Graham guardian., 1899-03-31
GIBBS ON MORM0NIsM,

Southern (Texas) Mercury:
Barnett Gibbs has received a lei
ter from one of the leading womel
| of New York who have formed al
anti-polygamy association for tn
suppression of polygamy and tn
unseating of Congressman Robert
of Utah, They request the gentle
imam to become factor in the mat
ter and ask him to organize anti
polygamy clubs in Texas which
elected tie following characteristic
reply:
Dallas, Texas, February "a
Dear Madam: Your letter received
| would like to assist in nearly any
kind of reform, but in this poly.
gamy matter, / think the commit
tee should first get laws enacted
that man should have his wives
all recorded. In texas man re.
cords his cattle brand, or else it
don't go. As understand it, Con.
gresham Roberts has all his wives
recorded" In Texas, even in the
churches, we have sometimes had
great trouble with the men who
would not record their wives, and
go by the record. Solomon's pro.
portion of eoncbines to wives don't
seem to hold in these days Of re-
fined civilization. | thought per.
haps when the country was furish.
ed with all kinds of blondining ap
paratus and cosmetics, so a man
could have his wife show up diff.
ferent every week, that Mormon
ism or marriage on the European
plan would be checked, but 1t
seems to go on just the same, with
some congressman, preachers, and
even mudsillers.
II is a dreadful condition of
things, but what IS worrying me
is the doubt that if we suppress the
gentleman from Utah, the evil
may 60 on. In his case, there
seems to be what the corporations
call vested rights. IF we suppress
Congressman Roberts and his three
wives, what will we do with some
of our new American citizens in
the Philippines, who have thirty
wives? In that country, they
don't have even millinery bills as
q check on this pernieious habit.
We have no Mormonlsm in Tex
as, "en NOMINEE" and the other
kind is so hard to trail down in a
state five times as big as New York,
that would rather go up against
the 10000 Texas democratic ma.
lority. Old settlers, who were
here in the days of the republic
tell me that secret Mormonism in
Texas is a5o6. in statu QUO. III
might get plank in she next !
Texas democratic platform against
it, but don't know that they would
live up TO it. We used to regulate
such family matters in Texas by |
vigilance committees, but we have
an advanced civilization now, un.
til don't believe / could organize
one, not even to hang q man for
stealing, much less polygamy. |
Texas is HOO miles from north to |
south boundary.
Before the war, by some means, |
they caught up with a man here
who had seven wives, and although
some of them were 1000 miles
apart, they got them all together
and made the man live with them,
all in one house. Since then, we |
have not had many avowed Nor.
mons. If we make success ofI
this movement, we must be allow.
cd to convict on circumstantial |
evidence and not be too particular
about the circumstances. We must
allow wives. singular and plural to |
testify against the offender, which |
IS not now permitted here.
We have got in Texas 10000
more criminal laws than Goa and
Moses promulgated, and there are
5000 more bills pending before the
present Legislature. We allow Il
man TO kiss his wife on Sunday. |
but not box with his brother in n |
phs sical culture way. We have
got so many laws that it is easier
TO be an angel than law-abiding |
citizen.
l don't mind helping you all do
up Roberts or any other Mormon,