The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-12-07

hurry and confusion OF the short session. Two
bills now pending are available for the purpose
-one introduced by Representative STRUBLE,
of Iowa, and another, of similar nature, by Sen |
ator CULLoM. of Illinois. These bills take the |
privileges of the franchise from any person aid |
ing, abetting or countenapcing polygamy or at |
tached to any institution that does.
To attempt to pass either of these bills in the
face of the change which has been effected in
the attitude of the Mormon church would not
only be such an avowal of distrust
and suspicion of the majority of the
people of Utah as, on the evidence
presented, Congress should not make; but II
would also have the appearance before the
whole country, of being a resort to a method OF
oppression altogether uncalled for by anything
in the present situation. The Mormon church
has done everything necessary to public re
nunciation of polygamy as practice, and 1t has
solemnly acknowledged its allegiance to the
laws of the United States President Wood
rufus manifesto declaring the end and doom
of polygamy and the duty of obedience to the
laws of the country was generally accepted as
honest in its statements, and, shortly after,
that declaration was explicitly affirmed by the
heads of the church and ratified by its great
annual convention. The best evidence from
| Utah is to the effect that the action of the
church was sincere and genuine, and 1t has
been accepted by several OF the federal officials
ofthe territory.
| OF course, there are many both in and out of
Utah who do not believe in the honesty of the
Mormon church, and who regard its recent &C
ton as mere bluff; but in matters of political
legislation and government only overt acts, es
tablished by proper evidence, can be consid-
cred, and no reliance can be placed on mere
surmise or conjecture, however sagacious. 1t
will not therefore be wise in Congress to put
much faith in the mere unsupported state
ments of Utah politicians, especially those of
them who would regard the perseverance of the
Mormons as loyal and law abiding citizens in
height of an evil, because it would have the
effect of retiring them (the politicians from
Official into private life.
Those in Utah who distrust the professions of
the Mormons are mainly of two very different
classes. The first of these are the men whose
political supremacy an unrestricted Mormon
vote would overthrow, and whose dread of that
overthrow makes them so eagerly, but sus-
lpiciously jealous against an evil which has all
but disappeared The other is the missionary
class. representing in various ways the several
Christian denominations, in whose eyes the
chief ofense of the MormonS is that they re
main in the Mormon church and will not allow
themselves to be converted to another system
of doctrine. These missionaries, without any
i'll intent, dwell so habitually on the enormity
of bad doctrine that they come TO believe they
know its actual results in practice, when all
that has come 10 their knowledge Is simply
of a hearsay and exaggerated character.
Besides, they have to find abiding reasons for
the continuance of their work.
Now the fact that n man holds obnoxious
doctrine has nothing to do with his right TO vote.
In the state of New York, for example. a citizen
may accept, indiferently, the theory of NAL
THUS or the doctrines of the Latterday Saints
without being in any way debarred from doing a
citizens duty at the polls. 1t is only when he
commits an overt act against the public peace,
and in violaton of public law that his rights are
abridged What is true in New York should be
true also in Utah. If under the new law any
cases of polygamy have come into existence. let
them be found and suppressed by legal agen-
cies Let the malefactor suffer the penalty of
his crime even if it involves his loss of suffrage
But do not attempt the suppression of a whole
people. To be deprived of suffrage because OF
condemned opinions is the tyrant's method. II
is entirely repugnant to the theory and practice
the spirit ana the life, of true republican gov
ernment.
The allegation is that the coming lobby is or
ganized in the interest of the Republican
party; that the disfranchisement of Nor
mons would lead to the admission O
Utah as reliable Republican state
: and that that admission would yield two
needed Republican Senators. The likelihood
4 is that this brave conspiracy has little founda
ton in fact, and that the real conspirators havt
their interest centering near Salt Lake anC
Ogden. But whatever the end in view, legisla
tion of the character proposed should be dis
i couraged, for the good OF the people, the pros
4 perity of the territory. and the general mainte
nance of political honesty,
Y The people of Utah should be encouraged
to place confidence in the Congress of the Uni
I ted States. Whatever can be done t,
, strengthen their allegiance and obedience t.
= the laws should be done But to deprive then
= oftheir rights, except individually, by due pro
l cess Of law, would be unjust and oppressive
and would plant the seeds of ineradicable ami
t mostly.