The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-18
REPUBLICAN POL YGAMY.
Denver Post)

IL
Washington manipulators are making it
quite apparent to the people of Utah that
only Republican polygamists may hold
ONCE without censure or danger Of being
ousted.- Utahns are being taught that if
they will only be Republicans in politics
they may be Mormons in Greco and polyg-
! aTnists in practice at will. When the war
fare was first begun on Roberts, the now
rejected congressman, many non Mormon
Democrats who had no sympathy with
Roberts declined to take any part in the
proceedings because Of their belief that
the opposition was based on partisanShip
OF the most virulent type. At the same
! time they declined to offer any assistance
TO Roberts. being willing that he should
be rejected if the rule was to be made
applicable to all polygamfsts, the Repub-
Means as well as Democrats. In due time
Roberts was excluded from congress on
evidence that would not have suficed for
his conviction in justice court, but filed
all the demands Of a congress that was
more than willing to make a vicarious
sacrifice to virtue. In excluding him con-
gress undoubtedly exceeded its constitu-
t1onal powers, and by this provoked crit-
cism that would have been lacking had
However. there would be little objection
in Utah or elsewhere If other polygamists
were treated as Roberts.
Congressman Lentz Of Ohio made
charges in the house that President Nc
Kinley had appointed polygamists to Of
fee. The charges were made the subject
of an official investigation by a sub-com-
nittee that has just agreed on report
fully generating the president. From the
| information at hand the subcommittee
| failed lamentably in its duty. 1t acted
from the beginning as II DESTROYS of excul-
pating the president. Orson Smith, pres
ident Of the Cache stake, a notorious po-
lygamfst, was appointed postmaster at
Logan, and John c. Graham, equally well
! known as believer and practicer of plu-
raj marriage, was made postmaster at
Provo. Logan and Provo are the third
and fourth largest cities in the state. In
both towns are large numbers Of nom
Mormons. In Logan, when the probabil-
~ Of Smiths appointment was reported,
the Rev. Mr.. Clemenson, Presbyterian
minister, wrote the president, protesting
against Smiths appointment on the
ground of his polygamous life. Following
this, because he received no reply, he ad-
dressed two stronger letters of protest
Then he received an acknowledgment Of
the receipt of all the letters from the
presidents secretary, who stated that
they had been brought to the presidents
attention. Surely Mr.. Clemenson was the
very witness needed by the congressional
committee, but he never was called. Since
his appointment Smith fed the country,
he has been stripped of his ecclesiastical
offices and the postofiee as WELL but not
because of his plural wives. Graham is
the owner Of the only paper in Utah that
supported Mckinley In 1896. The Provo
postoffice was his reward, and he won't be
disturbed in its profits, not if he had a
hundred wives.
The report of the committee marks the
end Of the crusade which has resulted in
the rejection of a Democrat, the retention
of a Republican equally guilty and the
embarrassing OF the president. The les
son is an easy one to the people of Utah.
If they desire to practice polygamy they
must first ally themselves with the Re-
publican DartV