The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-26

Washington, Jan. 25.-Mr. Brigham
H Roberts gave out the following
statement tonight in relation TO his
exclusion:
Our griefs are past when remedies are
ended:
BY seeing the worst which late on hope
depended.
1 was elected by the people Of Utah
as their representative by the sub
stantaI plurality of $685. votes. An
effort was made by what believe to
be an unconstitutional and unpreee-
dented process 20 exclude me from the
house of representatives. In behalf Of
myself and my constituents compris-
ing the entire population Of the state
Of Utah, 1 did all I could to maintain
the position to which they had elected
me; but the house Of representative
under the whip and spur Of popular
sentiment have decided to exclude me
from the house. I have cOntended for
my rights and the rights of my con-
sRituents single handed and alone, to
tho best of my ability but have been
overwhelmed by force Of numbers.
Notwithstanding all that has been
said, the people Of Utah are not a
Iawless people. Those of them who
have been involved in the past iR the
plural marriage s.stem, one taught
and sanctioned by the church Of Jesus
Christ Of Latter-day Saints. are not
wanton violators Of the laws; but,
finding themselves in the position
where the law commands them to do
one thing, and moral obligations,
sacredly entered into under the sane
+5or, Of tho Mormon church comm, n nd
them to 90 another, they are placed
in a very trying situation. and some
few of them, including the member
from Utah, may have found it neces-
sary to regard their moral obligations
as more binding upon their consciences
than their technical obedience to
statutory law
Conditions Passing Away.
Such position, however is but trans
itOry liz Utah, and comes down to the
Mormon people from conditions grow
ing out of the plural marriage system
OF the past. The condition here re-
feTTed to. however is rapidly passing
away From authoritative figures Of
ficially collected recently by the Nor
mon church, it has been ascertained
that at the time of the disCOntinuance
Of plural marriages under the author
ity Of the late President Woodruff
manifesto, in September, 1890, there
were 2,451 pOlygamous families
throughout the whole Mormon church.
Since then it has been asoertained that
90S of these families have ceased to
exist through death, divorce UI eDau-
Comment leaving 1T the present time
but 1913 pOlygamous families in the
church throughout the world; and as
most of these are well advanced in
years and all beyond middle life, the
system will soon be Obliterated from
the earth: and under these Circum-
gtapces there has been little excuse for
the extraordinary efforts put forth
throughout the country to crush a sys-
tenn Of marriage already practically
dead and abandoned.
No Effort to Revive PoIygamy.
The election of the member from
Utah to the house Of representatives
was no effort on the part of the Nor
mon church to revive pOIygamy or stuff
il down the throat Of the American con-
ereas or people. Nothing Of the kind
was contemplated IN either his nOmina-
ton or election, all reports to the con-
trary notwithstanding. The alleged
statement often quoted to the effect
that Brigham Young, on July p, 1879
or at any other time, declared that he
would make the American people
swallow MOrmOnism, pOlygamy ami
all" and that the election of the pres
ent member ELECT from Utah was an
effort to fulfill that prediction is abso-
lutely untrue. He made no such utter
ance. and the recent agitation respect
ing MOrmoniem and it's being a menace
to the purity of the American home is
utterly unwarranted by the facts in the
cc-a
Congress has been made to believe.
however, that such was the intention
Of MormOnism, or at least have been
awed into acquiescence that such were
its intentions. and hence have been led
to vote 70 exclude the member from
Utah.
Lack of Courage.
There is not virtue enough, it appears,
in the American house of representa-
tives to stand for their convictions as
to what is right in this matter. Only
this morning the representative from
Utah received a communication from a
person who is evidently a member of
the house Of representatives, since the
letter is written upon house official sta
tiOneTy and sent to him in an official
envelope of the house Of representa-
tfVes although the signature is a Re
publican friend" After citing the mem
Der from Utah to speech delivered by
the Hon. James G. Blaine in 1872. with
reference to polygamy, he says:
I regret that I am not at liberty to
vote as my conscience dictates on this
/ question (the Roberts case). for rea-
sons which you fully understand. Pres
I ident Mckinley and Speaker Henderson
( have made the support of the Tayler
resolution the test Of Republican or
+ thodoxy, and 1 am obliged to wear the
yoke"
So far as this matter is a personal af-
1 fair. I may So that whatever happens
1 the member from Utah can congratu-
D al, .i,.t5,