The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-02-21
IDAHO LEGISLATURE
Deals With the Mormon Question
i'm the Election Law.
IT IS EASIER FOR A RICH MAN
To Enter the Kingdom Of Heaven Than for
Mormon to Vote In Idaho
Festivities at Boise.

Festivities at Boise.
BOISE, Idaho, Feb. 20.-lSpecial telegram
to The HERALD. One of the worst crimes
perpetrated on Idaho was to- day, when the
house passed the Australian ballot law, re-
vised edition, for special occasion. 1t de-
fines the qualification of electors, provides
for nominations to public Office, authorizes
the proclamation of rules to govern and
regulate elections, to specify the duties of
election officials and their fees, to regulate
the procedure in contesting elections, gov
ern and regulate elections for changing
county seats and boundaries, provides for
printing and distributing ballots and other
election supplies at the public expense and
for the publication and distribution of
copies of the election laws aud repeating all
territorial laws on elections. Thus it will
be seen how sweeping the law is. Not
even one amendment was made to the bill
as the Republicans had caucussed and de-
cided to push it through without delay. A
few days ago when final action was being
taken in the senate, Senator Brandstetter
proposed to amend section g. striking out
"1SSS'' and inserting "lS92,n which amend
ment was voted down, Snoup arguing that
1t was to prevent Mormons from voting
who were guilty of those crimes up to that
time. The section read as follows:
mo person shall be permitted to vote who
is not registered as provided or who, since
the first day of January, 1888, has been or
IS apolygamist, or is living or has lived
in what is known as patriarchal, plural,
or celestial marriage, or in violation of any
law of Idaho or the United States, forbid
ding any such crime or who in any manner
teaches, or has taught advises or has,
counsels or has, aids or has, encourages or
has, any person to enter into bigamy, polyg-
amy, or such patriarchal, plural or celestial
marriage, or live in violation of any such
law, or commit any such crime, or who has
been member of or contributes, or has, to
the support, aid or encouragement of any
order, organization, association, corpora
ton, or society which teaches, or has
taught, advises or has, eounsels or has en-
couraged or ordered any person to enter in
to bigamy, polygamy, patriarchal or plura
marriage, or which teaches or has, advises
or has, that the laws of Idaho or of, before
admission, of the United States, prescrib-
ing rules of civil conduct ARE not the su.
preme law.''
The above is also included in the election
oath with this addition, land since have
been eighteen, have not been bigamst
etc."
Senator White argued it was an CO pos
fdcto law and that crime should not bt
punished by a law enacted at this day, blu
have reference to crimes committed in thu
future. So far as throwing safeguard:
around the ballot was concerned, he was a.
much in favor of it as Shoup and that h,
favored any clause that would proven
Mormons from participating in elections
until such time as they could be recon
structed by law; but he was satisfied tha
Shoup saw the necessity of bringing tn,
Mormon question before the legislature fo
a purpose, and it was not by accident.
was for the purpose of putting little fir,
under that question and to keep the Nor
mon question from dying out, thus answer
ing two purposes, one to keep the Repub
lican party in power in Idaho and thu
other to make it possible for the Salt LAX
Tribune to exist as it has been able to d
for many years, and he again reieerate,
the Mormon question did not fall into tn
bill by accident.
This afternoon in the House the bill cam
up for final reading and action, and tn
members of the Salt Lake Dramatic clu
were interested listeners and were honore
by being invited within the bar among tn
legislators. When the oath was being reaG
glance oyer in their direction shove
they were listening closely and catchin
every word. When the reading was finall
finished, Ballentine objected TO sectio
and took the same grounds as Senate
White and thought it should be blotted OF
and said he had in his heart forgiveness fc
, the wrongs or supposed wrongs these PEI
| pie had done, and now polygamy had bee
, dropped, he did not believe in continual
I bounding.
: Emery said he would some time forgiy
! but not this, as the Mormons never gay
up their cause, and the section suited hir
Jones said he was an anti-Mormon Dem
crat, but was opposed to the section,
i Steuneberg said he was opposed to IL
. bill, as it prevents those unable to read
y write from voting. He said the Democrat
: party was pledged to support the Australia
/ ballot bill, but not this kind He sa
among his constituents were two blind pc
sons and three or four other persons wi
could not read, and these, too, were di
+ franchised and it was most uniu
measure. The bill passed by vote of
to 5.
g The bill also passed for dividing th
(Ada) county and creating Canon, wi
e Caldwell as the county seat
: A bill was introduced, and passed BOZ
e houses, appropriating $4,000 for legislati,
8 expenses. AS to-day is the end of Il
e sixty days session, and no one can tell |
2 reading the constitution whether this is
e regular or special session, they will col
Q tinue about ten days longer and the pay
}. some member for tomorrow will be r
:, fused by the auditor who will claim Il
d session was through today. The matt
:. will then be taken before the supreu
o court and he brings suit, and if it is
cided in his favor, the session is unlimite
If it agrees with the auditor, it is but six
, days.
Z Social Festivities at Boise.
BOISE CITY, Idaho, Feb. 20.-TSpeci
telegram to TIE HERALD. Tonight t
legislators are giving q grand ball to t
Ii people OF Boise in return for many homo