Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1904-09-29

Il VIII venture the assertion said +
Senator Fred T Dubois of Idaho a the
Hotel Portland yesterday, that Oregon
will have the Mormon question to deal
with Very soon" says the Portland
Oregonan. I'll go further-she has
it today. If you will go through the
eastern part of the state, if you will
visit Baker City and LaGrande, you
will find the Mormons you will find
polygamy. Within a little while you
will be fighting this insidious creed in
Oregon. as the democrats of Idaho are
fighting it today The Mormons have
not abandoned polygamy. Their
church is in politics. 1t has outgrown
Utah and is eating its way into every
state where it can find foothold."
so far" says Senator Dubois, lis
Mormonism from being dead issue in
Idaho. that it is the principle issue of
the present campaign in that state.
which elects a governor and other Of
ficials next November.
I'm fact, there is no other issue" said
the senator. The republicans deny it!
systematically, but they are fighting the
| ANU pldIlh AL Tic oclIioCldtiN
platform with all their might and main.
In the Oregonian Of today, W. E.
| Borah, who has. been and is a repub-
lican candidate for the United States
senate, says in an interview that Nor
monism is not an issue. But. mark
you, he talks of nothing else but Nor
monism in all his interviews. Me-
thinks said Shakespeare, that the
lady doth protest too much; Mormon
ism is an issue. The Mormons are in
politics. They are stealthy and insid
ious. They never sleep. They poll
$1,000 votes in Idaho and the republic
can party is trucking to that vote.
The democrats are fighting against it
and l say again. and every man in
Idaho knows it, there is no other issue
in Idaho today.
The history of Mormonism in Idaho,
as chronicled by Senator Dubois, is
about as follows: In 1890 the Nor
mon church issued manifesto declar-
ing against plural marriages. Up to
that time the question had been a
burning one in Idaho, but the manifesto
settled it for some years. The Nor
mons ostensibly abandoned the doc
trine of polygamy and all was peace.
The church, however, always remained
political unit. The Mormons elected
their own people to Office and to the
Legislature. AS their strength grew
in the Legislature, they gradually re-
pealed the statutes prohibiting poly
CANA and illegal cohabitation.
To-day" said Senator Dubois 1.-The
state of Idaho has no law providing a
punishment for polgamy. no law by
which adultery may be penalized. 1t
stands alone among all the states of
the union. Does this look though
Mormonsm We're dead issue or a:
though polygamy had been aban-
doned?"
At the state convention held in Au-
gust the democrats of Idaho inserted
the following plank in their platform.
We demand the determination of
polygamy and unlawful cohabitation ir
the state of Idaho. and the separation
of church and state in political af-
fairs. We pledge the democratic part.
to enact such legislation as will eff
fectively suppress such evils.
HIS IL Nufii II hlloNll dts Tie anu
Mormon plank, the necessity for which
is denied by the republicans and is sait
by them to be merely a gratuitous 'sLal
at the Mormons, a class which, the.
say, is law-abiding and industrious.
is there anything wrong about tina
declaration asked Senator Dubois
If there is no polygamy, will it do an.
harm? Isn't it what the republican ma
tional convention declared for in 1865
when it protested against those twill
relics OF barbarism. polygamy an,
slavery. But in Idaho the republican
didn't dare to put any such plank il
their platform. The democratic planl
may cost the party $4,000 Mormon
votes. but it's right and the plank i
there to Stay. And. l think well vii
on it
Governor Morrison.' the present chic
executive of the state, was not renom
mated by the republicans. and F'ranl
Gooding, a sheepman. is running 70
the ONCE against the democratic can
didate. Henry Heitfeld. a farmer an,
an ex-United States senator. The re
suit. Senator Dubois says, is in doub,
He makes no extravagant claims. bu
says merely that the democrats deserv
to win and he hopes for success.
I'VE have at least called the atten
ton Of the people to the absence o
| laws for the punishment of polygamy
unlawful cohabitation and adultery,
said the senator. 1T seems to me tina
anyone could draw his own conclusions
THE special reason for this fight l
the activity of the Mormons politically
q thing which has always been the Sc
cret Of their strength. They vote 70
candidates on the sole issue of whsthe
they are Mormons or not. that is thei
chief interest. Two years ago tn