The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-07
PROTEST OF CLERGYMEN
AGAINST B. H. ROBERTS.
Will Be Sent Broadcast Over the Union In Order to
Stir Up a Contest.
Dr. W. NJ Paden Of the First Presbyterian Talks Freely
to The Herald-MiniSerS to Attend the Meeting.
ygamist in the national congress.

polygamist in the national congress.
The facts in this case are such as
ought when known, to rouse the indig
nation of every patriotic man and wo
man from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
We have a right to believe that few, if
any, members Of congress viii vote to
allow this awbreaktng p0lygamist TO
sit in that body to assist in making
laws for the nation. The facts are as
follows:
1. This man who has just been elect
ed TO congress is a prominent official in
the Mormon church He was born near
Liverpool, England, in 1857, and came
TO Utah in 1864 where his home has
been ever since. He IS a man of some
education and Of fair speaking ability,
who has devoted himself chiefly since
1880 to the advocacy of the peculiar doc
trines of Mormonism For q number
Of years he was a missionary in the
southern states In Utah he is motor
ious as polygamist. On May l, 1889.
he was sentenced TO the penitentary
in the Third district court in Salt Lake
City for living in polygamy. And as
recently as last spring he wrote a long
article in the magazine of which he is
editor, defending polygamy in the most
unmistakable terms, as the following
extracts viii show:
Joseph Smith received a command
ment from the Lord to introduce that
order of marriage into the church, and
on the strength of that revelation, and
not by reason of anything that is writ
ten in the Jewish Scriptures, the Lat
ter-day Saints practiced plural mar
riage"
"Polygamy is not adultery, for We're
it so considered, then Abraham, Jacob
and the prophets who practiced it
would not be allowed an inheritance in
the kingdom Of heaven, and if polyga-
my is not adultery, then it cannot be
classed as a sin at all"
1T appears to the writer that modern
Christians must either learn to tolerate
polygamy or give up forever the glor-
ious hope of resting in 'Abraham's bo-
SOM.
"That which he (God) approves, and
so strikingIy approves, must be not
only not bad, but positively good, pure
and holy"
Improvement Era, Nay, 1898, PIP. 472,
475, AIS, 1872
>. He was nominated for congress on
the 14th of September, against the pro-
test Of strong minority of his own
party, on the ground that he is law
breaker. living in polygamy, and there
fore not a fit person to represent this
state in congress. But Notwithstanding
this protest, a large majority seemed
determined to have q polygamist as
their candidate. In consequence of this
many of the most prominent and patrl-
otic Democrats refused to support him.
The claim made by Senator Rawlins
and others that Roberts was elected
through the Indifference of the Gen
tiles is not in harmony with the facts.
The total vote Of the state in the presi-
Dental election of 1896 was 66. M, while
the vote at the recent election was 65,-
SIS, so that if all who stayed at home.
because of their disgust at the general
situation, had gone to the polls and
voted against Roberts. he would still
have been elected by a good majority.
3. There is abundant evidence to
show that Mr. Roberts is living in
polygamy at the present time. He is
known to have not fewer than three
wives. and by many he is credited with
possessing more than this number.
One OF his wives, formerly known as
Mrs. Maggie c. Shipp, lives in this
city, and he has two other wives at
Centreville ten miles north of Salt
Lake. where he resides q large portion
of his time. His second wife, who was
formerly Miss Celia Dibble, is reported
by her neighbOrs to have twin children
only q few months old. Up to 1895 the
Salt Lake City wife was announced in
the directory as Margaret G. Shipp,
NJ. D., and her sign bore a similar in
scription, with the prefix Miss" At
present her sign reads, Doctor Mar
garet c. Roberts, at her residence, IS
North State street. Detailed evidence
concerning these several wives of the
congressman-elect is unnecessary, as
Mr.. Roberts has admitted that he has
a plurality OF wives and none of his
friends during the canvass attempted
any denial of the charge.
1 This B. H Roberts, who has been
elected notwithstanding his unsavory
record concerning polygamy, is not
even a citizen capable of exercising the
privileges of citizenship. He was dis
franchised by the Edmunds law of 1882
for living in polygamy. The eighth sec
ton Of that law reads as /, .ows:
That no polygamist. bigamist or
any person cohabiting with any
Of the persons described in this
section as aforesaid, in any territory
or other place over which the United
States have exclusive jurisdiction, shall
be entitled to vote at any election held
be eligible for election or appointment
to, or be entitled to hold any Office or
place of public trust. honor or emolu-
ment, in, under, or for any such terri
tory. or place, or under the United
States"
I0lS law was reaulTme0 Dy the Ed-
munds-Tucker law of 1887. The only
method by which the disfranchised
polygamists of Utah could regain the
privileges of citizenship was through
the amnesty offered by Presidents Har-
risOu and Cleveland. But this amnesty
was on the express condition that they
should abandon all polygamous rela-
tlons and obey the laws of the land
This Mr. Roberts refuses to do. So
that he is still disfranchised, and there
fore not a citizen entitled to vote or
hold any office in the state or nation.
While the election of Mr.. Roberts,
which mas inflicted so deep a disgrace
upon the state OF Utah, must be large
IS attributed to the influence OF lead
ers in the dominant church, yet we
note with much pleasure that a strong
minority of the Mormon people are at
heart opposed to polygamy. and es-
pecially under present conditions, would
be glad to have the state freed from its
presence. The sentiments of this class
were well presented in the dignifed
patriotic and able address of Governor
Wells, delivered in the salt Lake thea
tire on Friday evening, -Noy. L in which
he protested most earnestly against the
erection Of Mr.. Roberts on the ground
of younger and more intelligent men in
that he is a polygamist. It is this class
1a