The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-02-17
10 NE RULE
Judge Anderson Makes
an Argument.
CONDITIONS IN UTAH
1t Would be No Mistake to Pass
the Faulkner Bill.
EX-MARSHAL OVERS SPEECH
A Tribute to the Good Work Done by the
Liberal Party-Sincerity Of the Mormons
in their Abandonment of PoIygam
Wealth of The Territory.
HERALD BUREAU,
Corner of 18th and @ SITS, n. w.
w aCuTNCrANy n n DoL, 1e

Corner of 18th and G SITS, N w.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Feb. 10.
Judge Anderson made the opening argu-
ment in the Home Rule hearing this morn
ing. He made brief fifteen or twenty
speech, in which he called atten-
ton to the fact that great misapprehen-
sion had gotten abroad in regard TO the ex-
tent to which polygamy had been practiced
heretofore in Utah. He stated that it had
been said that only or 2 per cent. of the
people OF the territory were polygamists.
He showed that that was mistake; that
1t arose from the fact of no record being
kept of the second or plural marriage; that
the fact of the marriage could not be
proven, and hence they could not be con-
victed of polygamy; that the indictments
were usually found
FOR UNLAWFUL CoBABITATIoN,
but in every instance of unlawful cohabi-
tation the party in fact was guilty of polyg-
amy, and when called up for sentence
would state the fact of the plural marriage
or marriages, the dates of them. ETC., show
ing that it was a case really of polygamy,
and yet the conviction was for unlawful
cohabitation, and in this way the impress
sion has gotten abroad that polygamy never
had been practiced there to the extent that
it was generally believed to be- Judge
Anderson said from the time he went to
Utah in March, 1889, until October, 1890,
when parties convicted or who had pleaded
guilty of unlawful cohabita:ion would ap-
pear for sentence, he made it a practice to
invariably ask them whether or not they
were willing to obey the law in the future,
and if they were, or would so promise, the
punishment would be made light, and in
the cases OF old men sentence would be
suspended entirely. This promise they in
variably refused to make, preferring to 60
to the penitentiary and to pay fines than 10
promise to obey the law.
Since October, 1890, when the manifesto
of the presidency of the church against
polygamy was promulgated, they have il
overy instance
PROMISED TO OBEY THE LAW.
! In most instances he suspended sentence OF
made the punishment merely nominal
Since the issuance Of the manifesto they
I
amy as being prohibited by the church anC
seemed to rejoice at the fact that they were
no longer required or expected by thu
church TO practice it, and recently the ter.
rltorial legislature, which has a large Nor
mon majority, passed a law prohibiting
and Furnishing polygamy. He regarded
polpgamy as being thus ended in Utah
With single exception, he had heard o
but one polygamous marriage having takel
place since 1888, and he believed they hat
ABANDONED IT IN GOOD FAITH.
Aside from the anti-polygamy laws, tn
Mormon people were the peers of tn
people of any other territory or state as t
general morality, sobriety and disposition
to be law abiding. The Peoples party
which was the church party, has been dis
solved and the members have divided o.
national party lines. The territory is YER
prosperous, and in his opinion no mistak
would be made in granting the people o
that territory statehood, as provided in tn
Teller bill, or Home Rule, as provided i
the Faulkner bill.
Mr.. F. II. Dyer followed Judge Ander
son. He said that he went to Salt LAX
from the state of Mississippi his nativ
state. where the people took an interest i
politics not second to their interest in tbei
families, and that when he got to Utah an
found there was no national politics there
but that they were organized purely o
local political issues it presented
AN ANOMALOUS CONDITION OF THINGS
which he could not understand and wa
slow to ally himself with either side. A
the situation began to dawn upon him
found that the Peoples party was nothin
more nor less than the mouthpiece of tn
of the Mormon church. 1t was the part
through which the church gave expressio
, to it's political desires. Being opposed 9
he is co the interference of any church j
: matters of state he very naturally allie
! himself with the Liberal party, which We
| composed OF the gentle element of Ii
territory, being about equally divided be
: tween Democrats and Republicans, and
was working to break the political powt
; of the Mormon church in the territor,
/ MI. Dyer said that he continued
/ until it had finished, as he believed, i
mission. AS member of that party /
had joined with others of its leaders in say
ing to the Mormon people that whenev'
they would quit the practice of polygam
: and disband the Peoples party, the
would be gladly welcomed into the nation
/ parties, and whenever they showed di
d position to obey the laws as the rest of Il
j American people were compelled to do, ar
y were glad TO do, that they would tire
them as friends and loyal citizens on pi
with themselves, and that now the Mo
q mons, having accepted this. invitation,
having complied with every request MAJ
of them, Mr.. Dyer said that we are
: IN HONOR BOUND TO KEEP FAITH WIT
q THEM,
= and by the very nature of the invitatit
and treatment of them are precluded fro