The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-02
By JULIUS G.. BURROWS

| polygamous cohabitation, which must
| challenge the serious attention of the
! country, and demands some drastic
measures for the suppression of these
| crimes. So far as these ofenses exist
/ in the Territories, the power of the
| general government for their suppress
sion is ample and complete. 1t is only
| necessary to enforce existing law TO
uproot and destroy the last vestigc of
these crimes in all the Territories of
/ the United States; but to suppress the
practice within the limits of a State
/ is another and quito q different prob
! lem. Here the Federal Government is
without jurisdiction. | take it, how
ever. that it goes without saying, that
if these crimes exist in any State, and
the State authorities neglect or re-
auce the general government will find
a way TO put an end 10 a practice
which, if persisted in and extended
Will ultimately undermine the fouDda-
tions OF society and shake the whole
fabric of civil government. The sup
preston Of these crimes within the
limits of State is the vital question
at issue.
That polygsmy and polygamous CO.
habitation exist in the State Of Utah
and IN States and Territories ada
cent thereto is unquestioned. This prac.
tice constituted the cornerstone OF the
Utah Mormon faith from the time
Brigham Young proclaimed the doctrine
in 1s47 until 1890, a period of forty.
three years, and it is a matter of sur
prise that. in the face of the mani
festo OF 1890, issued by the head Of the
church, suspending the taking of plural
wives, and in defiance of the inhibition
in the Constitution under which Utah
was admitted into the Union. the -evi-
dence shows conclusively that belief in
polygamy and the practice of polygam-
Gus cohabitation is not only rampant in
the State of Utah, but has spread into
adjoining States and Territories. and
is today alarmingly aagrant in several
of the States and Territories Of the
Northwest.
As to the celebration of new plural
marriages In Utah since the admission
Of the State, the evidence is exceeding
ly difficult TO obtain, as such marriages
are usually performed in secret, fre-
quently beyond the jurisdiction of the
State, sometimes on the high seas, and
at other times in darkened rooms, with
such environments as TO make proof Of
the fact impossible. IT is also evident
that, when these marriages are per
formed in the temples, as they fre-
quently are, a record is kept Of such
marriages. but although the process
was issued for the purpose Of securing
these records, the mandate of the com
mittee was disobeyed, and thus written
proof of plural marriages suppressed,
and II was therefore impossible TO es-
tablish with any degree of certainty
10 what extent plural marriages have
been performed since the manifesto or
since the admission of Utah as a State.
II is evidence. however. beyond all
controversy, that members of the
church in the highest authority, the
apostles and others of less official prom
inence, have taken plural wives since
the manifesto prohibiting that practice,
Abraham Cannon, George Teasdale,
John ". Taylor, Matthias f. Cowley
and Mariner ". Merrill, all apostles
Of the Mormon church, have taken
plural wives since the manifesto, and
some of them since Utah was admitted
as a State, Abraham Cannon having
taken a plural wife as late as 1896.
il also appears from the evidence In the
case that Charles Il. Merrill, James
Francis johnson and Bishop Rathall. all
Mormon bishops, have taken plural
wives since the manifesto, the cere-
mouy being performed by an apostle
Of the church.
II is also evidence that James NJ.
Tanner, superintendent of church
schools; Benjamin Cluff, Jr., president
of Brigham Young university; Thomas
Chamberlain, counselor of the president
OF stake. have taken plural wives
since the prohibition, while other adher-
ents OF the church of lower official
standing, in large numbers, have taken
plural wives since the manifesto. and
some Of them even since the admission
of the State, and as late as 1902. These
instances, proven beyond all contro-
cuff 80 70 -
fact that plural marriages are being
performed in Utah and have heen ever
since her admission as State.
As TO the practice of polygamous CO.
habitation, the evidence is overwhelm-
ing and conclusive. Joseph F. Smith,
the head Of the church. testified before
the committee that he was living IN
polygamous cohabitstion with FIVE dif-
ferent women, and that that fact was
known TO everybody throughout all
Utah. and that he proposed TO continue
that relation regardless OF any law pro-
hibiting the same, human or divine ;
and the following apostles, George Teas
dale. John W. Taylor, John Henry
Smith, Mariner W. Merrill. Heber J..
Grant, Matthias +. CowIey, Charles w.
Pcnrose and Francis NJ. Lyman, were
proven to sustain polygamolls- relations
with multiplicity OF wives while
i'llSH0bl L. i''b'ilS pii' '1--'ur HIfSl
dents of the seventies; j. NJ Tanner,
superintendent of church schools; An
drew Jenson, assistant historian Of the
church: Thomas III. Merrill. bishop of
the church; Alma Merrill, n president
of stake Angus NJ. Cannon, patriarch; :;
Greenwald, the head Of church schools
George Reynolds. one of the first seven
presidents Of the seventies and first
assistant superintendent Of Sunday
schools of the world; George H. Brim-
hall, president of the Brigham Young
university; Joseph Hickman, teacher
in the university, all these were shown
10 be living IN polygamous cohabitation.
These are but q few OF the many es-
tablished cases of the leading author
tiles of the Mormon church living in un.
disputed and unconcealed polygamous
cohabitation.
To sum the matter up, it is stated
that fally l2,000 members of the Utah
branch OF the Mormon church, or %
per cent OF the whole number, are living
IN .polygamous cohabltation
Not only does this crime exist in
Utah and adjacent States, but has
spread INTO the several Territories. and
Is continued IN omen defiance of loU-