The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-01-08
DIX NEW SISTER.


Utah, the 18th State, has celebrated hor
admission to the Union with more than
the average spirit and enthusiasm and is
now really one OF Us.
Utah has long been worthy OF admis-
sion to the Union, her claims in point of
wealth and population far exceeding those
OF the so-called "mining camp states"
that have been admitted. In the part of
tho country that contains Arizona,
New Mexico, Nevada, even Texas
and Colorado, state and territory names
that call to mind Nil sorts of w!ldness,
lawlessness and misdoings, the people OF
Utah arc notable fo- industry, thrift,
peaceableness and good government. We
have no doubt that the S.nto in its early
territory days had its sharo OF bad men and
train robbers and tho like, but the story
OF tho settlemen: OF Utah is far moro
mild than the stirring romances that
find their homes in the far Western and
Southwestern country.
The one stain upon Utah las been po-
lygamy. This dreadful thing has shut
her out from the sisterhood of states and
so far as possible from their association.
The Mormon emigrants that have
settled and have built up
the State were industrious and peaceable.
but the fact that polygamy was part Of
their religion divorced them from their
fellow men more completely than did any
thing OF tho unssvory life in other
new settlements. Thirty-eight years
ago polygamy led to the outrage
known as the eMountain Meadow massacre,
one OF the biggest of the black spots on
American history, when Mormons and In
dians conspired for the murder and expul-
sion OF the "Gentiles." But it was long after
that horrible affair before anything ade-
quate in the way of National legislation
was accomplished to discourage polygamy
in the territory, and 1t has only been on
the strength OF the most profound assursn-
ces that polygamy will no moro be fol-
lowed in Utah that the territory 10 At last
admitted to Statehood.
1t Is not expected that these assurances
will be defaulted although now that Utah
is q sovereign State she can do much
more as she pleases than was possible to
her 40 Q territory controlled directly by
the National Government. AT any rate 1t
is hardly possible the the Legislature viii
undertake to pass any laws looking to the
revival of polyRamy In face of the con-
stitutional provision prohibiting "poly-
gamous or plural marriages" The Nor
mon Church undoubtedly dominates in
the politics of Utah, but that
Is almost necessarily so since those
OF Mormon faith constitute nearly
four-fiiths of the population. But the
Constitution provides that no church shall
dominate the State or interfere with Its
functions, and 80 far as polygamy is con.
cerned we have been often told that that
was not an essential feature OF Mormon
religion, although it had become OF
prominence that gave color to the belief
that IL was. At any rate, they were
Mormons who voted the Consti-
tuition for the new State,
section OF which prohibits
polygamy, and without which provision
the territory could, OF course, never have
come into the Union. And IL the church
ever forces the issue OF polygamy upon
the State 1t is likely to go bad for tho
church, IL the present temper of the peo-
pie OF Utah is judged rightly.
JANUARY EIGHT.