The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-11-21
THE CONTEST PRESS BUREAU.

Salt Lake Tribune: After the Pres
bytery al Manti declared that polyg-
amy was being practiced here. as it was
before statehood, the Democracy met
in convention and, against the protests
OF the chief leaders of the party, 3. H.
Roberts was nominated for congress.
The Herald in its chagrin declared that
it could not defend him personally, and
| had to be whipped in to give him even
lame support. The Tribune pointed
out what the result of his election
would be construed by the people of
forty -four states of the Union; in
what light it would picture the Mormon
church, priests and people before this
nation, Legged the party to withdraw
him in order to vindicate ITSELF and, if
that could rot be done, begged the peo-
pie to yindiCate themselves at the polls.
Roberts has been in disgrace with his
party, MS services to it had been moth
ing: he was lot known as a Demo-
cratic champion, his reputation was
that OF churchman and a finished
orator His life had been such that his
nomination could be construed only as
a reward for church services, and as a
determination to force a polygamist
active and defiant in his disregard of
his coUntry'S laws, upon the congress
that less than four years ago granted
on condition that the practice which
had made Utah a storm center for fifty
years should be forever eliminated.
Now that his election has been OBJ
tanned the cowar!lv Herald craWls out
OF its Cbscuritv to whine that we are
injuring business
With a defiant polygamist seated in
congress from Utah. how much bust
ness does The Herald imagine will be
IL 1 h. trfJ
muttcr has passed beyond the question
of business. II is simply, now, a ques-
ton of whether the laws of the United
States are of any effect or not. and
whether a man shall be given high
office solely becaGse he is and always
has been sirce he reached manhood, a
defiant lawPreal1er. The Herald
charges that in the constitutional con-
vention rolygamists were supported.
Well. Utah was a territory then. and
the convention was called to perform
certain duties among which was the
elimination Of polygamy and placing
the ban Of the highest law of the new
state UPON it. 1T says we have sup
ported pClygamIsts for Office. We
never have supported any person
whom we knew to be in active polyg-
amy since statehood was granted. It
says we have SCurej men for forgetting
their polygamous obligations. So far
as taking care IF polygamous wives
ard children, yes. but SO far as break
ing the laws G the land and the COM
nland of the head of the Mormon
church never And no one knows this
better than The Herald. 1t says we
have Only asked that the practice of
plural marriages should cease" Well,
the practice has rot ceased.
There are women in polygamy here
who were in short clothes when the
manifesto was issued. and it is half
openly admitted that if Roberts is
seated, then dispensations viii be
given to plenty of men to take more
wives, and the people are pointing to
polygamists who are even now making
arrangements to that end. But think
of an American newspaper, whose edi-
tor was one who helped frame the
constitution, now denouncing a journal
because it insists upon having the most
solemn pledges kept and the statutes
of the state obeyed. 1t affects to be-
lieve that it is only because OF partisan
zeal or spite. 1t knows that is not true,
that not one partisan thought has in
fluenced, and that the course of this
journal would have been the same had
3. H. Roberts been nominated by Re-
publicans instead of Democrats. It
recoiled at Roberts nomination, and it
knows scores of Democrats who refused
to support him.
We tried to save the state from this
shame and disgrace. We tried to save
the Mormon priests and people from
this shame and disgrace and now,
when the house of representatives de-
clares that no polygamist shall have a
seat in that body, we trust that the
men and women who voted for B. H.
Roberts will be satisfied that somehow
they made q mistake and that it is not
a good idea to pick men up for the
sole reason that they are defiant law
breakers, and to run them for the high
est Office in the direct gift of the peo-
pie But even that will not cure the
disgrace and material loss which Rob
erts' candidacy and election have
brought upon this state.
Denver News; Roberts, the congress-