El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-16

The other day at the Woman's club,
| the question OF the right of Roberts to
a seat 10 congress came up and though
no offic ie1 decision was reached or an
| ticipated. the little discussion showed
| how clearly, fairly and yet 6rmly the
women are opposed to Roberts. Two
or three said that while they did not
for a moment uphold Roberts, yet they
believed 1t was very wrong to declare
war against him because he is a Nor
mon. They urged that Mormonism is
a religion of which poiygamy is only
an incid ent, not the whole, and that to
raise ones voice against Robert, be-
cause he is q Mormon is untrue to that
deepest principle of our natl or al being
that insistence on fire sdOm in religion.
1t is prosecuting believer because of
his faith. They did not wish TO be
considered as siding with Roberts but
only as protesting agsinst any narrow
minded cancellations against all
Mormons and all Mormonism. They
desired to protest against Roberts as q
breaker of the laws.
There were others who maintained
that it was not right or polite to
protest against Roberts on moral
grounds. There may be many Nor
mons living in the beliefs ana prac-
tices of their faith, and practicing
polygamy, who are more truly righteous
than some protesting Christians. One
cannot say that because he is Nor
mon he is evil and unpleasing in the
sight of God and man. 1t is because
he has broken the laws of his couotry
that he forfeits his right to hold Office
under mis- government. It has been
urged by Roberts himself and by many
who either wish to or, out of broad
mindedness,try to see his side, that IL is
Ii l. 7 ~ I'D
are no better than he is as far as gen.
uine morality is concerned, but that
is not the question. One mans wrong
is not to be excused because another
sins also. especially when the two sim
ners sin differently. Nor can we wait
for perfect men to judge and carry out
our laws. If we only allowed sinless
human beings to sit in our courts OF
Justice, we would have to close the
shutters for many day and the dust
would collect on the Bible on the
clerks desk, for unfortunately, hui
mainly is composed mostly of sinners.
Some sin less than others it is true, but
that is about the best one caa say. So
it is no excuse for Roberts that the
congressman who may blsckball him
are themselves miserable sinners. We
have made the best laws tn at the MUD
of man has sOfsr been able to conceive,
comprehend, frame land try to enforce,
and we have to depend on imperfect
human beings to carry them out. I'm
perfect men have the right to judge
Roberts unless our whole system of
la " is at fault. Besides if law and it's
requirements WAS not above and be-
yond the wrong doors, II il did not hold
them to better ways of living, it would
lose all of its life and moral force.
So the result of all the discussion
was that Roberts is under the suspi-
cion of having broken the laws of our
land. If he be proved guilty it weuld
be manifestly illogical to set him at
work making laws. Our country and
its way of doing things may not be
quite perfect, but it certainly can
never be or do better if it do not en-
force the present laws, which are in
tended to esta blish peace, safety, pro-
priety and justice.
So much for the logic of the affair as
it was threshed out at the club. SEN
the women seem to be en-
down on Mr.. Roberts. He
an idea that Is entirely op-
posed to all that the good women of
our land are proud to devote their lives
to, the home. The American idea of
home is of q cherished and sacred
and in a woman all of her
tenderest devotion. One Of our finest
traits Is this idea of home of ours. One
of the well kuOwn:taun to- at France ia
that it has no word for home. The
Frenchman uses q proposition to say
home. 1t Is "chez moi" to him-at or
to his house or place The Frerchman
protests that it is only the word that
he lacks and even iosinustes that to
him, home is an idea Too sacred to be
in q word. He is very anxious
to defend himself against the charge
of homelessness. The American is not
only proud of his word home, but he is
proud of his idea. of home, and all that
Is dear and tender and sacred in it Is
affronted by the Mormon idea. All of
our literature fastens and strengthens
this prejudice of ours. The worst de-
spised man in acommunity is not neces
sarily he who sins the most, but is
surely the man who is not careful to
keep his home q sacred and inviolate |
place. Now the Mormon idea may be
. very good idea for Mormons but it
mixes very poorly with Americsnism.
In our land we allow unlimited |
of belief. Here the Jew and |
Salvation soldiers and Pres
oyterisns, Methodists, and free think
ers who go far out of their way to jeer
1t Jehovah are all allowed their ways
Of thinking and may even proselytize
4 they can; but a man may have only
)ne wife in our land. 1t is our com