Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-06-16
PRONOUNCED OPPOSITION TO
CJNFI sCATiOy.

THE conn ca,isn Of The property
of h Church Of Jesus Christ OF
Ldler-day Saints continues to l..
denounced 10y the patriotic portion
Of the American press. As a rule
the Influential journals Of the ccun-
try express a Willingness for oyIor-
m7uis-n'' % De opposed, but many
o. them Pg5aUuuceQiy dissent from
the methods now being applied in
that direction, the process being un-
called for and irzeleemably unjust
and dishonest.
The Denver Repu5Hcan is one Of
the Iapers which assai coufsca-
tion, aud presents the following
condemned Plea FOR Gsir-dealing and
honesty:
as the handful OF Mormons in
Utah sud other parts Of the country
such a menace TO our institutions thai
its necessary for the government d,
tire United States TO resort TO confsca-
ton in order to hold the Mormon
Church in check?
''Thcrs is such a thing as honesty
in dealing with ones enemies. There
l. such thing rs justice to criminals.
There is such a thing a doing right
for rights sake, aud in tine face Of pom
uiar prejudice. But The bill which
senator Eimunds introduced TO turn
the property Of the Mormon Church
over TO the public schools Of Utah fails
30 recognize any Of these general pro
positions.
The fact that some Of the NfarmoDs
are poiygamists and that the Church
teaches Tho doctrine OF poIyganlv Will [
~ justify the supposed confiscatiop.
The Constitution q the United States
declares that private property shall |
no; he taken for public use withou, |
inst compensation. We do no: mean /
10 say thai The transfer Of the uroper-
& Of this dissolved corporation TO the
public schools OF Utah would be in
violation O! this provision Of the Con
siituiion. But We do say it would be
in violation Of the spirit.
" Why should not Congress be inst
even 20 the Mormons7 Thousands Of
mem5ers OF the Mormon Church have
never lived in polyEamy. Ought thev
10 be made 10 suffer because OF the
crimes OF others, or because their
Church teaches the doctrine Of polvg-
amy Tire proposed coufiscation is
unneca>s1ry. Il would be unjust and
unfair"
The foregoing is terseIy put. is
na''taDl ia Pd-r9. and simply unan-
rwera".e from the standpoint Of rea-
son. justice ana ReIublicauism. T.
some time since tire New York
S'ai add strong article with the
right ring 30 it upon this important
subject. Il was largely quoted and
variously received. While some
Journals opposed its position, others
as strongly supported it. \ private
gsntiemau-Mr. II. {. Baldwin. Of .
Broadway, View York-took unaua-
lifted ground with the san. as win
be seen 10y the following, which ap-
peaTe3 in the columns Of that paper :
10 the form Of a correspondence
lr5m his pen:
To tFc EIfs1r If the Sun;
sir-Nour remarks on the Mormon a
ease are timeIyand lust. :
but not severe enough. The Edmuuds :
'ca IN many Of its features was the },
most Infamous that eyer disgrac.d our
national >;a;u,e book, and there have
been some very infamous. The de-
'iSion Of the Supreme Court SUSTAINING a
nc act VIII return some day TO tor a
neni not only the court but he Con D
sreSs Of The United States. The zeal a
'Sass Tor The passagsof chat act never
showed Itself in tho discussion over Il i,
70 Cons1ss- It's sIeisnders claimed 9
.s ooiee- WIS 20 destroy polygamv. !,
me real object was to destroy CO. i,
operative stores thar In.erfsred with a Il
.ot Of sharks who wanted to con- /,
.roi the trade of Utah That 40, !,
.ook from the women OF Utah the !,
-lsht Of suffrage, and conasea,ed n
lae property Of the people aud Il
p" uhaer the pretext Of morality ol