The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-09

and Edmunds-Tucker laws OF the United
States still In force, warrant Mr.. Rob-
erts' exclusion. They are aggravated.
however. because his Is not an isolated
case, but one representative OF a system.
Many sentimental people are being mis-
led BY Mr. Roberts very ingenious sug-
gestfonx from which some people infer
that he took his polygsmous wives when
1t was lawful to do SO. This Is mistake.
Adultery was crime in Utah when Rob-
erts was born, and at the time OF the pas
sage of the Cullom anti-polysamy act MT.
Roberts was only years OF age. His plea
for sympathy, therefore. amounts only to
this, that he should be allowed to continue
his criminal practices. Notwithstanding he
took his polygamous wives In defiance Of
law. We demand that he should support
his families. but also demand that he shall
cease the begetting OF further Legitimate
offspring. and this is our only bone OF con-
tention and the only thing which he re-
fuses to yield. In this matter we disclaim
any desire to have him declared Ineligible
because he IL a Mormon, but solely because
he Is violating and defying the laws Of our
state. of the United States and of common
decency.
why Roberts II Opposed.
Encouragement W. II. King was, and
Is. Mormon. and no claim of lneligibity
was ever made against him. We point to
this fact as showing that we oppose Mr.
Roberts. not upon the ground OF any re-
ligious opinions entertained by him, hut
because of his criminal practices. Neither
is this matter OF religious or political per-
secution or prejudice. The undersigned
include men of different churches and men
who belong to no church, those who are
Republicans and those who are Democrats
How Utah Violated IT'S Compact.
"Mr. Roberts denies. and we assert that
the compact between Utah and the other
states has been violated That compact was
evidenced by many public acts, as follows
FIRSTLY the manifesto of the Mormon
church in 1880, which by their leading men
was interpreted under oath to prohibit the
continuance of poiygamous relations as
we'll as the contracting Of new marriages,
Secondly the Utah legislature. which,
in 1892, made unlawful cohabitation as we'll
as polygamy crimes against the territory.
''Third-"By the solemn pledge Of the
apostles Of this alleged church that these
laws would be obeyed and enforced, which
pledge was made in a petition to the presi-
dent praying for general amnesty proc
lamation.
"Fourth-By the declarations made by
prominent citizens of Utah before the con-
gressional committee having the enabling
act under consideration, where, also, the
foregoing evidences and statements were
used to secure statehood.
'Fffth--By the declaration OF the con-
stitutional convention OF Utah that polyg-
amous marriages shall be forever pro-
hibited.
'Sixth--Ths act Of the constitutional con-
vention continuing in force the territorial
laws furnishing unlawful cohabtation as
well as polygamy, of which convention Mr..
Roberts was member.
"All theme public acts combined show
conclusively that the compact includes the
discontinuance Of old polygamous relations,
as we'll as the prevention Of new ones.
"As evidence that this compact had. been
broken we point to the following:
"First-That in Utah, 1900 illegitimate
children have been born to polysamous
wives since statehood
'.Second--That about 1000 polygamous
households now exist In Utah ana that
the attempt to secure punishment of these
offenders IL denounced by the majority, as
we believe,-of Utah's citizens.
"Third-1nat the clrcumstantial evidence
unmistakably points to the existence Of new
wives in polygamous households, the most
conspicuous examples of which are the
cases of Apostles Abraham II. Cannon.
John w. Taylor and Tuesdale, In at least
the first of which the church organ OF the
dominant church refuses to deny the mar
riage, and the new polygamous wife is en-
ployed as teacher in a church academy.
'Fourth--That the very men who inter-
preted the manifesto of 1890 to prohibit I'M
lawful cohabitation with prior acquired
wives now publicly justify its continuance
"Fffth--The most of the same men who
in a petition for amnesty pledged their
sacred honor for the obedience to the law
by their people are now by example and
precept encouraging the commission Of the
crime of unlawful cohabitation.
"Sixth--As a further evidence of this bad
faith we call attention to the fact that the
men holding high church offices have
pleaded guilty to the crime Of unlawful CO.
habitation before the state courts without
having their church standing affected, even
in some cases having their fines paid by
sympathetic friends.
"5eventh--Al this Is by necessary impli-
cation Endorsed by a majority of Utah's
people in the election of Brigham Fl. Rob-
erts, who during his campaign for election
was publicly charged with being a volator
of the laws, as evidenced by his illegitimate
progeny and in spite of these undenied
charges he was elected by an overwhelm-
ing majority.
''That Mr. Roberts himself understood
that compact to mean the discontinuance
of unlawful cohabitation we point to his
registration oath of 1895, in which he swore
1t to be his intention to obey the law pro-
hibiting unlawful eohabitation.