Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-03-14
MORMON MARRIAGES.
A Peculiar Bill Passed by the Utah
Legislature.
The TEXT OF The MEASURE GIVEN.
The Author Of the Bill Makes Statement
~ to Why He Presented lt-what an
Opponent Of the Measure
Thinks Of IT,


Salt Lake City, March l2.--Yestcr.
day, three days before the legisla-
ture comes to Il close, the house, by
a vote of % to II, and after an excit-
ing debate in which more than "A
dozen members participated, passed
the Evans senate bill, amending that
portion of the revised statutes OF
Utah relating TO prosecutions for
adultery. Having passed the senate
last week by a vote OF II to I, tie
document now goes TO the governor
for signature.
This bill, which was introduced by
Senator A. D. Exams, of Juab county,
has caused more discussion and NOR"
feeling than any measure introduced
at the present session OF the leglsr-
ture. Its text is as follows;
Every person who has reason to believe
that a crime or public offense has bee
committed may make complaint against
such person before some magistrate haY-
ing authority to make inquiry OF sam.
provided that no prosecution for adultery
shall be commenced except on complaint
of the husband or wife or relative of the
accused within the first degree Of con-
sanguinity or Of the person with whori
the unlawful act is alleged to have been
committed, or Of the father or mother Of
said person, and no prosecution for un-
lawful Capitalization shall be commenced
except on complaint of the wife or alleged
plural wife of the accused; but this pro-
vso shall not apply to prosecutions undo"
section i2OS of the revised statutes, 1898,
defining and Furnishing polygamous mar
riAges.
In answer to Il request for state
ment as to the object of the bill Sen
ator Evans, its author, furnished the
Associated press the following:
My object In presenting the bill was two
fold In the first place, 1t was intended
to keep down public agitation by taking
away from certain agltators opportunity
to arouse perodic Jurors against the
Mormons, directly and indirectly against
the state of Utah. and for that reason It's
primary purpose was for the good Of the
state believe that a general law upon
our statute books, in conformity with the
laws of Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa. Ore
gon and North Dakota, and even more
liberal laws, would create much less api-
tati0n throughout the countr. than the
practice which has heretofore been re-
sorted to of arrestng every few weeks
some Mormon on charge Of unlawful
cohabtation and having the arrest an
nounced in glowing headlines " all those
newspapers throughout the conntrv which
can be induced to take up an anti Nor
mon crusade Everybody knows that
these arrests have been made for pu-
ltical and religious puipo and not
with any patriotic desire to enforce the
law
Representative W, &. Van Horn. who
made an imprisoned speech against
the passage of the bill in the house
yesterday, furnished the Associated
! press with the following statement:
| The first object Of the bill is Individually
| to prevent prosecution OF those main
| tanning polygamous relations long Since
| contracted The effect. however. will
| probably be to have adopted a constitl-
tional amendment giving power to con-
gress to legisate against polygamy ard
unlawful cohabltation, Laws passed I'M
| der such an amendment would be prose-
cuted by United States district attorneys
sworn to enforce the law, and the viola
lions will he carefully looked up by
| United States marshals and their assist