The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-02-02


already abandoned and practically
dead. He said he was a martyr to a
"spasm of prejudice" He would not,
he said attempt to run for Congress
again, although he would go back home
with light heart, confident of the
future.
Mr.. Roberts Statement.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 25.-Mr. Brig
ham 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
Il was selected by the people of Utah
as their representative by the substan-
tial plurality of $500 votes. An effort
was made by what I believe to be an
unconstitutional and unprecedented
process to exclude me from the House
of Representatives. In behalf of my
self and my constituents, comprising
the entire population of the State of
Utah, l did all l could to maintain the
position to which they had elected me:
but the House of Representative under
the whip and spur of popular senti-
ment, have decided to exclude me from
the House. l have contended for my
rights and the rights of my constit-
uents, single-handed and alone, to the
best of my ability, but have been over
whelmed by force of numbers.
Notwithstanding all that has been
said, the people of Utah are not law
less people. Those of them who have
been involved in the past in the plural
marriage system, one taught and sane
toned by the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints, are not wanton
violators of the lawsl but finding them
selves in the position where the law
commands them to do one thing, and
moral obligations, sacredly entered into
under the sanction of the Mormon
church, command them to do another
they are placed in a very trying situa-
''"n 81 como fow oF them. including
the member from Utah, may have
Iounu IL necessary to regard their
| moral obligations as more binding
upon their consciences than their tech
| nical obedience to statutory law. Such
a position, however, is but transitory
/ in Utah, and comes down to the Nor.
| mon people from conditions growing
! Out VI Tie Dlul dl marriage .Sy SltH VI
/ the past. The condition here referred
to, however, is rapidly passing away
From authoritative figures officially
collected recently by the Mormon
church, it has been ascertained that a
the time of the discontinuance of plura
marriages under the authority of tn
late President Woodruff's manifesto
In September, 1890, there are 2,45
rNn1xycra fo,
whole Mormon church Since then j
has been ascertained that 90S of thes
families have ceased to exist throug
death, divorce or abandonment, leav
ing at the present time but ,543 polyg
amous families in the church through
out the world and as most of these ar
we'll advanced in years and all beyon
middle life the system will soon b
obllterated from the earth; and unde
these circumstances there has been lii
tie excuse for the extraordinary effort
put .orth throughout the country t
crush a system of marriage alread
practically dead and abandoned
The election of the member froI
Utah to the House OF Representative
was no effort on the part of the No
rmOn church to revive polygamv M
\ stuff it down the throat of the Amer
/ can Congress or American peopI
Nothing of the kind was contemplate
| in either his nomination or election. a
i reports to- the contrary notwithstanl
ing. The alleged statement often quo
ed to the effect that Brigham Youn
on July p, 1895, or at any other tim
declared that he would make n
= American people follow MormonisI
} po.ygamy and all, and that the o -ectir
OF the present member-elect from ITts
was an ellort to fulfill that predictio
Is absolutely untrue. He made no SUI
utterance and the recent agitation =
speeding MOrmonism and its being
menace to the purity of the Americ;
nome is utterly unwarranted by Il
facts in the case.
congress has been made to beliey
- however, that such was the intention
Mormonism, or al least have been aw
INTO acqulescence that such were
q intentions and hence have been led
vote to exclude the member from Uta
mere is not virtue enough. it appea,
IN the American House of Represent
tlyes to stand for their convictions
10 wat Is right in this matter. Or
TINS morning the representative fro
Utah received a communication from
person who is evidently a memberoft
House OF Represent atives since the !
ter is written on House stationery a
sent 10 him in an official enveIOpa
the House Of Representatives althou
the signature is a Republican frier
After citing the member from Utah
- a speech delivered by the Hon. Jan
II,