The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-10-13
ARIGONA's MORMO-r VOTE.

President Roosevelt 8 second appeal
with respect to the Arizona vote on
Joint Statehood with New Mexico, ex~
hibits anew his great interest IN the
admission Of these two Territories as
one unit His first appeal was to the
people OF Arizona in favor of the joint
Statehood proposition direct. His
newer appeal is to see that those who
vote tor Joint Statehood shall not be
cheated out of the benefit of their vote
by election frauds or by a dishonest
count of the returns, This latter as
sumes, apparently, that the honest vote
of Arizona is liable to be in favor Of
joint Statehood. We do not know on
what basis President Roosevelt acts IN
making this SUGGESTION. 1t Is certain
that there has been nothing else than
his suggestion to convey any such idea,
Both parties IN Arizona have declared
! emphatically against joint Statehood,
| and there appears to be no open public
sentiment for 1t, but united and en-
phatlc sentiment against 1T.
We have no idea where the President
gets his idea that the vote for joint
Statehood will be so strong that fraud
viii be necessary to overcome it, or of
any undercurrent which would lead 10
the apparent conclusion at which he
has arrived, unless it IS that he has
learned the will of 'the authoritiesn
in Salt Lake City. We have all along
| al 4 h.. .L.A -
Mormon vote controlled from church
headquarters IN this city is liable TO
be cast in a body for joint Statehood.
| The Mormon voters in Arizona have
no special tealty toward the public
! sentiment Of that Territory, there is
\ nothing in their relations to the Ari-
Zona entity that would in the least
weaken the control that the hierarchs
here have over that vote The great
incentive which would actuate the hie-
rarchs here in casting the Mormon vote
of Arizona for joint Statehood, IS that
further danger OF any prosecutions for
| polygamy or unlawful cohabitation.
1t will be remembered that last win
| ter there was considerable sensation
created by the fling of "a number Of
suits against certain polygamous Nor
mons in Arizona by the United States
Attorney there. The fling of those
suits was extremely distasteful to the
ecclesiasts, both IN Arizona and in
| Utah. These ecclesiasts could easily
see, and no doubt do see, way out of
all such Affections md prosecutions in
the future. That way is by supporting
the Statehood movement and joining
Arizona and New Mexico as one State.
With that done, prosecutions for the
| pet ecclesiastical crime and vice would
be as dead in Arizona as they are in
Utah. The people of Arizona would
see, as the people of Utah see, the arm
Of the law absolutely paralyzed in all
such cases, They would see also the
shameful spectacle-as we see here
Of the accused criminal debating terms
to the prosecuting officials when case
is forced upon their attention. \ COM
plant Is made against the chief HE
rarch for distinct and definite crime
The officials ascertain that this ecclesi-
asst does not wish to face the courts on
any such charge, but is willing to be
held on q minor count which amounts
practically to nothing more than a mis-
demeanor, in place of the felony
charged, When his will is made
known, the prosecuting officials hasten
to obey it; they change the complaint
at once to meet his views; issue war.
rant which is never served aud upon
which no return is made; the whole
matter being attended TO by proxy for
the lordly autocrat, his attorney ap-
pearing for him and transacting all OF
the distasteful business. In the mean.
time, the case is hung up IN the courts
to be brought forward at some conve-
nient time or not at all as the culprit
himself may direct. This immunity
this dictation by the hierarchs in their
own cases, is the p.tze for which the
Arizona Mormons will hope when they
vote for joint Statehood.
We take it that there can be no ques
tion but that the word has gone Cor is
eoing) TO Arizona from headquarters
here TO have the Mormon vote there
cast in favor Of the joint Statehood
President Roosevelt s recent warning
against fraudulent votes and dishonest
count seems TO set the matter beyond
all question. The updercurent which
he has in view in making this warning
undoubtedly is the Mormon vote and
he has been made aware Of how it is
10 be cast