The record-union., 1899-12-09

tation under the EdmundS Act, under
which he pleaded guilty, was a felony,
as also is adultery, with which Mr..
Roberts is charged in Davis County,
Utah. In the District of Columbia
both unlawful cohabitation and adult
cry are felonies, as defined by the Utah
statutes, and it is only in Utah that
the former is a misdemeanor.
These charges, in view of the Ed
munds and Tucker laws of
the United States, still in force, war
rant Mr.. Roberts exclusion. They are
aggravated, however, because his is rot
an isolated case, but one representative
of system.
MANY sentimental people are being
misled by Mr.. Roberts very ingenious
suggestions, from which some people
infer that he took his polygamous wives
when it was lawful to do so. This is a
mistake. Adultery was a crime in Utah
when Mr.. Roberts was born, and at
the time of the passage of the Cullom
Anti-Polygamy Act Mr.. Roberts was
only & years old. His plea for sympa-
thy, therefore, amounts only to this,
that he should be allowed to continue
his criminal practices, Notwithstanding
he took his polygamous wives in de-
fiance of law. We demand that he
should support his families, but also
demand that he shall cease the beget-
ting of further ilIegitimate offspring,
and this is our only bone of conten-
ton, the only thing demanded which
he refuses to yield.
In this matter we disclaim any de-
sire to have him declared ineligible be-
cause he is a Mormon, but solely be-
cause he is violating and defying The
laws of our State, the United States
and of common decency Ex-Congress-
man w. II. King was and is a Nor
mon, and no claim of ineligibility was
ever made against him. We point to
this fact as showing that we oppose
Mr.. Roberts not upon the ground of any
religious opinions entertained by him,
but because of his criminal practices.
Neither is this a matter of religious or
political persecution 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
Mr.. Roberts denies, and we assert,
that the compact between Utah and the
other States has been violated That
compact was evidenced by many pub
lie acts as follows:
First by the manifesto of the Nor
mon Church in 1890, which by their
leading men was interpreted urder
oath to prohibit the continuance of
polygamous relations, as well as the
contracting of new marriages.
Second, by the Utah Legislature.
yvt1 inI in \
ton as well as polygamy crimes against
the Territory
Third, by the solemn pledges of the
apostles of this alleged church that
these laws would be obeyed and en-
forced, which pledge was made in a
petition to the President praying Tor a
general amnesty proclamation
Fourth, by the declarations made by
proclamation by the citizens of Utah
before the Congressional committee
having the Enabling Act under consid-
GRAFTON, where also the foregoing evil
dences and statements were used 10 Sc
cure Statehood
Fifth, by the declaration in the Con-
stitution of Utah that polygamous mar
riages shall be forever prohibited.
Sixth, the Act of the constitutional
Convention continuing in force the Ter
ritorial laws Furnishing unlawful cohab-
ltation as we'll as polygamy, of which
convention Mr.. Roberts was member.
All these public acts combined show
conclusively that the compact includes
the discontinuance of old polygamous
relations, as we'll as the prevention of
new ones.
G nx-i6 hot L.
been broken, we point to the following:
First, that in Utah 1880 Legitimate
children have been born to polygamous
wives since Statehood.
Second, that about 1000 polygamous
households now exist in Utah. and that
the attempt to secure a punishment Of
these offenders is denounced by the ma
jority, as we believe, of Utah's citi-
Zens.
Third, that the circumstantial evil
dence Enthusiastically points to the ex-
istence of new wives in polygamous
households, the most conspicuous ex-
amples of which are the cases of Apos-
ties Abraham H. Cannon, John W.
Taylor and Apostle Tuesdale, in at least
the first of which the church organ
of the dominant church refuses to deny
the marriage, and the new palygamous
wife is employed as teacher in a church
academy
Fourth, that the very men who in
terpreted the manifesto of 1890 to pro-
hibit unlawful cohabitation with prior
acquired wives now publicly justify its
continuance.
Fifth. that most of the same men
their sacred honor for the obedience of
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 men holding church offices have
pleaded guilty to the crime of unlawful
cohabitation before the State courts
without having their church standing
affected, even in some cases having
their fines paid by sympathetic friends.
Seventh, all this is by necessary i'm
plication Endorsed by a majority of
Utah's people in the election of Brig
ham H. Roberts, who, during his cam
paign for election, was publicly charg-
ed with being violator of the laws, as
evidenced by his Legitimate progeny,
and in spite of these undenied charges
he was elected by an overwhelming ma
jority.
''That Mr.. Roberts himself understood
that compact to mean the discontinue
ance of unlawful cohabitation, we point
to his registration oath of 1895, in
which he swore it to be his intention to
obey the law prohibiting unlawful CO.