The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-16
PROUD OF THE ENMITY.

|
mass, friend urges The Tribune to
state anew the position of both,
1t is pleasure. although ono would
deem it ordinarily without need, to dc
clare in the most positive terms that
the American party has neither suggest
ed nor desired TO take from the Nor
mon people any one Of their civil
rights. On the contrary, the American
PARTY and The Tribune have been and
are most solicitous to sec these rights
deserved and maintained. II is the
Descret News which insists that the
! Mormon people must all lose their fran
chise and their right to hold Office if
Reed Smoot shall be excluded from the
Senate. The organ of the hierarchy
makes this claim in order to frighten
| the Mormon mass into a rally for the
support and protection of the offending
hierarchs, AS usual, the chiefs of the
church hope to interpose the whole body
Of non.offending Mormons between the
| law breaking chiefs and the vengeance
of outraged law and public sentimental
ity. So the Deseret News tells the Nor
mon voters that the effort TO exclude
Reed Smoot responsible member of the
hierarchy, pledged to treason and to
! breaking, is really directed at them
in their innoccncy: and that, if tho
| effort against Smoot shall be successful,
every Mormon will lose his civil rights,
The hierarchy would prefer this fate for
their followers. They would prefer TO
! immediate the whole mass, first to pro-
tect themselves, and second. to suffer
with themselves, rather than to see the
innocent mass segregated from the
guilty class and made Independent
thereby of the corrupt and lawless lead
ership which seeks to enslave them.
Against this cruel infamy the Ameri-
can party sets its face firmly. II be-
lieves that the Mormon people shouId
retain their civil rights, and that they
should so discharge their duty that
neither under law nor social convention
could they be deprived of any Of those
prerogativcs which arc dearer to Ameri-
cans than life itself
SO far as the work of Senator Dubois
is concerned. he simply asks that the
State Constitution of Idaho shall be
obeyed. Is there anything offending
or unpatriotic or cruel in that insist
ence7 The Mormons joyfully accepted
the privileges of citizenship in Idaho
under the existing fundamental law.
They pledged themselves to its observ-
| apco JTphor ibo,- b,.-o
lived and under its provisions they can
continue to live in equal enjoyment of
all the opportunities which arc afforded
in a free State for free people-if
they will. But that Constitution pro-
vides for the exclusion from civil rights
Of certain classes of people. a part of
the language of the document is as fol-
lows:
No person is permitted to vote. serve
| as a juror or hold any civil office who
is under guardianship. idiotic. OF insane
OF treason felony. embezzlement of the
| public funds. bartering selling. Of
lering TO barter or sell his vote
! chase the vote OF another. or
| othe" infamous crime and who has not
been restored TO the rights of citizen
ton. is confined In prison on conviction
| OF criminal offcnsc. or who is a big
| amist or polygamist. or is living in what
is known as a patriarchal. plural or sell
| ostlal marriage. or In violation of any
law or this State. or OF the United
States. forbidding any such crime. or
who. in any manner teaches, advises
counsels. aids or encourages any person
10 enter into bigamy, polygamy. or such
PHiTsTcn2 DluTa or voatoI sles55a Of
such law. or TO commit any such crime
or who IS member OF con-
tributes 20 the support. aid. or encour-
| agement OF any order. organization. as
sociation. corporation or society. which
teaches. advises. counsels encourages. or
aids any person to enter into bigamy;
polygamy. or such patriarchal or plural
marriage, or which teaches. or advises
that the laws OF the State prescribing
rules OF civil conduct. are not the SUI
nese, or persons of MonGolian descent,
not born In the United States. nor In
their tribal relations and adopted the
habits Of civilization. either vote, serve
as Jurors, or hold any civil office,
Unless the Mormon church cOunsels,
encourages or aids any person to engage
in polygamy, or unless it inculcatcs
treason, no Mormon (because of his
membership in his church, can under
that provision be deprived of his civil
rights in Idaho. II the Mormon church
does counsel or encourage polygamy, or
does teach treason. then, according to
the Constitution of that State. It's mem
bers have no right TO vote or hold
Office.
In their time tho hierarchs have been
great sticklers -for Constitution. DO
they desire 10 see notification Of the
fundamental law of Idaho; or do they
desire TO see 1t maintained according
to its letter and its spiritl The chiefs
of the church have practically admitted
that the church teaches and encourages
, polygnmy, because they have avowed
that tho enforcement of the State Con.
stitution in Idaho. as Senator Dubois
demands, would disfrauchise their poo.
, pie. They have given further evidence
; that the church teaches polygamy, for