The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-07

OTSOn 1IdII, ALBEIT CdfIiIlS lUII, au-
relius Miner, John Sharp, Albert P.
lockwood, Ruben Miller, VIM. Jennings,
George Q. Cannon, John T. Game,
Zerubabel Snow, David Z. Buell., Will
lam Hayden, Thomas P. AkerS, Thomas
Fitch, P Edward Conner, Enos d.
Eose, Frank Fuller, Eli NJ. Barnum,
and Hadley D. Johnson After the
election, General Conner. refused to
take part in the convention, claiming
that he was a resident of California.
General Barnum was made president
of the convention.
When the regular order of business
was entered upon, the constitution of
the state of Nevada was selected as
basis. It was at this point that Judge
William Hayden moved that the con-
vention adjourn sine die. He stated
that he had been elected to the con-
vention without his consent, and that
he was opposed TO a state government
for the reason that the people had not
declared in favor of it by public meet
ingS and resolutions. petitions, etc;
that the population of the territory was
insufficient; that the increased taxa
ton would be an enormous burden on
the citizens, and that the convention
was called without authority of federal
or territorial law. The motion led to a
long and animated discussion, reaching
to the close of the third days session.
The principal speakers were General
Buell., Hon. Thomas Fitch, Colonel
Akers, Hadley D. Johnson, esq, Gen
eral Barnum. Hon. George Q. Cannon,
and Judge Hayden. When a vote was
taken, the result was SO to l against
the proposed adjournment 1t was dur
ing the consideration Of this motion on
the second day of the convention, that
Mr.. Fitch delivered a speech which
made him famous in Utah. giving an
] q horo 70 0f foL Of 10, nj
advocating a concession by the ma
jority regarding the practice of polyg-
amy. He made an impassioned appeal
to the delegates to incorporate in the
constitution they were about to frame
a provision in harmony with what he
believed to be the urgent necessities of
the situation, and argued that there
was no safety to the people of Utah
without a state government, and that
they could have no state government
without making concessions. Follow
ing is a. brief excerpt to show the
line of his reasoning:
II am not here to attack polygamy
from a theological, moral, or physical
but from a political standpoint Ger
tainly do not propose to question the
pure motives or the honesty of those
who believe in and practice it. ! am
inclined to agree with Montesquieu
and Buckle, that it is an affair of lat
titude and climate and race, and on
these grounds alone its existence among
a Saxon people, living in the north
temperate zone, is a climatic anomaly
1t did not grow out of any structural.
or race, or social, or climatic necessi-
ties, and if it be, as asserted, the off
spring of revelation here. / can only
say that 1t needed a revelation to
start it. That it has scriptural patri-
archal origin and example Is probably
true, but that was in another age than
ours, and in a different land. If
Abraham had lived on the line of the
overland road in the afternoon of the
nineteenth century: if Isaac had been
surrounded by 10000 900 homogeneous
Yankees; if Jacob had associated with
| miners and been iostled by SPECTATORS
there would, I apprehend, have been a
different order of social life in Pales-
tine. The Norman doctrine may be the
true theology, and the writings of
Joseph Smith the most direct revela-
tons. The practice of polygamy may
be safeguard against the vice of un-
; licensed indulgence, and the social life
Of Utah the most sanitary of social
! reforms. All the advantages claimed
! for this state may be actual, but
nevertheless the fact exists that polyr-
: amy is an anomaly in this republic, ex-
isting hitherto by the sufferance of a
people who now declare that it shall
exist no longer"
The movement for a. state govern
ment was warmly supported by all the
speakers except Judge Hayden, the
maker of the motion to adjourn. Re-
ferring to the proposition to surrender
polygamy, he entreated the Mormons
not to look with favor upon the sug-
gested concession, and among other
, things said:
1.-The Derouatfon of my colleagues
speech was mainly confined to appeals
to the majority to sacrifice what they
call divine ordinance of their religion
for the coveted bauble of state govern
ment Why, what change has come
over the spirit of your dreams, that YOU
with greedy ears caught the sweet
cadence of the pleader's voice. wooine-
> you from Charybdis to be wrecked on
: the treacherous Scillal From CONVEX.
sations with many of you, whom 1 be-
lieve to be gentlemen of integrity and
honest religious convictions. from what
, | know of your history, your persecu-
tons, trials, and privations for your
religion, l am not prepared to believe
that, without new revelation, pros
per1ty has so weakened your faith as
: to trade off a divine ordinance for a
i, 'tinlling cymhad.'"
On the fourth day of the convention
the committee reported the ordinance
,
: reVocaole without the consent of the
United States and the people of the state
or peseret, and its fifth section as
! adopted, was as follows:
Ihat such terms. if any, as NAV be
, prescribed by Congress as a condition
OF the admission of said state into the
union, shall, If ratified by majority
vote OF the people thereof, at such
time and under such regulations as
may be prescribed by the convention,
tnereupon be embraced within and
constitute part Of this ordinance"
Inc convention closed it's labors on
! March 2, 1872, after electing Hons
; Thomas Fitch, George @. Cannon and
frank Fuller to proceed to Washing
ton ana cooperate with Delegate
Wllnam II. Hooper in present
Ing the constitution to the presiSa1+
and Congress. On March 18th the e1ecs
ton provided for in the constitution
was held. the document being ratifed
by 25.160 votes in favor and 365 ngainsf
it 1t was at this time QS72) that tbe
nrSt eHort was made to harmOniza
local politics with those of he r-ea
national parties On the 18th of March
: a can was issued to the Republicans of
: Utah inviting them to send deIepa tea
to the party convention to be held in
Salt Lake city. April 8. The call VAS
signed by Frank Fuller, Daniel n
: Wells. Thomas Fitch, William Jan-
, nfngS and many others. On AnriI 2 !.
; call was also made. signed by Thomas
p. Akers. Hadley D. Johnson. p n
} Hoge and others. for a Democrat rio
convention to meet April s at Salt
Lake city. Both conventions were
2 held and were enthusiastic In their
work. but the movement failed mr. erc.
) cess because of the defeat of STAT
? hood. which was encoro NJ esa5 +i,,.r,,.,.