The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-03-17
NOTICE is SERVED,

In his brief but strong speech sup
porting his amendment TO the State
hood bill. covering what Is known as
the Idaho test oath TO prevent polyga-
mists and their supporters from voting
or holding office. Senator Fred T. Du-
bois laid down some propositions
which. having been accepted by the
Senate, may well be considered by the
ruling powers OF the Mormon church,
The senior Idaho Senator called atten
ton TO the fact that polygamy and po-
litlcal dlctation were still a part OF the
practice of the church leaders in Idaho
as elsewhere; that the constitutional
provision for a test oath statute to
eliminate Mormons from the voting and
lice-holdlng and jury-serving list, not
only still existed in Idaho. but its prin-
Ciple had been sustained by the Su-
preme court of the United States unan-
imously. and that II no other way
could be found to remedy existing evils
the people OF Idaho would enforce its
provision through acts of the Legisla-
ture and the judicial tribunals The
concluding paragraph of the speech Of
Senator Dubois gives the moral ground
upon which he established his demand
for an amendment to the Statehood
bill, and upon which the Americans of
Idaho viii stand when the Issue shall
be fairly brought before an American
Legislature:
The only reason why the people OF Ida
Tpnpglpl Con
stitution effective was on the solemn
pledge OF this organization, signed by
church and all the governing officers OF
the church, and ratified In open confer
ence by tho members of the church, that
polygamous living should cease and po-
litlcal dictation In affairs should cease.
Yet. Notwithstanding that, not only Jo-
seph +. Smith, the president. but many OF
the apostles who. with him, signed this
solemn covenant with the Government.
testified under oath that they are living
IN the polygamous relation now and In
tend to do so. when In doing that they
were violating the laws of God and man.
The folly and the tyranny-the Of
fense against law and the falsehood In
poltics-of the leaders OF the Mormon
church in a previous decade cost the
franchise and all the other political
rights of their people in the State Of
political leaders in that commonwealth
the hierarchy and its representatives
have been permitted. since Statehood
to continue their antagonism TO law
and 10 the Institutions of this country
without serious rebuke. But the peo-
pie are aroused In the North and the
newspapers, which express the public
view, are serving the same kind of no
tice as that indicated In the speech OF
Senator Dubois. Idaho is growing In
determination to have her laws obeyed.
and to remove ccclesiastlcism from the
direction of her affairs. VIII the Nor
mon church hierarchy reform their
methods. or Will they invoke again the
disfranchisement OF their people?
So far as The Tribune Is concerned it
reprehends the Idea Of dsfranchislnE
an innocent mass I'm order to reach the
guilty cluss but Idaho has previously
acted upon the idea that n desperate
disease requires a desperate remedy,
and is likely TO apply the same drastic
cure unless existing evils shall be abol-
ishcd by some other means.