Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-29
THE CASE OF Mr.. ROBERTS
Two Views of the Polygamy Problem
Presented.
The Utah Pledge in Its Relation To
the wives "SeaIed" Before state
hood Was Granted.

From the -. laul Pioneer f'ress.
Poiygamy was just much contrary to
the common law OF the country while Utah
remained territory as it has been since.
The adoption by the people of Il state con-
stitution prohibiting plural marriages was
simply a recognition of existing law not
merely the enactment of new law. Rob-
erts was criminal in the eyes of the peo-
pie of the United States the moment he
rrarried his second wife. the first being yet
alive. He has neither repented nor reform
ed. He has not only continued to cohabit
with the three wives married. as alleged
before the admission of Utah, but it is
squarely charged that he has since that date
contracted a celestial marriage" with an
other. woman physician of Salt Lake City
named Maggie G. Ship. at whose house he
lived when at the state capital, and who is
stated to have changed her name to Rob
C-tS.
The House of Representatives owes it not
only to its own dignity and to the moral
sentiment of the nation to exclude this
law br -aker from its chamber, out it owes
much to the few noble men and news
papers In Utah who have been fighting
an almost hopeless battle ever since the
passage of the enabling act to hold the
new state TO a faithful observance of the
covenant under which ii was admitted to
the Union. Conspicuous among these is
the Salt Lake Tribune That paper boldly
took the ground during the recent can
VasS that in case of Roberts election
this nation would instantly decide that the
Mormon Chur, h and people had obtained
statehood through conspiracy. and that
they were now breaking their most solemn
pledges The nation does take the view
predicted by the Tribune and the national
opinion will he strengthened by the publ
cations the Tribune makes from time to
time. illustrating the extent to which the
Mormons are utterly repudiating all those
pledges. These publications include the as
sertion that there are polygamous wives in
Utah who were in short clothes when the
pretended manifesto of the church sal a1nSt
pOlygamy was issued: also a communication
from a prominent Ogden Mormon justify
ing any fraud or deception necessary in or
der that Mormons may live their religion.
Should Congress now admit Roberts and
thus go back on the brave men who, at
peril of life and property. are standing Up
for decCncy and honor and good faith
among the malignants of Utah, then, in
deed. would the future of these men seem
hopeless. Encouraged by victory. not only
over local Gentle opposition. but also over
the moral sentiment of the nation. the
Mormon fanatics may not imprObably bring
about speedy restoration of the formerly
existing state of affairs in Utah, when the
life of no opponent of MormoniSm was safe.
and when the Mountain Meadow massacre.
organized and directed by the heads of the
church. emphasized the peril at which any
others than Mormons dared TO contemplate
migration TO the land of the saints
From the salt Lake Herald
The republican organ reterates its sensa-
tional charge that plural marriages are be-
ing solemnized in the Mormon Church.
Sunday morning it said that the practice
of plural marriages has not ceased that
there are women in polygamy here who
were i'll short clothes when the manifesto
was issued
Yesterday 1T repeated the accusation, and
said: We know il is true
Well, if the Tribune knows it is true, why,
Of course, that settles it. But such a
charge is serious if any charge that the
Tribune makes is entitled to serious con-
sideratiOn. If plural marriages are being
consummated in the Mormon Church to-
day it is in defiance of solemn pledges and
in violation of the state constitution.
No reasonable man, with a fund of eN-
perience and common sense from which to
draw. ever imagined that marital relations
family ties. recognized sacred for
half century, could be severed at once by
an edict, legislative or ecClesiastiC.
In fact, the Salt Lake Tribune itself ig
nored the matter for five years, during
which time it supported for office, elective
and appOintive, men and women involved
in the system of polygamy, and in turn it
received their support.
1t has Endorsed the candidacy of John
Henry Smith, that of Angus NJ. Cannon,
that of Andrew Jensen, that of Edna l..
Smith and doubtless dozens of others in
the different campaigns from the year be-
fore Itah's admission down to the last
election day 1t dares not deny this. so it
pleads ignorance of human nature and tries
to spread the mantle of innocence over the
record. But there are some men and some
papers with whom it We're impossible to
associate the idea of innocence
In view of its present attitude. will our
furious contemporary pause in its hurting
of anathemas and epithets long enough
to explain the following from its editorial
columns? Referring to polygamy several
months ago. it said:
Again, in considering this matter,
thoughtful people will not lose sight of the
fact that human passions cannot always
be killed by proclamation. the habits
Of years made to lose their influences. Be
yond all that, the matter of faith was not
touched upon by the pronunciamento. 1t
went only to the point that plural marriages.
which had been taught a holy sacra-
ment, must not hereafter be solemnizeC.
We believe that the rule then laid down
has been as sacredly kept by this people
as it would have been by any other people:
that the Mormons and Gentiles have a
right to say that the change amounts to a
transformation"
We await reply.