Omaha daily bee., 1899-12-09
ANSWERS BRIGHAM ROBERTS
Gentle Delegation from Utah, Now at
Warrington Issues an Address
SENTIMENTAL PEOPLE BEING MSLtD
GcntiIcs Assert Roberts Has No Claim
on Sympnthics of the People
because lie Knowingly
violates the Law.

WASHINGTON Dec. S.-An answer to
Brigham Roberts address to the American
people" wau mado today by delegation
representing the Gentle element in Utah'
who are here to oppose Roberts. Inc au-
swer is as follows
In this mornings papers Mr. ROBERTS
makes an appeal for sympathy In which
are many statements needing c9rrectio"'
while many facts are suppressed;
In other states men who haunt ther Nio-
lntions of the law of decency before the
public are sent to the penitentiary. lt - -
only in Utah where such indecency IS
added to ones eligibility to political pref
eTment - -,
his civil disabilities before statehood they
were removed by the adoption OF the state
constitution. At the time of the passage
of the enabling act Mr.. Roberts was, as
he seems in his appeal to admit, ulslTau-
chlsed by act of congress- ana thereiope M
not full citizen of the United states, as
by the constitution he must be TO peG1'tie eGH ~,
a member of congress; then he Is sun III
the same condition, because the constitu-
tion of Utah could not restore him to fed,
eral citizenship and the enabling act ulu
not do 1t.
Mr.. Roberts says he has not been con
victed since statehood, but 1t does not toi-
low that he is innocent. He Is now fugl-
tive from justice in Salt Lake county on
charge of unlawful cohabitation, ana IN
Davis county, Utah, where resides one or
his polygamOus wives with her lliegltl-
.
of adultery Ga felony under the laws OF
Utah) has been for two months pigeon
holed by a Mormon prosecuting attorney.
Mr.. Roberts in his attempt to belittle ms
crimes insists that he is only charged with
n misdemeanor. He knows better. lie
knows that he had been, under oath and
before the proper prosecuting oftlcers'
charged with the felony of adultery as
well as the misdemeanor of unlawful CO.
habitation.
Sentimental People Misled.
Many sentimental people are being mis-
led by Mr.. Roberts very ingenious susses-
tions, by which some people infer that ne
took his polygamous wives before he knew
it to be unlawful. This is mistake.
Roberts was born, and at the time OF the
Cullom anti i-polygamy act Mr.. Roberts was
only years old. His plea for sympathy
therefore amounts only to this; that he
should be allowed to continue his crim-
nal practices notwithstanding he TOOK ms
poygamous wives in defiance Of law. we
demand that he should support his taml-
lies, but also demand that he shall cease
the begetting of further illegitimate on
spring, and this is our only bone OF con
tention, the only thing demanded which he
refuses to yield. In this matter we DIS
claim any desire to have him declared In
eligible because he is Mormon, but solely
because he Is violating the laws of Utah,
and of the United States and of common
decency
Former Congressman w S. King was and
ls a Mormon and no claim of ineliGibility
was ever made against him. We point to
this "act as showing that we oppose Mr.;
Roberts not on the ground of any real
opinions entertained by him, but because of
ha criminal practices. Neither Is this a
matter OF religious or political persecution
of different churches and men who belong
to no church, those who are republicans
and those who are democrats. Mr.. Roberts
denies and we assert that the compact be-
tween Utah and the other states has been
violated. That compact was evidenced by
many public acts, as follows:
church In 1890, which by their leading men
was interpreted under oath to prohibit the
continuance of polygamous relations as
well as contracting of new marriages.
second-By, the. Utah Legislature, which in
1892 made unlawful cohabitation as well as
polygamy crimes against the territory.
Thirdly the solemn pledges of the
apostle- OF this alleged church, that these
laws would be obeyed and enforced which
pledge was made in n petition 10 the presi-
dent praying for general amnesty procla-
nation.
prominent citizens of Utah before the con-
gressonal committee having the enabling
act under consideration, where also the
foregoing evidences and statements were
used to secure statehood
FifthBy the declaration in the const-
tuition of Utah, that polvgamous marriages
shall be forever prohibited.
sxth-The act OF the constitutional con-
yent!on continuing IN force the, territorial
laws punishing unlawful cOhab!tat.on as
well as polygamy. of which convention Mr..
Roberts was member
All these pubic acts COInnl1bu snow con-
rluFively that the compact includes the dis
continuance of old polygamous relations as
well as the prevention OF new ones
Evidence of Broken Compact.
AS evidence. that this comnact has been
broken we point to the following:
First-That i'm Utah lG0O !llegitimate chill
dren have been born to polygamous wives
since statehood.
Second--That about 1000 poygamous
households now exit in Utah and that the
attempt 10 secure punishment OF these
offenders is denounced bv the majority. as
we believe, of Utah's citizens.
Thlrd-That the CirCumStantia evidence
unmis takablV points to the existence of new
wives in polygamous households, the most
conHpicuous examples OF which are the
cases of Apostles Abraham II. Cannon,
John Taylor and Apostle Teasdale, In at
least the first of which the church organ of
the dominant church refuses to deny the
marriage and the new poiygamous wife Is
a=-aloyed as n teacher In church academy.
Fourth--That the very men who inter
preted the manifesto of 1899 10 prohibit un-
lawful cohabitation with prior acquired
wives now publicly Justify its continuance.
Fifth-rhat most of the same men. who
In n petitiOn for amnesty pledged their Sn-