New-York tribune., 1901-04-22
EARNEST WOVEN PROTEST.
THEY CALL ATTENTION TO THE STATUS
OF THE POLYGAMY QUES-
TION IN UTAH.
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: feel it my duty join with those VINO
have preceded in protesting against the mis-
leading statements made by Mrs. Susa Young
Gates. of Provo. Utah, both in her interVie" pup
lished in The Tribune of March 16 and in her let
ter in reply TO Mrs James. which was puoished
in The Tribune of April G.
Ihe true women of the country cannot a1Iord 10
remain silent while the Mormon octopus fastens
MS tentacles upon an increasing number OF states
and while the Mormon leaders using their
skiIfully trained women means of decelvlnS
the country. so as to help the work OF planting
the institution Of polygamy in all the western
states. Since they are carrying on TINS scheme
by wholesale false pretence 1t is all the more Inn
portant for US to be the alert to expose the
gigantic fraud
10 my mind. one of the most misleading state
ments in Mrs. Gates's letter is her assertion that
Senator Evans knew that other States possessed
such measure as he sought to introduce, meah-
ing such provisions contained In the
Evans Poygamy bill. OF course. she has refer
ence to Mr.. Evans's claim that his proposed law
would be in conformity to the provisions con-
tanned in the laws of Michigan Minnesota, oregon,
Iowa and North Dakota
Now, no woman engaged in this anti-poygamy
movement has anything say by way of apology
for loose laws upon this upon any other vital
question affecting the general welfare of society.
me sooner @ any defect in any such laws IS re-
ine better every good and true woman VIII lhe ~
is the hypocrisy Of the Mormon pretence that a
law which would prevent any except members
OF the FAMILY involved from instituttng proSecu-
ton for polygamous living In Utah would bring
about similar conditions to those In other Sta states
where the relatives of the injured. party would be
the first to prosecute such criminals In Utah,
where all members of pol oygamous households are
oathDound not to give evidence against such law
breakers, the Evans bill would have made IT abso-
lutely impossible ever to bring a polygamist INTO
court, so long he remained good Mormon, and
committed such abominable crimes only with those
who are devotees of that polygamous system. This
was the very reason why the Mormon leaders fa-
vored the Evans BILL until they saw that 1t would
bring on an anti-poygamy amendment. If Mrs.
Gates has taken the trouble to read the debates
upon the bill. she knows this far better than any
Eastern person can know It. Hence all her pre-
tences to the contrary are disngenuous in every
particular. and should be thoroughly exposed wher-
ever she attempts to promulgate them.
1t is bad enough in Utah without the Evans bill,
and. unless We get a constitutional amendment
soon which will enable uproot polygamy for
ever. America bids fair to become a byword among
the civilized nations of the earth. Hence say let
this agitation go on. If Mrs Gates or any other
woman rushes into print TO deceive the public, lie;
the patriotic women of the land that all such
misrepresentatons are exposed. so that the cause
may not suffer Let US be thankful to The Tribune
for giving Woman's Page where women
can be heard Yours truly,
FRANCES B. HAMLIN.