The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-09-29
TRANSPARENT pEMAGoGY.

Our Republican friends in Idaho, in their
eagerness 10 win the Mormon vote in that
state in the event of the courts holding the
test oath unconstitutional because of it's
ex post facto feature, are trying TO make it
appear that the act was never intended to
work the Acknowledgement of any Mormon
after the church had ceased to teach and
practice polygamy. Their organs and
their orators are talking in this strain to
the Mormon people, and to the amazement
of those who have memories some of the
Mormons actually believe the stories told
them. That IDEA was conveyed in the res
olutioD on the subject adopted by the Re-
publican state convention few weeks ago,
the declaration being:
We congratulate the Mormon church on it's
recent declaration abandoning polygamy and
in favor OF divorce OF church and state in all
political affairs; and accepting this declaration
as sincere, we pledge the party that with con-
tinuance of evidence of this sincerity, we will
at the next ensuing session OF the legislature
restore to its members the full political priv
leges secured to all others.
The inference here intended is that the
Mormon church had recently proclaimed
against the practice of polygamy, hence
the necessity for the law no longer ex-
listed, and the Republicans In spirit of
justice and generosity, proposed to repeal
the act. They expect the people to accept
their specious pleading, ana forget all
about the past.
Let Us recall some of the facts More
than year before Idaho was state, and
long before the present law was enacted. it
was proven in the courts that polygamy
had not only not been preached for some
time in the territory, but that the church
authorities there had given instructions
that the subject be not mentioned in the
meetings. Though careful search was made
no instance OF a recent p0lygamous mar
riage could be discovered, and our recol-
lection is that those who would have
known of those marriages declared under
oath there had been none such for some
time. The Mormons up there will remem-
Der these things, Notwithstanding the pres
ent efforts to put them out of mind of them.
But the most impudent suggestion is that
the official PRONUNCIATION against poiygamy
was of recent occurrence. whereas it ante
dated the test oath law fully five months.
President WOODRUFF issued his well
known manifesto in September 1890. and
the church, in general conference assem-
bled approved the order early in the fol-
lowing October. Since that time nobody
claims to have ever heard polygamy
preached or taught by Mormons in Idaho.
Utah, or elsewhere, and it is rea-
sonably certain that no polygamous
marriage has been celebrated. Five
months after the teaching of polyg-
amy. and its practice, had been OIL
cially discontinued and forbidden in the
most solemn manner by the church. the
Republican legislature of Idaho, in defiance
OF Democratic protests, enacted the pres
ent test oath law denying the franchise to
all who since 1883 had besn members of an
organization which taught or practiced
polygamy. The law bears date Feb.
%. 1891 Thus, when it was mt
into the books there was no church
or society in Idaho and had not
been for at least five months. which
taught the rightfulness of plural marriage.
Every member Of the legislature who voted
for the bill knew OF President WooDRurF's
manifesto and the church's unanimous en-
dorsement thereof. The attempt to make
il appear that the manifesto was a late af-
fair and had been promptly accepted in
good faith BY the Repu blicans, is transpar-
ent demagogy, and presupposes rank ignor-
ance on the part of the Mormons.
The truth is known and it will be borne
in mind ut the polls in November If the per-