The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-03
poLYoAur AmoNo THE MonMoxs.
Enforcement of the Laws and in WbaA
Respect They Are Not Effective.

| AnONo fhh @Oh"UNHn
| enforcement of the Laws and in wbaA
| Respect They Are Not Effective.
The laws against Mormon polygamy have noe
been completely effective. In view OF the
present interest In the question II will be use-
full to show briefly what important progress
has been made toward the eradication Of
povgamy and how tho law is, In part, still
| evaded by n small minority OF the Mormon
people. The position to-day may be summed
up in the statement that Mormon poyEamy -
an institution IL dead. but that vestges Of ID
still exist owing to the fact that some offenders
continue marital relations with plural wives
whom they had married before the anti
poygainy laws were vigorously enforced.
The renaty for violating the law OF 1887
against polygainy 10 flne and imprisonment.
during the rorlod OF oren resistance 10 this
law. the average penalty imposed upon over
eleven hundred men convicted OF violating the
law. was six months Imprisonment and $500
0ne. The position OF the Mormon Church. pre-.
vious to 1880. was. that II polygamy was TO be
uprooted. the task would dcvolve wholly upon
the Government. as the Church would do
nothing TO indicate an abandonment OF the
practice. Mormons contracted plural marie
ages with little attempt at concealment and
went cheerfully to jail "a martyrs.
As the Church government and people Per
sistently countenaLced the violation OF the
law. Congress- adonted the drastic measure OF
1887. In which the Mormon Church and lie
Emigration Company were declared TO be dis
Incorporated and large part OF tho property
OF the church was conascated The Mormons
fought this law by every means In their power.
and when their case was irretrievably lost In
the courts tho open attitude OF the Church
on the question OF po!ygamy was suddenly
changed.
On Sept rs. 1890. wil'ord Woodruff. Prssi-
dent Of the Church issued proclamation do.
nyng that tho Church was teaching polygamy.
"Inasmuch." he continued. Us laws havs
been enacted 10y Congress forbidding plural
marriages. which laws have been pronounced
constitutional by the court OF last resort.
hereby declare my intention to submit to those
laws and 10 Use my influence with tho NOM
beers OF the Church over which preside TO havs
them do likewise"
Twenty-ssven days later. a general confer
ence OF the Church was held and on motion OF
Lorenzo snow who IL now President. the oon-
ference declared that us Church we accept
| the declaration of President Woodruff conoern-
! ing plural marriages IA authoritative AMI bind.
! Ing" This Is to-day the avowed official posi-
t!on OF the Mormon Church with regard to the
| contracting Of plural marriages. There Is no
reason to believe. however that the Church or
| any important number OF It's members has
! changed it's views Us 10 the unimpeachabls
! morality OF such marriages. Tho dictum still
! stands, IN the words OF the Mormons them-
| selves: "One Of tho doctrines revealed to US IL
celestial or plural marriage. This is a vital
! rnrt OF our religion. the decision OF tho courts
| to the contrary notwiths'an ling"
Thus nine years ago the Church avowedly
y discountenauced the contracting OF plural
/ marriages, not because It believed they were
! wrong. but because IL was compelled to yield
I to the unanimous demand o; the people OF the
| United Sta,es Two gue,tions arise IN any
| inquiry as to whether the Mormons have since
| that time yielded obedience to the laws OF the
| land Have they continued the practice OF
! contracting plural marriages since the Church
| declared that II would hcnceforth discourage
them: ani are Mormons stll living In mar
rage relations with the plural wives whom
they married before the manifesto OF Presi-
| dent Woodruff?
Since 1890 the number Of now plural mar
riaGes has been extremely small. The mis-
| sionaries OF other churches who are oppos-
ing Mormonism in Its stronRhods have made
public every case OF which they have heard.
Whether or not their testimony Is accurate tho
instances they mention do not number a
score In the annual repor. OF Gov Thomas of
Utah for 1892. he said nothing had occurred
during the year TO indicate that the Mormons
were violating the law. " | do not believe" he
said. that any rolyGamous marriages have
taken place with the consent or permission OF
the Mormon leaders. AMI also believe that t
Is the intention OF the Mormon people not 10
approve or sanction poyGamous marriages in
the future In 1873. Gov West. who had sue
ceeded Thomas said In his annual report that
the practice oil contracting PolyGamous mar
riaees had been absolutely abandoned" The
later annual reports from the Governor OF the
territory contained no references To po!ygamy
and apparently there was nothing new to say
on the subject
The situation had so FAR improved that in
January, 1888. three years before the admis-
sion o. Utah into the Union. President Harrison
restored the rights OF citizenship to all Nor
mons VINO had forfeited them through impris-
onm'n' Tor violating the avs upon the condi-
ton that since Nov i. 1870. they had refrained
from unlawful cohahtation ana would In
future Grey the law In sreech In brooklyn
the other day i.''Hr Snow said that there had