The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-11-25
Fall. %Ris
YESTERDAYS TEMPERATURES.
time q p. m. st. Paul..
MORMON VESTED RIGHTs.

The mental and moral obliquity of the
Mormon was never more strikingIy Illus
trated than by Congressman-elect Brig
ham H. Roberts, of Utah. when speak
Ing in his own defense. He declares that:
''This present agitation Is invoked
against peaceful homes in Utah, where
the bright sun rises in the morning and
crowns the hours of the day with happi-
ness Admitting this to be true, it is
also fact that the sun-and a bright sun
at that-rises in MinnesotN on each and
every morning, and does not, as this Rob
erts so insidlOusly insinuates, rise at any
other time. The kind of sun enjoyed by
Minnesota is just as regular in it's habits
and deserving OF equal commentator as
the orb peculiar to Utah.
But it must be admitted that the sun
Of Minnesota has not been trained to
crown the hours of the day with hap
piness.' Minnesotans do all the neces-
sary crowning themselves. They have
time to do it, for they have only one wife
and family to minister to, and only one
home to naintain-that is, as a rule.
But the mental attitude which can lead
man to say that the protest of the peo-
pie against the seating of a polygamist
in congress is IAN agitation against the
peaceful homes Of Utah is singular in
deed. Granting that there are peaceful
homes in Utah, how is their peace to be
affected if congress bars its doors to
Roberts. Possibly he refers to those
homes which he himself owns, controls
and maintains. Naturally the peace
OF plural wives might be disturbed by the
failure Of his political ambition. Papa
might return to his numerous homes
cross and nl-tempered, and perhaps
spank dozen or two Of the children
and break dishes in every one Of his
hitherto peaceful and sun-kissed homes.
The criminal aspect of maintaining plural
wives and homes does not present itself
to Brigham H. Roberts He looks upon
polygamy as his natural right and ner-
quisite, which, in Difference to a STUPID
prejudice of the Gentiles, the Mormons
have been compelled to prohibit by the
law and constitution of the state of Utah
Not because polygamy is regarded as
criminal or sinful Mr.. Roberts holds
that the compact entered into by Utah
before statehood was granted, to aban
don polygamy and to make it unlawful
applies only to the rising generation and
was not to apply to the ancient order of
things-in short that the compact did not
affect polygamous relations entered into
before the date of the compact.
What good would it do" asks Mr..
Roberts, ito disrupt those relations?
What good would it do to morality to
turn those plural wives adrift? What
gooG would it do to Christianity to know
that a Mormon plural wife's home was
now destroyed? The fount of
evil was dried up; the people Of the
United States can be generous enough to
allow the streams that flowed from If
to take their course until lost in the oh
lvion of DEATH"
really this man Roberts is moral i'm
beetle Some part of his brain is missing.
and the G o b e almost feels compelled
to concede sincerity as an attribute Of
the man who can ask the people Of the
United States to condone polygamy on
the part of the Mormons who were the
possessors Of harems prior to the admis-
sion of Utah into the Union