The National tribune., 1900-02-01
NATIONAL WASHINGTON c. THURSDAY FEBRUARY

fiance of law. She had borne him six chill
dren, including twins in 1897.
Roberts had thus boldly and notoriously
defied the law but he had not yet suffi.
GENTLY shown his utter contempt for it
So In order to show how he despised the
authority of the law and the American
| Congress- he married third wife, the teS
hmonY showing the ceremony took place
after Utah was admitted to the Union.
And this" said Mr.. Tayler, was the
gentleman whose rights under the Ameri-
can Constitution are so sacred that he must
be brought before the House to take the
oath OF Office, to support the Constitution
and the laws. which, in his private life, ne
has so ,persistently and conspicuously de
fled and despised"
Representative Littlefield. of Maine, in
behalf of the minority report, followed
Mr.. Tayler. He suggested that if the
House could add to the list of qualifica-
tons i'll the legislation that member
should not he polygamiSt 1t could make
the same rule as 10 adultery, or trusts, TO
the effect that attorneys for trusts could
not be admitted to membership, and SO on
ad IniinItum. He wanted the House to dis
tinctly understand the difference between
| exclusion and expulsion.
| MIR. Litilefield traversed thoroughly the
| statement of the ma ajority to the effect
| that the E.dmunds-T Tucker act prohibited
the admission of Il polygamist to the House.
| The authorities and decisions relied upon,
he said, to support that contention, which
| Mr.. Iayler had said We're numerous in
and one in Colorado-and Mr.. Littlefield
asserted that these did not turn upon the
| question involved in the pending case
| the power of the House to add quallfica-
| tions fixed by the Constitution.
MIR. Littlefield appealed TO his hearers to
| decide and act Upon the case in the light
! of the Constitution, and not to be influ-
| encpl by fright or fear
hlr. Roberts took about an hour and
| hali Tor his presentation of the case. He
said the position OF neither majority nor
minority suited him. He would like the
Iority against exclusion. not only with re
jFect 10 what had been said, but to what
/ would be said and done i'll the further
consideration of the case. Laughter
Entering upon the serious discussion of
he matter, RobertS quoted from the find
lngS of tie committee and asked I" it, with
out Il violation of the Constitution of our
country yOjl can deny ne the right To APP
pear at the bar of the House from which
have been Improperly turned, and prevent
me from being sworn in -
The House. Mr.. Roberts said. was sub
Iect 10 a great temptation at this time to
respond TO the popular will without regard
TO the limitations imposed by the ConStitu-
ton.
Mr. Roberts said that the House now
proposed Il mO-e laWleSS act than pOiygamy
TO rebukc polYgamiSt. Mr. Roberts re
peated, as he had said on the second day of
the session. that he did not stand as the
advocate or defender of pOlygamy. 1t had
been conceded by Luther, to whom more
than any other man TIE n"0pe OF to-day
owe whatever religious and civil liberty
they possess, that polygamy was not pro-
hiblted by the Scriptures. and that it was
n crime merely because it was prohibited
by law. Utah had done so by her law.
Tie people who believed and practiced
polygamy, he said. had done so as a part
of their religion which they believed came
to them direct from God.
Mr.. Roberts described the conditions in
Utah in 1882 as a reign of terror. Special
funds We're granted TO the courts i'll Utah
and a judicial crusade started. Extra judi
cial powers were invoked against this par
ticular crime until a perfect reign of terror
existed throughout the Territory. Women
and children were driven into exile. Thir-
teen hundred men passed through prison
out of a small community Of less than
100000, not more than two per cent. Of whom
were at any time involved in the violation
Of this law; and out of that small num-
ier 100 passed through the prisons of
the Territory, the member from Utah
among the number. And these men, let
me say, both for the mercy of the courts
and also for the justification of the right
intentions in the hearts of the condemned
these men could have escaped this indig-
nifty by speaking word, and that was to
agree to give up this institution / re-
member that the day myself stood before
the court. q gentleman, now a District
Judge of Salt Lake City, Il personal friend
now. said to the court, This man need
not 90 TO prison if he will speak tie word
and say that ne will obey the law and
the word, because | felt AT that time that
it would have been like desertinS the cause
of God 10 do il. -'
Put. he continued. the t,nc came whan
the Mormon5 of Utah We're obliged to sub
init. and they did submit Since then
there had not been single plural marriage
IN Utah. Tho plural relations had Icel
broken up in many cases. Death had
kindly solved the problem for some. ard
The heartaches it left for some made them
wish the same end hal come TO them"
He insisted that the complc. with the |
Emitted States had teen, obsarye,t: tilat 10
lygany had practically ceased: that the |
Mormon Church bad given UP palygamy |
in good faith. MI. kolcrt said he had |
been in public f. iDr 20 %ears, and was |,
not driven 10 the Gcfcn Of his moral char |
actor. He waJ no; her, representing ;he !
Mormon Church. He hal rcac'yed q |
CREATE numhCr of vutcSfrom fcntiles THAI |
Mormons. You can neither exclude nor !
cxpcl me-" said Mr. ROtcrts III conclusion. |
u will cling SO hard to lii" pillars Of lii |
crty that you shall not drag me from them !
without lrinEinG down the whole temple 1
have lived with gool conscience until |
hiB day, and AN sens bic Of 70 net OF I
sh .nc UPON hay part. You can Irtnl me !
with Sfia ne and send me forth. Iut / ahali |
leave with head erect an b-oW unduanted. |
an walk tn earth 3s aug Is walk the !
Il lJu Is. If you violate the CoIstituti N. ail |
the shame VIII be WITH yoT.'
la tae Senate on Wedl"s iay tia, r,.solu- !
lion offered ly Mr.. f"itiG,ag. 81 Tuesday |
cabin" upon thc. President f.. tie rcuo.t OF |
Brig. :en. J ohm G. Bates on the s:sI.cracut |
m1dc Icy him with the Sultan Of Suiu WIS |
taken up AMI causi 'crcl. Tic resolution !
r,,.itrl Tie saI;.rirs paid Ia Ike Sultan and |
his otlili IlS, and inquired what fund ti:c,' !
were paid from and what services the Off !
Gals rendered. .--..
Mr.. P,ttigfrw spoke Of tie treaty as |
maintaining pGlysaIGy AMI slavery in tie |
Sulu group AM as providing that every |
slave can purchase iris freedom at tie rcgC-
lar market priqif. be said that The amount |
of tEe salarieabaid ~ the Sultan and his
officials under The trfaty is 50, i20. although |
the Spanish GsScrnmeHt pail them only |
$500. , - -, ra
Mr.. Spoener asked whether the Senator
from South Dakota asserted that the P-esi-
dent approved of the section OF the treaty |
recognizing slnycrN.
Il do" Mr.. Pettigrew replied.
Ihereupon Mr.. SpOoner tcad q DATA
graph from the Presidents message, show
ing that it was not TO be assumed that the |
President in any way recognized slavery i'm |
the Sulu Archipelago. Mr. Pe.tjercw
characterized that,a double dealing" and |