Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-12-12
The State Has a Right to Repre-
sentatlon In That Body.
DENVER POSTS PLAIN TALK
Methods UNCONSTITUTIONAL aud IN vio-
ia,icn OF Precedent Employed to
the Injury OF an Entirc state.

Congress to the American people II an
able address. not without pathOe. but
lacking In entire frankness. says the
Denver Post. by right he should have
been seated pending an Investigation
or the scat claimed by him should Inn
mcdlately have been declared vacant
The State Of Utah II entitled TO this
Congress did a wrong. not TO Roberts.
but TO Utah. Utah IL q sovereign State
ana no matter what The ofcnac imput-
c1 to her In the past. fsday the vast
majority OF her peoplc-thosc who
voted for Roberts M well as those who
opposed him-are living In a. strict obc-
dlcnce to tho laws rs are the inhabI-
tants OF any other STATE In the Union.
These people are entitled 20 representa-
ton IN the House OF Representative.
" Roberts IL not eligible he should bc
unacatei without unnecessary delay
IN order that the electors Of the state
may, by Immediately selecting another
representative. mako the period of their
non.trprcsentatlOn as brief ~ possible.
A. II Is. methods unconstltntionai and
~ Violation OF precedent have been em-
ploycd to the Injury OF an entire state.
DENIED No TRUTH.
In his address Mr. Roberts says Moth
lhg that IN untrue. nor does he deny
ausht that u true. But a Just eatl-
mate OF conditions In Utah cannot BE-
obtained from his words any morc than
y can be from the utteranccs VI the
Mormun-caters who are fighting Rob.
crts. Mr.. Roberts omita 90 mention all
the vital fact In tho case. In Utah
polygany meana one thing elsewhere
~ the nation another According u the
Ifuh ulNtuf0u tho NFIfua "a f..lWu.NsN -
committed when man, having ono
wife, mnfrica another hut the aus
tanning Of martial relations with half
a dozen plural wives taken before the
Woodruff manifesto suspcotlng po-
tyranny Isn't polygamy at all
lawful cohabltatlon. tho oncnsc SIR.
Roberts so glibly says II q iniHdcmcanor
tfiable By Justice court, And no IL
right. Yet this II the vcry essence OF
the charges against HIM and the state.
80 that when he denies that the COM
pact with reference to polygamy en-
tered Into by the state with the United
states has been broken. he IL only tell.
Ing the truth from Utah understand
ing OF the meaning VI polygamy.
Nearly the truth, yet not quite tho
truth. for there is little doubt that scv-
eral polygamous marriages have been
AoleniniIed since the admission OF tho
state. sim these Instances are not suf-
ncieni In number 10 Justify the branding
OF the entire people as perxlAtluX In an
offonse they had forsworn. The polyg-
amistn never gave up their wives. They
never Intended to. nor did the non Nor
mon community expect them 10 do so.
II was said they were. nearly all Of
them, men advanced In years and pco-
pie were willing TO wink at their trans
grrsslona 50 long as they didn't obtridc
themselves on the public too much In
mn official capacity. Bosldes II wasn't
good policy TO DO 20 captlOua Ncs.es.
sarlly the most Influential men Of the
state were to be found among those
leaders Of the dominant church who de-
voted themselves 10 public affairs. To
attain influence and high office In the
Mormon church until recent years "a
man of necessity had TO enter polyg-
amy. II was rs essential rs any other
qualification.
NUMBER GROWING LESS.
Yet while polygamista have been the
most Influential factor IN the state,
| while they have controlled conventions.
| named candidates. outlined party poll
/ Giles. directed legislation and not infrr-
/ guently held profitable public Office
] themsclNcs,all the time since the Wood
! run manifesto, their number has
steadily been growing less. II IN be-
llevcd there were never more than $500
men involved IN the practice when at
Its height In the then Territory. There
/ are probably not 5000 now, and many
Of these are far advanced In the sere OF
life. Polygamy has been becoming ex-
tinct us rapidly as death could remove
those Involved In It, II In not unrca-
bonable to expect that within n com.
paratiyely brief span Of years polyga.
my viii become as rare In Utah as 1,
ID In Now York. And then the real
Mormon problem win be as far from
solution as ever unless In the meantlm,
II is solved by the Mormon people
/ themselves. What the people OF Utah
are struggling for II political freedom
They desire the privilege OF settling fol
themselves such public questions u,
may arise. A citizen OF Denver might
live dozen years In Salt Lake and re-
main uncontaminated were every Nor.
mon ccclcHiast practiclng polyEamy
There would be nothing occur that
would offend his sight or affect his
morals. hut when a single church.
man, holding u religious office that
places him far above every ciyll Of
nclal, compared with whom In the eyes
OF the devont worshlper the President
OF the United states pale into insignin.
canoe-whcn such man has strong
political convictions and doesn't hest
tate 10 give them utterance, then Tho
oltlzon's rights are bound 10 be Invaded
lHt NhAAAAlANtAN IRfhNAA w.
come the belief of those who regard
him as infalllblc and the result IN any
election he IN intercatcd In goes us h,
desires This Ii the real. live Utah
problem. Many brave, devoted mer
have been bonding themselves TO IN,
solution for years.
FUTURE GROWS BRIGHTER.
Happily the future grows brighter fol
them, though the end OF the light Il
stun far IN the distance. Roberts wa
once factor In this movement, but h,
deserted the cause after the most thor
ough Identification with II. He re-
ceiVod Ills reward when he was nomi
mated for Congress, lie was olecto,
because there was really no chOlci
among the candidates aud he repre-
scented political principles at least tina
We're dear TO the majority. In his ngh
for admission TO The House he has no
had the moral support OF the progrcasly
membcrs Of his own party. Thos
Democrats have allowed him 10 defon,
himself ns best he may They hay
done nothing TO hamper him becaus
they regard the contest as hayinl
originated In craftsmanship, They hav
seen the Republicans who began tn
Roberts fight supporting Republican
polygamlsts-just as open polygamlgt
as Roberts. but without 1.-THE OF hi
ability-and doing II unhlushlngly
Hence they have refrained from idon