes
u those "Mormons" whom they If
eel to despise.
Ths Anaconda, Montana, Stand
ird gets still further away from the 7.
mark and takes it for granted that .
he "Aormons" voted generally in Y
daho, and that they supported the Z,
Republican ticket. 1t says: o.
at was the twelve hundred Nor III
ions in Bingham, Bear Lake and hi
ASIA counties, the sixty dagoes on 10
le big ditch in Ada County, and the .,
'ur hdn0red eolonized voters in -
Washington, Shoshone and Latah =
,unties that made Mr.. Shoup gov -
nor and gave large majority Of :"
iaho's legislature 10 the republicans. ~
ne does not require to look far for We
nvincing proof as 10 the reliability ell
these assertions. or
NO ons denies that the entire Nor erl
~, x-ofo Is, T1ahn xrna oa~4 f. Az \ ms