The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-08
ROBERTS TO THE PEOPLE


| a transcript OF the proceedings or a
court in Utah evidences the fact that
| the member from Utah pleaded to q
| misdemeanor in the year 1889, u years
| ago and when Utah was a territory.
| Whatever political disabilities We're
created by that event were removed by
| the sovereign state of Utah when, in
the adoption of her state constitution
! in 1885, she by her sovereign power de-
clared what should be the qualifications
| of her electorate and I possess them all.
| And this side of the enabling act and
| the admission of Utah, l am at the de-
| fiance of my enemies, to produce any
| court record Of conviction for crime or
| at the time since the nlisdemeanor CT
| 1889 and the house has no right to pro-
| coed on any other evidence than such
| court record.
| II deny the existence Of the lawful
| power of the house to prevent me from
| being sworn in on the presentation Of
the same evidence of prima facie~right
upon which others are admitted to
| membership.
II deny the right of the house Of rep
resentatives to resolve itself into the
justice of the peace court to try me for
a misdemeanor alleged to have been
| committed in order 10 find grounds of
| expulsion or exclusion from the high Of
flee to which I was elected.
Il deny the right to confer any such
power upon its committee.
If ! were guilty of the misdemeanor
! charged, even f1agTantly so, here in the
capital I could not even be arrested for
the offense. so slight is it considered un-
der the law. The constitution gives the
| members of congress immunity from ar
rest for misdemeanors except for
breach of the peace, and yet for an al
legged misdemeanor in which I could not
be arrested while in attendance upon
| the house and going to and from it, /
am deprived of the right to take the
oath of office; my final right to my seat
is in jeopardy the people of one of the
| sovereign states is denied representa-
ton SO long as 1t shall suit the purpose
of the committee to have it so, and the
expressed will Of the people of state
is in danger of being defeated.
But why this appeal to the American
people? Because violence is threatened
to the safeguards of your liberties. Be
cause the right of the rule of the ma
jority in one Of the sovereign states in
the union is being denied. Because the
safeguards of the rights and liberties
of the individual and of the state are
being knocked down and many of your
representatives are too cowardly to
even make a protest against such pro-
ceedingS because they fear they would
endanger their chances of reelection if
they voted against the high handed
measures now taking place.
|
from Utah is a Mormon and just now
against the Mormon people is wave Of
! popular sentiment. created by false
hood. chiefly by the charge that Utah
has broken her compact with the United
States in the matter Of polygamy; that
her people contemplate the revival of
! polygamouS marriages: that the scat
ing of Utah's representative would be
regarded by her Mormon population as
Endorsement of polygamy and would pe
a menace to the American home. Upon
my honor as a representative from the
state of Utah, a man in whom the state
of Utah has repoSed it's confidence,
both nom Mormon as well as as Nor
mon, 1 solemnly deny these charges.
They are not true. The only thing
chargeable to some few men in the
state of Utah is that they have not de-
serted the plural wives they married
years ago. previous to the settlement
of the polygamy question between the
government of the United States and the
state of Utah. by which polygamous OF
plural marriages are forever prohibited
in the state of Utah, penalty affixed
by constitutional provision, and the
whole made unrepealable without the
: consent of the United States and the
consent of the people - Utah.
Even continuing the relations formed
before the settlement of the question
though their disruption was neither
demanded by the enabling act nor con-
templated in the provisions of the state
constitution are under the law misde
meanor and punishable; but it has moi
) been regarded as necessary to morals o,
public policy to prosecute people fol-
this offense and neither by the repub
lican party nor by democrats has the
existence of such relations been consid
cred a bar to political preferment unit
the political and religious enemies o
the present representative. from Utai
thought proper to urge them agains
him.
, Il submit to you the question wheth
! er it is worth while for your repre-
{ sentativeS in the lower house of con
: gress to break down the safeguard
which protects both the rights of in
= dividuals and the rights of the state:
and which menaces representative gov
eminent in the state ITSELF ask i
it is worth while to countenance pro
, cedure involving dangers herein Sc
forth, in order to reach one man chars
ed with a misdemeanOr under the law
Of his own state and which is in tht
eye. of the law an offense SO light tina
under rights guaranteed to him ant
: his constituents he could not be ar
l rested for it while in attendance upoi
! his duties in congress.
American citizens, it is a Mormon
who is the object of the popular clam
. or to-day. May it not be the % h Ii.
! of the Methodist or the Free Thinke
tomorrow? If the rights of the rep
$ resentative from Utah and of his stat
I cannot be safeguarded by the provis
ions of the constitution and the law
J. from the frenzy of popular fury, set oil
u fire by falsehood and distortion, wha
u guarantee have we that any one
rights are secure? And is it true tina
: this mob law by indirection is t
l reach within what should be the sacret
| precincts of the house of representa-
tives itself? I shall do all I can Il
maintain my rights, and indrectl.
e yours, too. under the constitution.
stand alone, save for the very few VIII
gave me their support by votin
~ against-the proceedings that proven
me from taking the oath of office.
am without a dollar at my comman
except the salary attached to my offie
Il with which to fight the battle nov
!. nendius hefnre the Snecial commit tee