Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-25
UtQh'S Pledge,

The election of Brigham Roberts to Con-
gress from Utah has aroused an exceptional
degree of public interest in the question
whether that state has acted in good faith
toward the government in the matter of
polygamy. Mr. Roberts is polygamist,
having. 1t is stated, three wives. to whom
he had been sealed prior to the admis
sion of Utah to statehood and, it Is further
alleged. one additional. sealed since that
event. The question therefore arises wheth-
err he is eligible to admission to the House
of Representatives, to which he was un-
questionably elected by large majority.
His case has no partisan political bearing
whatever and it is unlikely that in any fur
tier consideration of the matter by the au-
thorities the fact that Mr.. Roberts is a
democrat will be permitted to figure to any
extent.
The whole issue as defined by this individ-
ual instance relates to the position of Utah
as a state Several years ago statute was
written. designed specifically to put an end
to polygamy in that territory, under the
name of the Edmunds law. That act de-
fined unlawful cohabita ton as embracing
the plural marriages of the MOrmons. and
prescribed punishment for all offenses of
that character. Under it some prosecutions
occurred resulting in few imprisOnments,
and change in the degree of openness with
which the church conducted it's prescribed
system of polygamy Despite the statute,
however. the custom continued in vogue
Fart Of the church doctrine and of the So
cial system of the community.
The assumption was then that in obeying
this statute all polygamists should put away
from them as wives all but one of the wo-
men TO whom they had been sealed" This,
of course. involved moral, If not a legal.
obligation to provide for the support of
those women who We're thus deprived of the
rights of wifehood. 1t Is question wheth-
er this requirement was generally followed
or not, hut in view of the continued prac-
tice of polygamy by large proportion of
the members of the church it is plain that
the law was never effective In any ma teral
degree.
In most cases where polygamist was
convicted and imprisoned he returned upon
his release to his former mode of living
contending that he could not be punished
twice for the same offense, and that his Of
fenso consisted in the plural marriage cere-
mouy, for which he had received the laws
condemnation.
When tan was admitted to the Union
as a state in 1898, after some years of
waiting. due almost wholly to the polygamy
problem the act of admission was passed
Only after Il solemn pledge had been given
by the officers of the Mormon church to
abandon polygamy. The question has been
raised whether this meant then and means
now that the church should only prevent
further polySamous marriages or should
in addition require all polyga mists of that
time to cease their polygamous practices.
Upon this issue may rest the case of Mr..
Roberts unless 1t be true alleged, that
he has taken additional wife since the
passing of this pledge. in which case he is
clearly beyond the law and the moral re-
cuirements of Congress.
1t is unfortunate that Utah should be
embroilcd in this dispute The Mormons
deserve great credit for their work in the
far west They entered desolate region
and made it bloom. They carried into the
wilderness the poorest of followers as col
Cnists, the pickingS from the by-ways, con-
verts TO the faith and aspirants for from
tier success. From this unpr9misng
teriaI they have developed a strong, pros
porous. thrifty community. Doubtless the
victory over the elements of climate, soil
and human nature which under other cir
cumstances would probably have dragged
the colony to defeat has been due to the
wise administration of the church and the
colony under the patriarchal system which
in the Mormon establishment is developed
to high degree.
In view of this fair career of material
prosperity and state-buiding, it is deplora-
BILE now that a stain of bad faith should be
written upon the record. Aside from the
personal element in the case of Mr.. Rob
erts il is, evident that Congress Is faced
with an issue of supreme Importance, which
it must settle at once The rest of the na-
ton is entitled to know whether the seal
of statehood was obtained by Utah through
false preteEses and whether the shield of
statehood is tn he used to protect the crime
of polygamy.
France has some difficulty in getting