The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-01
WHY ROBERTS MUST
WALK THE PLANK

lief that at last the NeXed Mormon
question had been happily settled, the
Mormon church began to teach polyg-
amy all over the state, thus violating
one of its solemn pledges to the Gov
ernment.
H. simultaneously with the renewal
of such teaching. the leaders of the
Mormon church renewed their polyga-
nous relations, and the polygamsts
among the common people fo.'owed the
example of their leaders, until all pre-
tense of keeping the said law had been
given up, thus viola ting another of its
solemn pledges to the Government.
10. When attention was called t. this
lawless condition of things, the Desert
News, Of Salt Lake City. Official Crt an
Of the Mormon church. gave lengthy
editorial space to a defense of such
lawless course. claiming that there was
at the time of admission "a tacit un-
derstanding, not to say contract, that
the dead strife prosecution for polyg-
amy should be buried; that family OBJ
legations meaning polygamous mar
riages) already entered into and main
tained for years should not be dis.
rupted." Upon the sane subject tha
said Il. II. Roberts said: Technically
law (agaihst cohaDi' alton with
plural wives) Crept into our statute
books That Jaw has not been
executed. and. like some of the blue
laws of Connecticut, which exist on the
statute books under similar circum-
stances, it has not been enforced"
(See Salt Lake Herald, Nov. 9Th, 1881
All this is, of course, in effect admit
fs,ar t1,.t l.,tI 81 H.. IcI ,stf IN
tional and the legal prohibition Of
polygamy were a mere farce to deceive
the nation and secure statehood 70:
Utah
16 During the campaign which re-
suited in the election of the said +. II.
Roberts, polygamy was the most prom
inent issue raised against Mr.. Roberts;
and this issue made very clear indeed.
as witness the discussions of the cam
paign, both in the press and upon the
platform.
II. During the same campaign. Gov
ernor Wells, of Utah, himself a Nor.
mon, referred to Mr. Roberts polygamy,
| and raised a question as to the eX-
| pediency of sending Mr.. Roberts to
| congress, and thus renewing the dis
! cussion concerning polygamy. Mr.
| Roberts replied, charging the governor
| with "fouling his own nest" and rails
| ing an issue which would put his own
sisters beyond the pale of the law" to
| which charge Governor Wells respond
| ed: II would rather my tongue were
| torn from it's roots than that l should
| utter word against the divinity of tn ;
| system which gave me BIRTH" thus
showing that even the Governor of tic
| State of Utah dare not stand out
against pOlyGamy as principle, or
| make any move toward the enforce
| ment of the i-polygamy laws.
u.s. The said B. II. Roberts has been
a leader in the movement to repudiate
the solemn covenant which Utah made
with our government in order to secure
statehood. as witness his positive
teachings in New Witness for God"
| opp. 1860, first published by him
since the Enabling Act for Utah's
statehood was passed by the Congress
| of the United States. Witness also his
defense of polygamy in the Improve
ment Era, of which he is the editor, his
own self-confessed polygamy since
statehood. and even the tacitly ad-
mltted charge that he has taken a new
| pOlS Nlle SlllCt SldltHOOu, one
DR.. Maggie c. Shpp, of Salt Lake CITY,
who has recently changed her name 20
Mrs. Roberts. and his defense during
his campaign of his own polygamous
course. (See Salt Lake Herald, No
vember 9Th, 1S9S,)
10. The said B. II. Roberts has the
support of the Mormon church in his
course of reDudiating the said solemn
covenant which Utah made with oul
government, as witness the fact that
he could not even be a candidate foi
office without the consent of the Church
leaders. (See manifesto upon the sub
ject issued by the Mormon church in
April, 1896, and signed by the said b
II. Roberts himself) Witness the fact
of his own former defeat for daring tC
be a candidate without the consent ol
the leaders. Witness also the follow.
ing words from a defense of such
covenant breaking, made by repre-.
sentative of the Mormon church
Nathan Tanner, ir., during the cam.
paign of Mr.. Roberts: II had no idea
of writing you (Salt Lake Tribune) il
| justification of the breaking of the
| covenant of those who We're parties [,
| the manifesto, to which | understood
you to allude; but believing that il i!
justitiable, | accept your offer.to pub
lish my communication upon the sub
ject
Il base my justification Of ii upon thD
grounds that Utah was entitled as o
right, to admission into the Unior
without making such a covenant; tha
the United States had no right, there
fore, to insist uDon it as a condition
: precedent to admission; that it was oh
tanned by duress, and, therefore, no
binding upon those who made II
Like the promise of man VIII
/ is seized by a powerful foe and com
; PEELED, in order TO gain his freedom, t
make some promise which the other ha
J no right to demand, the obligation /
p of no moral or legal effect, but may b