The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-19
ROBERTS IN HIS OWN BEHALF.
Says He Has Not violated the Com
pact with the Government.

pact with the Government.
New York. Nov. 1S.-The Times to-mor-
row viii publish a three-column article by
Congressman Brigham II. Roberts, dis
cussing the efforts being made to exclude
him from the House NIr. Roberts says
in part:
Those engaged In working Up public
sentiment against the representative from
Utah demand Of the House of Representa-
tives. either that he be not allowed 20 take
his seat, TO which It Is admitted that he
was legally elected, or after being adj
mitted, that he be expelled That the
House can do either of these two things Is
extremely doubtful.
"As many well-meanlng people and
Christian ministers outside of Utah are
mlsled by the falsehoods of those at the
bottom of the rengio-political scheme to
unseat Utah's representative, and thus de-
feat the expressed win Of the people OF a
sovereign state, point out some OF the
false charges on which the agitation Is
based:
at Is falsely charged that the Mormon
Church has broken faith with the govern
ment of the United States In reference to
polygamy; that Is, It is charged that the
practice OF polygamous marriages has been
resumed by the church.
"I affirm positively that there Is no at
tempt made to repeal or annul the parts
OF the slate constitution prohibiting poly
gamous or plural marriages. There IL no
desire to disrupt that compact with the
! United States. The Mormon Church has
never violated The compact and has no
| desire to annud IL, but on the contrary, the
| venerable head Of the church has official
ly avowed his determinat on 10 adhere to
this settlement Of the question.
"The representative TO Congress from
Utah has not violated this compact, the
| assertion of his enemies TO the contrary
Notwithstanding. When the little coterle
| OF sectarian ministers and disappointed
| would-be political bosses IN Utah who be-
| gan this agitation, say that the Mormon
| Church or its members violate the com
! pact between our state and the teopfe of
the United States because a few men In
| Utah feel morally bound to fulhll their
obligations 10 the women they married un-
| der sanction Of The Mormon Church pre-
vious TO the issuance of the church mani
| festo of 1890 disseminating poygamous
| marrages-when they say there is a v.o-
| lation of the compact with The United
/ States they say that which they know TO
| be untrue. Disrupting and disseminating
| those polygamous cations was no part
| OF the compact It was not demanded by
| the enabling act. IL was not any part
of the action Of tho constitutional con-
| vention, but on the contrary, steps were
studiously taken not 10 disrupt those rela-
| tions by constitutional provision, by dis
| carding the PARTS of the anti polygamy
law which would have brought about that
result. What good would come TO The y o.
PIE of the United states by a disruption
| OF those plural families? What good would
come to either morality or rel gion TO turn
those plural wives and their children
| adrift2 What Christian womans home
| would be sccurer for knowing that a Nor
men plural wife's home was now destroy
| ed?
Let 1t be remembered that the home
and family of that plural wife was estab-
| lished under the sanction Otto her-a
| holy church ceremony, and with the ap-
| proval of an her people. The fountain Of
the evil was dried up the people OF the
| United States can be generous enough TO
! aEow the streams that flowed from II to
take their course until lost IN the oblivion
| of death. Some men-the Number Is few
| and rapidly growing less--who entered into
| plural marriage relations previous to 1890
| have felt II morally binding upon the con-
science to fulhll obligations of their mar
| riage VOWS to those polygamous families
This IS the only 'poiygany' that has ex-
| listed in Utah since the admission of the
state, or since 1890, in fact"
Mr.. Roberts then takes up and denies in
detail other charges against himself and
! the Mormon Church, which have been
| made since his election. He concludes
"The danger to the American homes, IN
the protection Of which this political agl-
| tation is invoked, and which Is urged as
it's justifca ion, docs not Turk in the sun
blessed valleys Of Utah, flied with farm
| ing villages where domestic peace and
happiness rise every day TO greet he morn
and crown the hours with quiet Joy. The
| good people Of New York city and other
| cities can find It much nearer home. In
this city where l am wriling--the city of
| Helen Gould-and I mention that
ladys name with the profound
est respect and admiration for her
good works. her womanly charity and
| withal, her broad mindedneSs and only
regret that she has been mlsled in relation
| to the conditions In Utah; but here in the
city OF her home, within any thousand feet
| square, may be found more that menaces
| the American home than ever existed, or
! ] hope, ever viii exist in the whole stale
of Utah. And. knowing this, # looks
| lust a little ridiculous to see well-mean-
| ing reformers so far misied by misrepre-
sentation Of Utah affairs as to be found
standing knee deep in the swamps of So
cial evils about them, trying vanity 20 tip
| toe themselves into a position where they
can peek over the rugged submits of the
Rocky mouptans TO find more desperate
menace to the American home"
| -s->n-s------