The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-30
coMMENDABLE LEGISLATION.


On Saturday the house branch Of the
legislature, after considera BILE discus
sion, passed the senate bill, legitimat-
ing the children of polygamous mar
riages up to the 4th of January, 1886
the date of Utahs admission into the
union of states.
The bill was a direct result of the
suggestion of Governor Wells, who,
when approving the senate bill relative
to the heritable rights of the issue of
polygamous marriages. up to March
Srd, 1888, expressed his willingness to
join the legislature in passing still
more liberal law, by extending the
time down to October, 1S91-a year
after the issuance of the church man.
ifesto announcing the cessation of the
practice of polygamy-,or even to the
date of the admission of the state.
The senate, following this suggestion
of Governor Wells. passed a bill legit-
imating polygamous offspring up to
that time, January 4th, 1896; and it
was this bill that was before the house
on Saturday and finally passed by
vote of % to 49,
Some members were of opinion that
to pass such a bill would cast the
shadow of doubt upon the sincerity of
the Mormon church in the matter of
the manifesto; and we do not question
but what they were both earnest and
sincere in that statement, and anxious
to guard the Mormon church from the
suspicion of insincerity. But Those
gentlemen need have no fear-the Nor
mon church was honest when issuing
THAT manifesto, and will steadfastly
adhere to it; but as stated by Governor
Wells, TT signaled the immediate sur
render of what had, for a life time,
been held as a vital religious sacra-
ment, and some hearts cannot change
in a day"
1t should be remembered that the
polygamous relations sanctioned by the
most solemn sacraments Of the domi-
nant church in Utah were held to be
by the contracting parties as holy as
homogeneous marriages, and were as
sacredly binding on their consciences.
To rightly appreciate. therefore, the
situation of those who had contracted
these relationships. the dissentient mi
nority of our legislators, and those who
would criticise the action Of the ma
jority, if any such there be, should
try to imagine what would be their
emotions and probable action if sud-
denly called upon by authority to
abandon actual and tender family re-
lations contracted with the sanction of
the church whose origin they regarded
as divine, and in harmony with relig-
icus ideas imbibed from childhood.
If the question was viewed from that
standpoint, the remark of Governor
Wells that some hearts cannot change
in a day. will be better appreciated;
and some men influenced by sentiments
of honor and a sense of individual re-
sponsibility, may have thought them
selves under obligations to keep invio-
late the solemn compact entered into,
and throw themselves between the law
and even The decree of the church and
their loved ones, by refusing to aban-
don those to whom they were bound
by ties to them, at least, sacred; be-
ing willing to suffer whatever of pun
ishment might be thought necessary on
the part of either ecclesiastical or sec
ular authority. If such cases exist, we
are of the opinion that mercy can
afford to go its full length in dealing
with them, since it can do so without
much trespassing upon the domain of
justice, or good public policy.
When the great government of the
United States began its warfare upon
polygamy in Utah, it was mainly anx-
ious to dry up the fountain of the evil,
a task it accomplished when it forced
the Mormon church in its most au-
thoritative manner to declare the aban-
donment of its practice; and as for the
streams that flowed from that foun-
tain-since the fountain itself was
dried up-they were not of so much
consequence, and in dealing with them
both the state and the nation could
afford to be generous, and so indeed
they have been.
We congratulate both the legislature
and Governor Wells in this matter, the
latter on his recommendation which
led to the construction of this legisla-
tfon, and the former for having the
magnanimity and the courage TO pass
it. No mistake was made, no evil will
result from that legislation