The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-12-20
vs. FoIIrIos

classed as Mormons have for years
been at heart opposed to the practice
of polygamy. They have not yielded
to any ecclesiastical dictatiOn because
| they liked it. Their solidity has been
largely due to the situation and to the
conditions in which they found them
selves In the enactment of needed
legislation to suppress polygamy, in
clothing the marshals with most extra
| Ordinary and unusual powers, in the
zeal to suppress what was conceived to
be an outrage upon civilization, the
limitations of the law have not always
been duly regarded, and jurors have
been selected for the purpose of con-
victing upon the slightest evidence,
which would be regarded elsewhere as
but a pretense of evidence.
These things have led those people,
many of whom were in favor of the
discontInuance of the practice of polyg-
amy, to believe that some of their
friends were being persecuted; and so
long as that condition existed they
banded together to shield themselves
and their friends from what they con-
ceived to be injustice. The menace
which has threatened what they con-
ceived to be sacred to their consciences,
and only question between themselves
and their God, led them to think per-
haps that they were being prosecuted.
They are obstinate. Hence it has been
that when any question of that kind
arose they have stood together, as the
people of the south have stood together,
as the people of the north have stood
together, as any people would stand
together.
Now, when polygamy was yielded
as it was in fact yielded in 1887, when
that question was eliminated-there
was no reason any longer for the Nor
mon people to stand together.
Mr.. Boatner-If the gentleman will
permit me to interrupt him, he said
that the people of the south had been
standing together for thing that was
probably wrong Was he referring to
the late silver fight? Gaughter)
MIR. Rawlins-I could not have been
referring to that, because they did not
stand together. daughter and APP
plause.)
Mr. Hartman-Will the gentleman
permit me to ask him question?
Mr.. RawI'ns-Yes.
Mr.. Hartman-Is it not a fact that
the Mormon vote was divided up be-
tween yourself and your opponent at
the last election, to great extent?
Mr. Rawiins-It was
Mr.. Pence-If the gentleman will per-
nit me, is it not a fact that your COM
petitor for the seat you now hold was
the Republican candidate. Mr.. Frank
Cannon; and is he not the son Of the
Cannon referred to by the gentleman
from Massachusetts (Mr. Morse) here
awhile ago?
Mr.. Rawlins-He is.
Mr.. Pence--The regular Republican
candidate?
Mr.. Rawlins-He was.
Mr.. Wilson, of Washington-Wi the
gentleman permit another question
from the west? If Utah is admitted
into the union as a state, will it dis
pose Of the Ute question and their re-
moYal from Colorado?
Mr.. RawIins-I think we will take
the whites and leave Colorado the In
dams, if we can get into the Union.
ELaughter.]
Now, I am entirely willing to talk
over this matter, and 1 am DESTROYS of
answering any question that is peril
nent to this issue, that will tend to
make plain to the members of this
House that Utah is fit to be admitted
into the Union.
Credit for Education.
I was proceeding to state that the
population and the education of the
people of Utah was such as TO entitle
them to be admitted into the Union.
desire to say one thing further. Not
only is the standard o. education high
lit is far above the average, as the re-
turns upon that subject will shoW-but
the people of Utah are entitled to more
than ordinary credit for that condition,
because during the forty years exist
ence of the territory not an acre Of
land, not a dollar in money, has been
made by any grant of the federal
government available for the purposes
of supporting education in that terri
tory
The schoolhouses have been built.
the expense of maintaining the school
system has been borne, wholly by taxes
voluntarily imposed by the people
upon themselves. For twenty years
we have had university maintained
by funds granted by the legislature
out of the territorial treasury and de-
rived from taxation, under which OPP
portunities were given to obtain the
higher branches of learning. Some
two thousand or three thousand young
men and women have awaited them
selves of the opportunities afforded by
that university, and they have gone
out in the territory and have dissent
mated the intelligence and knowledge
they thus acquired. The man who
supposes that there has been no pro-
gress in Utah during the last twenty
or thirty years certainly does not
uation. L am not going to defend some
of the deeds that were committed in
years gone by. Why, outrages have
been committed in every community,
in every state of civilization
Mr.. Hartman-And they did not adj
yocate the burning Of people for witch
craft?
Nj. Rawlins-No. 1 do not defend
the men who participated in the
Mountain Meadow massacre. That
was an atrocious and cruel butchery.
Mr.. Wheeler, of Alabama-Which oc-
CURED before you we're born
Mr.. RaWlins-No, 1 was seven years
old then; but I did not participate in
it. [Laughter.l Of course the gentle
man from Massachusetts being a Chris
tan gentleman, I suppose, would visit
the sins of the parents upon the chill
dren to the third and fourth genera
ton. [Laughter.J
Mr.. Van Voorhis, of New York-Be-
cause he is not a Mormon.
Mr.. Rawlins-I want to say that
those who were at he head of that
crime were drraigned some of them
were executed; and they are all dead.
Speak of any other outrage committed
twenty, thirty, forty or sixty years ago
and who was responsible for it; will
any gentleman point to any man in
Utah who is amenable and responsible
for any such outrage? AS we'll say that
the senator from Wyoming is RESPONSE
bic for the massacre of Cinnamon at
Rock Springs; as well say that the
people of Louisiana are responsible for
the assault upon the Italians who were
helpless and imprisoned; as well say
that the people over here in Pennsyl-
vania, at the time of the Carnegie
civilized and intelligent
people of Pennsylvania, endowed with
all the opportunities and privileges of
of state-as well say that
they are responsible for the acts of the
women there who in moment We're
into tigresses, gouging out
the eyes of the prisoners as they were
by, as well say that all the
rPoO1e Of PeDSv1Ha mia GRO to