The age-herald., 1898-12-30
MR. ROBERTS
OF UTAH

From tne NeW 1OFh JOuludls
 Brigham H. Roberts, the Mormon coft- gressman, is about 40 years old He was born in Wales and came to America with his parents as a baby. He began life In earnest as a blacksmith. He had turn for books and a decided knack at speech-mak- ing. He hammered iron shoes by day and talked local politics by night. He was natural leader and became gradually propni@ nent in the church. He learned to speak fluently and with conviction on matters of the church doctrine and the church paid him salary to devote his energies to re> igious instruction and to the management of some of the temporal affairs of the MorA mon religion. When Utah became a state the democrats asked Brigham Roberts to run for congress on their ticket He con- scented.
 The church authorities heard that Roberts had become a candidate without first get ting permission from the church. They were much incensed at this transgression of the unwritten rule, which says that no good Mormon must do anything of any im- portance without first consulting the church. The elders then and there made the unwrltten law a written one, which
  definite consent from the church before en- tering into politics in any way.
 
 At least 70 per cent. of the Mormon church members are church officers, so that the new rule hit many heads besides the somewhat conspicuous one of MT. Roberts.
 Tie Mormon democrats protested against the new rule. but to worse than no avail. l,..l. l tta tsoI.a to1 at the polls by direct and outspoken opposi- tion of the church. Brigham Roberts went home from the polls a wiser but still a hopeful man. He rested 8 while and then he came out with a complete and abject apology to the church for his insubordina- tion Last fall he ran for congress on the democratic ticket and was elected.
 The Mormons declare that the Gentiles elected him and the Gentiles insist that tha Mormons made h-m congressman-three wives and all. He does not make the slight est pretense of denying his three wives.
 T am a polygamist," he says, in effect. 'I was one before the new law was made prohibiting plural marriage. I have taken no new wives since that law. I am cer- tanly not going to desert the ones I had the women who have stood by me, through poverty and hard luck, and helped me 10 find good fortune at last-just to walk into my seat in congress in peace.
 T am breaking no law-and I shall break none. If congress made a new law de- claring it penal offense to have more than one child, would you expect every father of family to destroy all his children but one?"
 He also hints that he is only following out the but thinly yelled practice of the Mormons-in keeping up the old relations of polygamy-and he more than hints that he does not see whose business it is, if man sticks to the promises he made twenty years ago, before the making of those promises was considered crime.
 q cannot discuss the protests of the Pres byterian Woman's Board of Home Missions against my election to congress, but upon the general stand that has been taken by many in the east and by Governor Wells, of Utah. in particular, l feel free to ex- press myself.
 My position is that of any true man brought up in the faith of our religion and acquainted with the system of plural mar riage that has obtained in Utah for fifty years. Such man knows that the system was accepted by the pure women who en- tered into the obligations as a sacred rite, sanctioned by the ceremony of a holy church.
 "He knows that the settlement of that question, after years of strife and heart- ache, left upon men moral obligations from which no degree of the church could re- lease them and no act of the state absolve them.
 "He knows that the demand of the Amer- ican people, as expressed through their tot ;,, t1,a orio in the enabling act went no further than this: That perfect tolerance of religious sentiment shall be secured, provided that polygamous or plural marriages are pro- hibited.' That is, the demand went so far as to prohibit future marriages, but no further.
 "He knows that in the settlement of the question of polygamy in the Utah constitu- tional convention territorial law which paralleled congressional enactment on the same subject-viz: the Edmunds-Tucker bill-was split in two and the part of that law which forbids plural marriages was taken and adopted into the constitution. The part relating to cohabitation was pur- posely omitted because there was no de- mand in the enabling act to interfere with existing relations growing out of the Nor mon system of marriage.
 Tt was the intention of the convention not to interfere with these relations, be- cause not called upon to do so. These statements define my position in the con- troversy that is threatened over my elec- tion to the house of representatives" Mr. Roberts frank and somewhat cour- ageously ayowed sentiments but add fuel to the flame of indignation which his eec- tion has famed into blaze among the Gens | tile churches and mission societies. The Gentle press of Utah has no notion | of being conciliatory. It arises in its might | and says things. One of these things is that | polygamy is not dying out and that the election of MT. Brigham Roberts is simply test of public opinion made by those who wish to see how far they can go with safety. If Roberts is allowed to retain his seat the Gentle partisans declare that the next con- gressman from Utah will have more than one wife, and that then more than one will be married since the no-plural marriage law was passed The church itself and the elders thereof remain piously and diplomat ically silent.
 They have, they declare, absolutely noth-