The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-16
Facts About Utah ssd Her Future Pos.
slblilties.
NUMEROUS MlNes.FARxs AND CATTLE
Political Conditions in the New
State. .The Mormon Question is No
Longer Promiuent..YO Mem.
bers ofthe Chmrch Are the Strongest
Oppoaents Of POlycamy..Utah Is
for Protection and Silver.

American republic. which has great
possibilities for future development.
Mr.. Harries says:
Utah's statehood IL very young yet,
but there Is 10 denying its vigor.' AS
territory Utah was powerfui Iactor
in western affairs, but statehood de-
velOped mind and muscle to such an
extent that any unprejudiced observer
must admit that of all the many active
trans Missouri candidates for capi-
talistic and commercial favor Utah Is
abreast of the foremost. 1t is among
the possibilities that ten years hence
she will be ip the lead. Hoodooed by
polygamous Mormonism. she was
avoided by the cautious immigrant,
and even ty the capitalist VINO was
seeking desirable investments. but
statehood removed the hoodoo ana
opened the gates for an influx Of Drawn
and capital which promises tn exceed
In desirability and volume auy OF the
1pinigrative Hoods that peoplen other
sections heyoiid the Big Muddy. That
Utah win achieve phenomenal nnaterfai
sutces II sure. for the states busi-
ness structure Is securely based on that
most solid of foundatiOns-agricnl
Mining operations and manufacturers
will do much to make the forty-hfth
state famous and wealthy, but II IL
sut IdTIIlcT6 duu tIic Ststh tuASSs" "'A~
win be depended upon to contribute
most heavily to the general welfare.
1t is the history Of nearly all western
communities in the mining regions that
agriculture was merely a consequence
4 OF immigration. and not It's cause. but
that would not he true Of Utah, for
there the natural greed of man was
held in check by the strong arm or
Brigham Young. Born to rule. and en-
inently fitted for the work which was
his, Brigham Young saw instantly that
mining in Utah would have tn be dis
cOuraged II Mormonism was to have
. chance for it's life; the opening up
Of O few rich veins of mineral would
bring into the land of the saints i'm
mense numbers Of unsanctifed ones.
who, by precept and example. would
make the government Of the Mormon
church q very difficult piece of busi-
ness. 1t was. therefore, ordered that
Mormons should devote their energies
to tho cultivation OF grain hay. yege-
tables, fruits, cattle, horses. chickens
and children. and that edict was, in
the main, faithfully obeyed.
SHEEP HAVE WANDERED AWAY.
But the day the coming Of which
Brigham Young feared has arrived; the
day when there should be in Utah a
power great enough to cope with the
Mormon church. Slowly and 18th
great difficulty some of the most valu-
able gold and silver leads in the coun-
try have been developed. and as logi-
cal sequence men have journeyed from
all parts Of the earth to Utah to enjoy
the treasures which nature shares with
SO many of those who are willing to be
working partners. The governing
power Of the church declined coinci-
dentally with renewed demand for
statehood, and made an exhibition of
its loss of strength in the elections
which followed Utahs admission to the
national sisterhood. Perhaps 1t wasn't
much of revolution, BIT 1t was enough
to set some folks to wondering how 1t
came about. There was really nothing
mysterious about the transaction.
When congress threatened disfran-
chisement the church authorities saw
that unless there was official disavow-
al Of polygamy there would undoubt-
edly ensue all sorts Of complications
and embarrassments. so these ecclesi-
astical leaders notified their followers
to obey the laws and to become at
tached to one or other of the principal
political parties. Now, in my mind,
those leaders were not sincere, but they
did not dare whisper a suspicion of
their desire to be merely polite, so it
1idS COiilS W pass tudl Il SIGdt
OF the Mormon church has tasted of the
sweets of political liberty and now re-
fuses to go back to the old-style feed.
1t Is unquestionably true that the great
dignitaries Of the Mormo' church
would like to have all the sheep return
to the fold that they might hereafter
be guided to the polls in accordance
, with the latest revelation" but the
sheep seem to be happily deaf and are
likely to continue so.
PoLYGAMY IN DIsREPUTE.
That polygamy will ever again Sc
cure foothold in Utah do not for one
moment believe. The state constitu-
t1on, Of course. forbids polygamy, but
that document may be classed with
the least Of the obstacles that stands
in the way Of plural marriages. Cur
sorry investigation will show that many
state constitutions are used on occa-
sions only and cannot be regarded as
reliable guides or directors in matters
pertaining to public or private moral
ity. Did nothing but the state consti.
tuition obstruct the polygamist, 1t Is
safe to aver that the odiOus offense
would be as common In Utah to-day as
u was prior to the enactment Of the
Edmunds law. Strangely enough. the
strongest opponents Of polygamy are
lue eOuCdteu yOuHS MOTUlOHS WHO are
the offspring Of polygamous parents.
Faithful to the religion prescribed in the
Book Of Mormon, this young element
has set Its face. rigidly and unswerv-
ingly, against the practices which
Brigham Young deemed essential to
true greatness in this world and in
the world to come. The inexperienced
may. perhaps, be swayed by cleverly-
worded disquisitions on the advantages
IN no unI frnvD IL
the eloquence of which mortal tongue
Is capable would fail to charm any con-
siderable percentage Of the rising gen.
GRAFTON Of MOrmons back into the
bondage which SO grievously afflicted
their progenitors; a bondage to which
thousands Of ignorant women unwill-
tngly submitted. y u
that polygamy has been wholly stamp
ed out In Utah. or that the Mormon
church has cast of those who disobey
the law. When the Edmunds law was
enforced, large number Of 1.-The per-
secuted" as they styled themselves,
moved away south into Mexico, and
are there yet: prosperous and appar-
emily contented. Others stopped in
Arizona and New Mexico. Some went
east and settled in Colorado where
they are unmolested even to this day,
although their polygamy Is uncon-
:. cealed. Those who remained In Utah
and there are many sdch--have to be
extremely circumspect, but their ten
,Sency Is toward carelessness Just now.
because there Is not yet any effective
! statute to succeed the United States
law, which died when Utah was ad-
-mitted.
= Purely business reasons make It GER
tain that polygamy can never. again
flourish In Utah. Capital Is timid. and
although the average investor looks
mainly at the prorKissory returns. he is.
nevertheless, willing to be reasoned
with by those great moral forces which
are unQuestionably active in the United
States and which would surely be ex-
erted adversely to Utah in case lax ad-
ministration Of the law should bring
about nj rama iaaQ ncsa Of nolyuatnr