The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-12

within the Territory of Utah and an
nulled all legislative acts providing for
their election by the Legislature; it
took from the women Of the Ter
ritory the right of suffrage and an
nulled ali acts Of the Territorial as
sembly authorizing the registration and
voting Of females, it imposed upon
every lawful voter, as condition prec,
edent TO his right 10 register or vote
or hold Office in the Territory of Utah,
the taking of an oath not only to sup
port the Constitution OF the United
States and obey the laws, especially the
acts Of 1862 relating to bigamy. and
this act in relation TO the crimes defined
and forbidden, and provided further
that no person who shall have been
convicted of any crime under this act
or previous acts of Congress, or who
shall be a polygamist or cohabit polyg-
amously with another shall be entitled
to vote at any election In the Terri
tory, or serve on jury, or hold any
Office of trust or profit, 1T annulled all
laws looking to the organization or main
tenance of the Nauvoo Legion, and that
the militia of the Territory should be
subject to the laws of the United
States, and, in a word, this community
of polygamists and law-breakers were
practically denied all participation in
the government of the Territory of
Utah and the entire administration of
affairs was taken charge of by the Gov.
ernment of the United States.
Doomsday for Hierarchy.
This series of enactments by the Ma
tlonal Government was 30 sweeping and
drastic as TO carry conviction TO the
minds of the leaders of this Mormon
community that the National Govern
ment had finally determined TO enforce
obedience of its authority and uproot
and utterly destroy the last vestice of
tins twin relic of barbarism. - Dooms-
day had come for this abominatiou and
the hierarchy saw no possible avenue
of escape except through the interven-
tion of the courts of the United States.
which, IL was hoped, would pronounce
these enactments unconstitutional I'M
der that provision of the Constitution
which declares that Congress shall
make no law respecting the establish
exercise thereof. IT was cOntended
then. as it is by some today, that polvg-
amy and polygamous cohahitation are
religious rites with which the National
Government has no power to interfere.
But TINS contention was summarily dis
posed of by the Supreme court of the
United States, and particularly in the
case OF inc mormon cnurCn VS. INp
United States, 1876 United States Su-
preme Court Reports, page !. which tore
the mask from this hypocritical pre-
tense and exposed it 10 public scorn
and contempt. | beg to quote the opln-
ION of the court, delivered by Justice
Bradley:
II Is unnecessary here TO refer TO the
past history Of the sect. 20 their defiance
OF the Government authorities. 10 their
attempt TO establish an Independent com
munty. TO their effort 10 drive from the
Territory all who were not connected
with them in communion and sympathy.
The tale is one Of patience on the part
Of tho American Government and people
and of contempt of authority and resist
ance TO law on the part OF the Mormons
Whatever prosecutions they may have
suffered In the carly part OF their history
in Missouri and Illinois. they have no eX-
cuse for their persistent defiance of law
under the Government OF the United
States,
One pretense for this obstinate course
is that their belief in the practice OF