The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-29
ADOPT PAPER
ON P0LYGAMY
Local Ministers Advocating Con.
stitutiOnsl Amendment.
WILL PETITION CONGRESS-
PART OF MOVEMENT THAT is
NOW ON IN THE EAST.
WILL PETITION CONGRESS

A paper advocating q constitutional
amendment as the only effective and
sure means of dealing with polygamy
. IN this country was read before the
Ministerial alliance Monday morning,
and is now to be sent east TO a religious
organization whose object is to collect
all information about polygamy il can,
with a view TO peuuoning NOngress to
pass the desired amendment. The pa
per was quite lengthy, and, it is said,
contained some very strongly expressed
sentiment on the subject Of discussion.
The ministers are very Teticent about
what the paper said, but it was learned
yesterday that DR.. Wishard set forth
very strongly that in his belief an
amendment to the constitution of the
{ United States was the only means by
which pOlygamOus marriages and the
teachings of polygamy could be totally
and effectually erased from the cOun-
try. 1t was argued, il was stated, that
! local measures might check the actual
practice Of polygamy, but could not
{ deal d death blow to the teaching Of
/ it, because they do not preclude the
/ possibility of its practice somewhere
1 outside of their bounds
Put Stop to Teachings.
| a constitutional amendment, making
/ the practice of pOlygamy crime
| against the government, it was held,
would make the practice of it within
/ the bounds of this nation an impossi-
/ bility 50 long as the government stands,
and would thus make the teachings of
such principles in this country useless
/ and of no avail. The paper, it is stated
gave a historical sketch of nations
where polygamy had been pcacticed,
and their downfall was pointed out as
| the sure end of any nation where such
! practices were allowed to go unchecked.
/ The paper was endorsed by the min
| listers, after some changes had been
made. and it was decided to send It TO
the eastern organization to be used by
it in its work. This organization, when
is said to be comp, 5ed of active church
members of the large eastern cities,
| and especially of Boston, has under
taken the work of gathering all the m
| formation it can in regard TO polygamy
and its practice in the United States,
with a view TO presenting a petition TO
! congress asking that an amendment
be made TO the constitution covering
this much agitated question.
Get Monster Petition.
The information gathered in this
way, it is said, is placed before the
church-going people Of the east and eff
| forts, it is stated, will be made TO Sc
cure a monster petition TO congress. A
I number of papers read before religious
! bodies in this city on MOrmOnism and
! polygamy have been sent to this COM
| mittee, and signed petition TO be pre-
sented by the committee TO congress
! have also been sent, it is claimed The
religious bodies sending out these pa
pers have been very reticent about
their contents. and just what they con-
tanned is not known, but it has been
learned from good sources that the
tenor of all of them was toward con-
| stitutional amendment
The eastern organization is working
very quietly. and but little is known
about what it is accomplishing or when
the proposed petition is to be presented