The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-21

They are good and tr5e women. The
law has said I shall part from them
Ny church has bowed 20 command
Of congress and relinqnished the prac-
tice Of plural marriages. But the law
cannot free me from obligations as
sunled before it spoke No power can
do that Even were The church that
sanctioned these marriages and per
formed the ceremonies 10 turn its back
upon Us and say the marriages are not
raiid now and that I aust give these
good and loyal women up, III be
damned If ! would
Law Not For Him.
"In this statement he a6heres to the
audaci0us assumption that the law Of
1882 did not speak to him and that he
did not recognize il as a rule Of con-
duct to him. We assert before the
house. the country and history that it is
absolutely and impregnaDly sound, not
10 be effectively attacked, consOnant
with every legislative precedent in har-
mony with the law and with the text
books on the subject; that Brigham II.
Roberts persistent notorious and de-
FAINT violation of one Of the most sol
emn acts ever passed By congress-. by
the verg body which he seeks now tc
enter on the theory that he is above
the law, and his defiant violations OF
the laws Of his own state, necessarily
render him ineligible, disqualified, unfit
and unworthy to be member of the
house OF Representatives. And this
proposition is asserted not so much for
reasons personal to the membership Of
the house as because il goes TO the very
integrity Of the house and the republic
as such"
Constituents Knew Elm.
IT. ...-t -,-,,,.s-,,7.s., = f,al,.,.--- ere
there is any fact apparent in this case,
II is that the constituents Of Mr.. Rob-
erts knew all about him before his
election. Can there be room to doubt
the proper action Of the house? Is it
prepared to yield up this salutary power
OF cxclusi0n2 VIII it declare itself de-
fenseless and ridiculOus7
Nor are those who assert that eX-
pulsion is the remedy necessarily barred
from voting for the resolution declaring
the seat vacant He must, indeed, be
technical and narrow in mis- cOnstTuc-
tion of the constitution who viii not
admit that if a vote to declare the seat
Va1ant is sustained by a twO-thirds ma
jOiity, the constitution IS substantially
complied with, He may not agree with
the committee that a mere majority can
exclude, but he can reserve the rigihl
to make the point Of order that tha
]
do not VOta for it.
Power of the House.
IF the house takes the action which
the minority Of the committee insists
it ought to take, 1t viii for the first
time in its history, part With a most
benefcent power which it has often
exercised power thai ought rarely to
be exercised, but which The house has
never declared 1t did not possess.
Mindful of the gravity of the qUes-
ton and realizing the responsibility
imposed upon Us, we recommend the
adoption Of the following resolution:
Resolved, That under the facts and
circumstances o. the case. Brigham h
Roberts, repreSentative-elect from the
state Of Utah, ought not to have or
hold a seat in the house Of representa-
tives and that the seat to which he
was elected IS hereby declared vacant
{Signed) ROBERT W. TAYLER,
CHARLES 5. Lands,
page MORRIS,
"ROMEO H. FREER,
SMITH MCPHERSON,
SAMUEL w. L LANHAAI
ROBERT W. MIERS.