El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-10
MEXICAN
MORMONS
Not Worrying Over the Out
come Of the Roberts
Case
WILLHELP THEIR CAUSE,
They Claim, By Drawing the
Attention Of the World To
Their Religion And
Their Colonies
Special Correspondence of the HERALD.

Special Correspondence of the HERALD.
| NUEvA CASAS GRANDES. Mexico,
January 1O.-In the Mormon colonies
of Mexico, where many thousands of
the followers of Joseph Smith and
Brigham Young have found refug e
from the antl-poligamy laws of the
United States, the Roberts case is
necessarily attracting much attention.
| In public the colonists have as a rule
questions connected with their church
unless asked and then they cheerfully
give information.
Your correspondent secured an in
terview with J. n. James, one of the
leading merchants of Nueva Casas
Grandes, and one of the leaders of the
Norman church in Mexico, that proba-
bly, expresses the views of the msjori-
ty of the colonists. Mr.. James was
one of the pioneer emigrants to Mex
loo having left Utah with his three
wives to escape prosecution under the
Edmunds-Tuckera act. He is personal
ly acquainted with Brigham 81. Roberts.
Mr.. James said, 81 expect 10 see Mr..
Roberts deprived of his seat in con-
gress. He does not expect snything
else himself, but of course he can not
think of giving up without making a
fight for his rights. The Mormons in
Mexico are not worrying in the least
hn r hnp
any. On the contrary it will rather
help US by drawing more from Utah to
Mexico. Then there are many young
Mormons who have fallen away and be-
come lukewarm who may thus be lead
back to the faith of their father
1 think, too, it will help our cause by
drawing the attention of the world.
People will ask themselves, Who are
the Mormons? What do they think and
believer And they will be led to in
quire into our belief and practices
and many conv erts will be made by
this.
"Polygamy is no longer practiced in
the church except as to those who con-
tracted such marriages prior to the de-
cree against them. Mr.. Roberts is
one of these aud he would not and
could not desert any one of his wives
for seat in congress or any other
position under the United States. The
church would never allow him to do
that. This is what his opponents want
him to do and in Utah if a man is
proven to be properly married to two
women he Is sent to the penitentisry
for five years while If he Is only living
with them he will get three months.
We intend to observe Uncle Sans
laws by keeping away from them and
that is why We are in Mexico.
''In this country they are consistent
aud a man cannot be prosecuted except
on complaint of his wife. Then he can
be punished, but no Mormon has any
thing to fear on that score. Indeed,
any man ought to be punished if his
own wife complains against him, and
the church would gladly see him sent
to the penitentiary. But in the Unite
States they force the entire fam
lily except the fret wife to
give evidence. and that is the only
way they can ever convict any
one. You see what sort of evidence
they have been able to get against
Roberts, nothing but rumors and hear
say. With US, a man could not take q
second wife unless his first wife gives
her consent or q third without the con-
sent OF both the others.
"The Mormons in Mexico are not
worrying about what they do in the
United States. About fifty per cent
here are polygamists aud until recent
years all we're, because they left Utah
for that very reason. We are just go
ing on with our colonizing and we ex-
pect to fill up this entire country, with
Mormons and make it the finest part
of Mexico.
"The scriptural argument for poly
Ramy," added Mr.. James, sis unan-
swerable If one processes TO believe in