Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1900-02-02

uaS gwen out the following statement
in relation to his exclusion:
sour griefs are past when remedies
are ended
By seeing the worst whloh late on hope
depend.
81 was elected by the people Of Utah
as their representative by the su bstsn-
tial plurality Of 5665 votes. An effort
WIS made by what I believe to be an
unconstitutional an unprecedented pro-
cess to exclude me from the House
Of representatives. In behalf of myself
and my constituents, comprising the
entire population of the state of Utah,
did all I could to maintain the posi-
ton to which they had elected me; but
the house Of representatives, 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 constituents, sim
glehanded and alone, 10 the best of my
ability. but have been overwhelmed by
force of numbers.
Notwithstanding all that has been
sail, the people OF Utah are not law
less people, Those Of them who have
been involved in the past in the plural
marriage system oncs taught and sane
toned by the church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints are not wanton vio-
lators of the laws; out finding them
! selves in the position where the law
commands to do one thing and moral
obligations sacredly entered into under
the sanction of the Mormon church
com nands to do another, they are
placed in very trying situation, and
some few o. them. including myself,
may have found it necessary to reg ard
their moral Obligations as more bind
ing upon their consciences than their
technical obedience to statutory law.
Such position, however is but trans
itory in Utah and CON es down to the
Mormon people from conditions grow
ing out cf the plural marriage system
of the past. The condition here refer
red to, however, is rapidly passing
away. From authentic figures officially
collected recently by the Mormon
church it has been ascertained that t
the time of the discont nuance of plural
marriages under the authority of the
late President Woodruff's manifesto in
September, 1890, there were 1915 poly
gainous families throughout the whole
Mormon church. Since then it has
been ascertained that 90S of these fam
lilies have ceased TO exist through
death, divorce, or abandonment, lesv-
ing at the present time but SO poly
gamous families in the church
throughout the world, and as most of
these ere well advanced in years
and all beyond middle life the system
will soon be obliterated from the earth /;
and under the circumstances there has
been little excuse for ths extraordinary
efforts put forth throughout the coun-
try to crush system OF marriage al
ready practically abandoned and dead.
1.-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 polygamy or to
stuff it down the throats of the Ameri-
can congress or people.
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 There Is not
virtue enough, it appears in the
American house Of representatives to
stand for their convictions as to what
is right in this matter Only Friday
morning the representative from Utah
received Q communication from o
person who is evidently member Of
the. house, since the letter is written
upon house official stationery and sent
to him in an official envelope Of the
house of representatives, although the
signature is "A Republican Friend. ;
After citing the member from Utah to
a speech delivered by the Hon. James
q Blame IN 1872, with reference to
polygamy. he says: 4 regiet that l
am not at liberty to vote as my con-
science dictates on this questionable
Roberts case-for reasons which you
ully understand. President McKin-
~ and Speaker Henderson have made
ne support Of the Taylor resolution