The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-02-23

the single empty lire that now is found
in the bill?
Mr.. Teller rose
Mr.. McComas-I yield to the senator. |
MI Teller win answer the senator.
II these people whom we propose to
admit into the Union are capable of
self government, that is a question
which they are capable of disposing of
for themselves. You admit that there
are in Arizona at least four men who
dissent from the doctrine of poIygamy
10 one who does not, if you insist that
every Mormon is in favor of it, and
that you will not pretend.
Now, [ am one of those who believe
that the states have something to do
with maintaining government and l
believe that these people should come
into the Union just as Wyoming came
| in. The senator from Wyoming tAlr-
Warren) will bear me out in the state
ment that they did not have any such
! provision in the Wyoming constitu-
! ton. You did not exact anything of
| that kind from us when we came into
| the Union. You did not exact it of the
various other states that have come
into the Union. And now you propose
/ to apply it to these territories, and you
| can only excuse yourself upon the the
/ Dry that when these states shall be ad-
mitted the people are incapable OF
handling that question.
l will trust the people of New Mex
| leo. where there are not, in my judg-
/ ment, Mormons enough to make any
/ possible difference in the election one
way or the other: and if they were all
pOlygaEliSts, they could make no con-
| siderable impression on that popuIa-
/ ton. There are there a class of peo-
pie who have observed the marriage
| relation in its purity and in its best
! sense, who have not yet got into the
| wild way of free and easy divorces,
| and who believe that the marriage re-
ltlation once established shall be main
| tained-one wife and only one wife
| | viii venture to say that If there IS
any attempt to establish polygamy in
New York. the New Mexican people
/ viii handle it. You do not need to put
any bonds on them The people of Ari-
zona will handle it. You do not need
to put any bonds on them The people
| of Arizona are largely Americans.
| There is a~pOpulation there that is
more American in proportion than in
| New Mexico.3 and they are as capable
| and as able to take care of themselves
as any etherrpopulation ON the Ameri-
| any necessity of putting any provision
against polygamy in these constitutions
| or any constitutions
! Mr.. McComas-And ii seems to be of
little weight that, having lived for more
| than half century under our institu-
| lions, nearly all the population having
| been born under the American flag,
| they have not learned our language in
| addition to their own language, which
/ the senator assures me is so facile and
/ resourceful in talking serious matters,
1 and love also. j have no doubt that is
true. never tried Spanish. The Nor
! mon creed was established by those
| who speak English and it is a prop
uganda by missionaries who speak
English The population of Arizona in
half century, born and raised under
this English-speaking government.
have not learned the language of that
government 1t is unnecessary to de-
fend or to exclaim the tendency of all
men to love the mother tongue, because
| that is innate; 1t can not be helped.
But the enterprise of citizenship has
made the mass of those who have come
/ to US from other Netherlands learn our
tongue that they may know our in
situations and laws.
These people. who are nearly all
speaking Spanish, may not be able to
4 compete with the propaganda of big
amy and polygamy of~those Mormons
in Mexico, who are so steadily increas-
ing and are not so small a proportion
/ of the population as the senator now
thinks. A larger and relatively becom-
I ing larger and larger portion of that
population are the Mormons of Ari-
IONA.
1t does seem to me that if the mass
of those people have not framed an
English law TO restrict that which un-
der the name of religion is crime and
a sin against public morals, We are
short of our duty, we are recreant 70
our trust. when we take a territory
of the United States and fashion it into
statehood, if we fail to engraft upon
the organic act that which in plain
English prevents these people from be-
ing oyerrun on the north with the Utah
settlement of sMormonismg with addi-
tions in Idaho and Wyoming, and even
in Colorado, aad on the south the in
creasing settlement of Mormons in
Mexico, and. between the TWO, ART
ZOna-
1 say, Mr.. President. in this matter
we cannot spend time better, if we are
to make states out of such territory
now, first of all to do that which in
Spanish they cannot enact. but which
in English it is our duty to make plain
in the organic act when it is passed.
ITO be continued tomorrow