The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-16

| should dishonor their wives and children
| by casting them adrift. No such In
human crime ought to be committed
| Such as would do it, could only be regard
ed as unworthy the name of man. II the
great hearted American public were cor
rectly informed on this subject. and IL
were asked whether an act so monstrous
should be required there would be sound
ed a negative that would only be COM
parable to a peal of rational thunder.
"Our answer to the religfo-political as
sertion that polygamous marriages are
numerous or occur at all exists in the fact
that. in searching for cases TO prosecute.
the pursuers of the Mormors were COM
PEELED to have recourse TO such cases as
antedated the manifesto"
Apostle Young takes up the Roberts
question and handles it in this way:
Much fuss and fury has been raised
over the election of 3. II. Roberts TO con-
gress. because of his being a poiygamist.
1t has been unblushingly asserted that he
was candidate of the church for that
position. The fact is that the church is
not in politics. but the pious clerical gen.
tlemen who are raising this disturbance
are STEPPED in it. They are seeking to
have class of the Mormon people placed
under political disability. The church
had no candidate. Mr.. Roberts was NOM
mated by Democratic convention COM
posed of Mornons and nom Mormons. The
figures from the election returns are be-
fore me. They exhibit the fact that Mr..
Roberts owed his election 10 the nom
Mormon portion of the community. They
show that he received by far his largest
majcrities in those towns and counties
which were the most heavily populated
by non-Mormons. Park City being the
only exception. In some localities where
the population is almost exclusively Nor
mon. Eldredge carried The day. This was
notably the case in the county of Sanpete
The question raised in this connection
by the agitators is simply this. and moth
ing more. Since the issuance of the mani
festo an estoppel has been placed upon
plural marriages. Mr.. Roberts has been
duly elected to represent Utah in the
house of representatives In order for
him to take his seat. shall congress. by
an adverse decision. require him TO cast
adrift the wives he married before the
manifesto. and thus degrade his family?
No matter how the subject may be twist
ed. this is the essence of the situation. II
such an alternative were offered the gen.
tieman, there could be no doubt about
MS choice being such as to uphold his own
honor and that of his family.
The present persecutive crusade is no
exception to the automatic rule from !.
moral standpoint. The prosecuted may
possibly be in the wrong, but the perse-
futors are never right Since the es.ab-
nshment of the law of the church TO abol-
ish plural marriages there has been A.
period OF peace on the Mormon question.
Assaults of murderous mobs upon the
elders and members of the church in the
southern states had become incidents of
the past Since the opening of the exist
ing religio-political campaign. conducted
by the use OF misrepresentation as am
munition. these onslaughts upon innocent
people have been renewed"
Apostle Young believes the Influences
that promoted the present agitation are
scctarian and partisan. Here is what he
says:
1T is urged by the promoters of this
unchristianlike pursuit of a worthy COM
munity, through their agents. that their
object is simply to extirpate polygamy.
This subterfuge can be safely denied On
the clerical side the object is religious
ascendancy sought to be attained by en-
listing the government TO aid them in the
scheme. On the political side 1t is local
political supremacy. With both wings
the procurement of an amendment 20 the
national constitution. for purposes of dis
reimbursement. is the weapon they desire
the American people to forge for their use
in the attainment of their objects. They
seek to throw dust in the eyes of the
populace abroad by asserting that the
existence of po,ygamous families of long
standing. the overwhelming bulk of them
antedatfng the passage of either of the
laws under which they were prosecuted.
tends to perpetuate the institution of
plural marriage.
This is self-evidently untrue. No other
process than the multiplication of plural
marriages can possibly perpetuate the
system. The permanent stoppage of such
is just as sure to wipe out the
institution as it is true that If man were
to cease multiplying his species he would
become extinct 1t is lust as
certain, also. that the 2 per cent of adults
of the Mormon community who are in the
polygamous relation will gradually dis
appear from the mortal stage Then what
would the anti-Mormon Christian philan-
do for another great moral ques-
ton. and for unfortunate victims? What.
then. would those poor patriots do. who
are so fond of freedom that the word is
ever on their lips. il they could not ex-
pend their energies in hunting for an
opportunity to squat upon the rights of
their neighbors?
The real definition of the matter is not
that the Mormons have acted in bad faith
with the nation, but that a combination
Of rellgio-political schemers is playing
upon the credulity of the people in the
hope of inducing the nation to break.
faith with the Mormons. There is no
Mormon question. There is simply an un-
warrantable attempt to resurrect an old
ssue that died and was buried in $780,