Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-03-25
CONGRESS AND THE MoRMONS


CONGRESS AND THE MORMONS
During the discussion Of the questions
raised by the opposition against Sena-
tor Smoot, which have been more par
tlcularly IN relation to the Mormon"
Church, It's doctrines and government,
there have been many extreme and
foolish Views entertained and ex-
pressed One Of the most absurd ha1
been lie notion that. because It Is
suspected and alleged that some plural
marriages have been entered into by a
few "Mormons.' although that would
be In violation Of a rule OF their
Church, the whole State Of Utah may
be excluded from the Union. Another
just as foolish IL, that II proof Of such
marriages can be substantiated, the
Mormon people may be all dlsfran-
chised.
The power to admit new States into
the Union n vested in Congress by the
Constitution, from which the national
government derives all its powers. As
to the expulsion OF State from the
Union the Constitution II silent. Some
Of the foremost lawyers In the United
States declare that Congress has no
such authority. Among them Is Sena-
tor George +. Edmunds. who discussed
this matter before Utah became a
State.
Nor has Congress any right to pre-
scribe the qualifications Of voters In a
sovereign State. That prcrogatiye be-
longs to each State for itself. The
power 10 dIsfranohise citizens OF a
State Is not vested In the Congress OF
the United States. There are some
rash and bigoted preachers who do not
understand these simple matters, and
also n number of women belonging to
religious societies, who have been clam
oring for members of both houses TO
expel Senator Smoot and disfranchlse
the "Mormons," and who cannot wait
for the gentleman's defence or for the
case before the committee to be fin
ished. Commenting on the course Of
some of those uniformed and intoler-
ant persons, the New Orleans States has
the following editorial;
II seems that the Detroit Pastors
union have decided TO petition Con-
gress to rescind the act admitting Utah
10 statehood because of the exposure
made OF the practices Of the Mormon
Church, The action of the Pastors
Union was inspired by a jealous but
not judicious expounder OF the gospel
who Icjolces In the name OF Crafts, but
both he and his associates appear 10
be ignorant Of the fact that state
cannot be put out of the Union by an
act of Congress, and before they mail
their petition to Washington they
should read up the speeches of ex-Sen-
ator Edmunds who was the father OF
the antl-polygamy act, When the Brig
ham Roberts case was pending In Con-
gress Mr.. Edmunds said;
THE instant the State was admitted,
every act OF Congress relating TO its
internal policy ceased to have any force
whatever, The consequence Is that In
point OF law the State OF Utah has the
same sovereign rights that any other
State has. She may punish polygamy
or unlawful cohabitation, or she may
authorize Il. She may declare, as Con-
gress has done, that illegitlmate chill
dren shall not Inherit, or she may de-
clare, as she appears to have done since
her admission, that illegitimate chill
dren shall inherit on an equal footing
with legltimates. The constitution or
Utah only prohibits the ceremony OF
making polygamous or plural mar
rlage. 1t does not prohibit the carry
ing on of polygamous relations
There are a great many things, as
Mr. Edmunds Indicated In his speech,
that a state can do without
coming I'm conflict with the Con-
stitutOn OF the United states,
and II Is well to call the atten-
ton Of the pastors Of Detroit TO, the
fact that the Constitution points way
by which State can be put out OF the
Union after II has once been admitted.
Ex-senator Edmunds has much bet
ter knowledge OF constitutional law
than theology. and the law he has laid
down respecting the sovereign rights OF
Utah as n State Of the American Union
IS likely TO be dlscouraging to the De-
trot Pastors Union and others, VINO
have enthusiastically preclpitated them
selves into a crusade against Mormon
ism and everything connected win H.
II must be clear to every fair reason
or that the acts alleged against a very
few OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF them have as
vet been proved--are not TO be justly
construed as Offenses committed either
by the state or by the Church. The
State has forbidden them by law, the
church has prohibited them by Il regu-
larry adopted rule, Even IL substan-
tated they would constitute merely
sporadic cases, as they are called for
which the individuals concerned are
alone responsible,
To talk OF resembling the act By
| which Utah became state because
there have been some violations OF It's
laws is to utter the veriest nonsense
TO camor for the disfranchlsemen OF
many thousands Of innocent members
Of Church because Of the alleged mis-
deeds Of few Of their number Is
equally absurd and both are at variance
with the genius of American govern
mcnt and proceed from ignorance oil
intolerance or both combined
THOSE "SILLI" FALSElI0ODS