The record-union., 1899-12-08

to deny this statement by saying lho
in the charge against me, which re-
suited in the appointing of this e1-
traordinary committee Of Investigation,
it is that a transcript of the proceed
ings of court of Utah evidences the
fact that the member from Utah plead
ed guilty to misdemeanor in the year
1887, twelve years ago, and when Titan
was Territory. Whatever political
disabilities created by that event were
removed by the sovereign State of titan,
when in the adoption of her State Con-
stitution in 1895 she, by her sovereign
power, declared what should be the
qualifications of her electorate, and
possess them ALL am at the denance
of my enemies to produce any court
record of conviction for crime, or at any
time since the misdemeanOr of 1881.
and the House has no right to proceed
on any other evidence than such court
records.
IT deny the existence of the lawful
power of the House to prevent me from
being sworn in on the presentation OF
the same evidence of prima facie right
upon which others are admitted to
membership
! Representatives to resolve itself into
Justice of Peace Court to try me for
a misdemeanor, alleged to have been
committed, in order to find grounds of
expulsion or exclusion from the high
office to which l was elected.
Il deny it's right to confer any such
power upon its committee. If I were
guilty of the misdemeanor charged,
even f1agrantly so-here in the capital
I could not even be arrested for the Of
Tense, so slight is it considered under
the law. The Constitution gives the
members Of Congress immunity from
arrest for misdemeanors, except for
breach of the peace, and yet for an
alleged misdemeanor for which I could
not be arrested while in attendance in
! the House or while going to or from it,
I am deprived of the right to take the
oath of office; my final right to my seat
is in jeopardy; the people of one of the
sovereign States is denied representa-
ton, so long as it shall suit the pur-
poses of the committee to have it so,
and the expressed will of State is in
| danger of being defeated
But why this appeal to G1e Ameri-
| can people, because a violence is
threatened to the safeguards of your
liberties; because the right of the rule
Of the majority in one of the sover-
eign States in the union is being de-
| MED; because the safeguards of the
rights and liberties of the individual
and of the States are being knocked
down, and many of your representa-
tives are too cowardly to even make a
protest against such proceedings, be-
cause they fear they would endanger
their chances for reelection if they
voted against the high handed meas
ures now taking place.
ut is true that the Representative
| from Utah is a Mormon; and just now
against the Mormon people there is a
| wave of unpopular sentiment, created
by falsehood, chiefly by the charge that
Utah has broken her compact with the
United States in the matter of poly
gamy; that her people contemplate the
revival of polygamous marriages: that
the seating of Utah's representative
would be regarded by her Mormon pop
ulation as Endorsement of polygamy,
and would be a menace to the Ameri-
can home.
Upon my honor as representative
from the State of Utah, a man in
whom the State of Utah has reposed
their confidence, both -Mormons as
we'll as Mormons. I solemnly deny
those charges. They are not true. The
only thing chargeable to some few men
in the State of Utah is that they have
not deserted the plural wives they mar
RED years ago. previous to the settle
ment of the polygamy question between
the Government of the United States
and the State of Utah by which polyga-
nous or plural marriages are forever
prohibited, in the State of Utah a nen-
atty affixed by constitutional provision
and the whole made unrepealable with
out the consent of the United States
and the consent of the people of Utah.
Even continuing the relations
formed before this settlement of the
question, though their disruption was
neither demanded by the enabling Act
nor contemplated in the provisions of
the State Constitution-are under the
ia" m1sdemeanor, and punishable
put IL mas not been regarded as neces-
sdry as to morals or public policy to
prosecute people for this offense and
iiel'her oy the Republican party or by
uenandS has the existence of s11eh re-
idlions peen considered a bar to nolit
icdl preferment until the political and
ieHsious enemies of the present repre-
sentative from Utah thought proner To
urge 1t against him. But such men have
peen elected to offices of high honor in
the state of Utah, and others against
"hoih such charges We're made by aft
uaVIt We're appointed to Federal offices
III the State, notwithstanding such oh
Jecllons were urged against them.
Il submit to you the ouestion u,ha
'iier IL Is worth while for your Renre.
sehtatlVes In the lower house of CON
gress to break down the safeenards
"hich protect both the rights of indi-
Vlouals and the rights of States and
whicn menaces representative govern
ihent In the State itself; I ask if If is
worth while to countenance procedure
insoiVlng dangers herein set forth. in
oroer TO reach one man charged with a
mlsdemeanor under the laws of his own
state. and which is in the eve of tho lou,
an onense SO slight that under rights
guaranteed to him and his constitu
ents ne could not be arrested FOR if
While in attendance upon his duties in
Congress-
american citizens, it is a Mormon
VINO is the object of the popular clamor
to-day; may it not be the Catholic or
the Methodist or the Free Thinker to-
morrow? And is it true that this mob
law by indirection is to reach within
what should be the sacred precincts Of
"a -