The Topeka state journal., 1899-12-08

oath of office; my final right to my seat
is in jeopardy; the people of one of the
sovereign states is denied representa-
ton, 50 long as it shall suit the pur-
poses of the committee to have it so
and the expressed will of the people of
a state is in danger of being defeated.
people? Because Violence is threatened
TO the safeguards of your liberties Be
ity in one of the sovereign states in the
union is being denied. Because the safe
Individual, and Of the states are being
knocked down and many of your repre-
SentatiVeS are too cOWardly to even make
a protest against such proceedings. be
Ga95e they rear ear they would endangeF anger
against the high handed measures now
1T Is true that the representative from
qtah, IS a Norman and just now against
sentiment, created by falsehood chiefly
Compact with the United States in the
template the revival of polygamOus mar
RACES: that the seating Of fTtah's reDre-
sentative would be regarded by her Nor
poIygamy and would be a menace to the
American home Upon my honor as rep
reSentat1Ve from the state of Utah, n man
in whom the state of Utah has reposed
their confidence, both nOn-MOrmOns as
well as MormOns, L solemnly deny those
charges. They are not true. The only
thing chargeable to some few men in
the state of Utah is that they have not
years ago, previous to the settlement of
the polygamy question between the gov
ernment of the United States and the
state of Utah, by which pOlygamous or
plural marriages are forever prohibited
by constitutional provision and the whole
made unrepealable without the consent of
the United states and the consent Of the
Even continuing the relations formed
before TINS settlement Of the question,
though their disruption was neither
tempIated in the provisions of the state
cOnstitutiOn-are under the law a misde-
meanor and punishable; but it has not
been regarded as necessary to good NOR
ais or public policy to prosecute people
lot {hls onense ana neither oy the Re
puDl1can party OF by Democrats has the
existence of such relations been consider
poIucaI ana IellglouS enemies OF the pres
enU representative from Utah, thought
proper to urge them against him. But
Sucn men nave been elected to offices of
high honor in the state of Utah, and
made by AFFIDAVIT We're appointed to the
federal offices of the state, notwithstand-
the them aUeH 's'''o''7 we're "s's''eo against
I submit to you the question whether
1t IS worth while for your representatives
in the lower house of congress, TO break
down the safeguards which protect both
Of the states and whic menace repre-
sentative government itself in the states;
ask Is 1t worth while to cOuntenance pro-
cedure involving dangers herein set forth,
In order to reach one man charged with
state and which is in the eye of the law
an offense so slight that under the rights
ne could not be arrested for it while in
attendance upon. his duties in congress.
american citizens, it is a Mormon
who is the object of the popular clamor
today. may it not be the Catholic or the
Methodist; or the Free-Thinker. tomor-
rOw2 If the rights of the representative
from Utah and of his state can not be
safeguarded by the provision of the con
stitutiOn and the laws from the frenzy
of popular fury, set on fire by falsehood
and distortion, what guarantee have
we that any ones rights are
secure? And is It true that this mob
law by indirection is to reach within what
should be the sacred precincts of the
house of representatives itself? shall
do all I can to maintain my rights and
indirectly yours, too. under the constf-
tuition. stand alone, save for the very
few who gave me their very guarded sup
port by voting against the mOnstrous pro-
ceedings that prevents me from taking
the oath of office.
Il am without dollar at my command