The herald., 1898-12-22
sham Polygamy Triumphf

To the Editor of The Los Angeles Herald:
Now that the question of polygamy is be
ing agitated throughout the country, and AZ
Congressman-elect Roberts of Utah has
three wives, it may not be amiss to review
the terms on which e-enfranchisement was
secured under the amnesty act of President
Harrison for the recalcitrant Mormons.
Representative Roberts, speaking for his
Mormon constituency in recent interview,
said:
''The demands of the American people,
as expressed through their representatives
in the American congress in the enabling
act, went no farther than this: That per.
feet toleration of religious sentiment shall
be secured, provided that polygamous OF
plural marriages are forever prohibited.
Thus the demand went so far as to prohibit
future polygamous marriages, but no
farther"
President Harrison in his amnesty proc.
lamation of January 4, 1893, stated that
amnesty has been granted individual ap-
plicants in very large number of cases,
conditioned upon the faithful observance
of the laws of the United States against un-
lawful cohabitation." This deals with CO.
habitation, and not marriage only, and he
proceeded to grant full amnesty and par
don to all persons liable to the penalties OF
said act, by reason of unlawful cohabita-
tion under the color of polygamous or plural
marriage who since November l, 1890, have
abstained from such unlawful cohabitation,
but upon the express conditions that they
shall in future faithfully obey the laws Of
the United States"
According to this provision, how can our
national lawmakers admit, as one of their
number, self-confessed violator of this
national provision? No, Mr.. Roberts must
not be seated. The Mormons are trying to
take snap judgment ON the nation by an as
sumed loop-hole.
President Snow now claims, at will moi
be expected by any reasonable persons that
the plural family relations existing when
polygamous marriages ceased by action If
law and the inhibition OF the church would
be at once abolished" and confesses that
there are men who married plural wives
previous to that time who now care 70;
them and regard them sacredly as their
wives for all eternity, being married to
them with that contract" Now that Utah
has become state these unblushing, much
welded religionists have changed front, for
when the manifesto discouraging polygamy
was published MILFORD Woodruff gave his
brethren and the American public to un-
derstand that the requirement of the
church was, that the polygamous relations
already formed before that should not be
continued; that is, there should be no as
sociation with plural wives; in other words,
that unlawful cohabitation, as it is named
and spoken of, should also stop, as well as
future polygamous marriages" and it was
with this understanding that amnesty was
granted and statehood secured.
If b. II. Roberts is seated in the halls of
congress it means that the Mormon church
has scored one on the United States con-
gress and the next step will be to legalzc
polygamy in the state leaving the United
States government helplessly outwitted by
law-breakers. Now is the time for re-
monstrance if at all.
T. W. WILLIAMS.
Los Angeles, December 81, 1898.