The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-09
Interesting Complications
Of a Polygamlst
California Christian Advocate.

California Christian Advocate.
a millionaire poIygamist Of Hong
Kong. China. sailed into port through
the Golden Gate, bringing two wives.
Tho authorities held him to an account
ing, referring the case 10 Washington.
The federal authorities decided against
him, so ne was compelled to send ono
of his wives back TO China. This ls
remarkable, considering that we have
at least one distinguished ",citizen
in this country with eleven wives and
forty.two children. We have at least
one United States senator whose chief
business is the promotion of polygamy.
It is a miracle that government
which kowtows to Utah polygamist
millionaire will ruthlessly turn down
moor old millionaire from Hong Kong.
How can the Chinese moral philosopher
understand this sort of policy There
is only one answer. One millionaire
polvgamist is a long-whiskered saint
and can vote, and by his magic wand
can cast the solid vote Of 100000 other
voters. The other poor old fellow is
already headed for the scrap heap, and
is sadly defective in political magnet
ism, We are heartily glad that Uncle
Sam had enough rudimentary sense of
decency 10 rehuke even the Hong
J. Kong T millionaire t, ,IolygaImsist. The
did who forgot their country. forgot
the honor Of their homes, ignored the
highest claims of womanhood, in the
Smoot case. should be defeated and
retired to private life. What face can
any of these so-called statesmen have
IN advocating any law for the sup
preston of polygamyl Whether they
know it or not. the Smoot promoters
have betrayed and profaued the most
sacred citadel OF the nation, America
has but one sacred shrine. one protect
ed altar, one SPOT declared divine on
earth, The family circle. Instead Of
protecting, magnifying and Tecogniz~
purity OF motherhood. the innocenev
of girlhood and childhood, these alleged
statesmen. really politicians of low
order. demagogues in fact, betrayed
the home they were sworn to protect.
1t was not a sudden impulse, but an
act at the end of O long investigation,
in which evidence of fhe most convinc-
ing sort had to be trampled down The
act was in defiance of the womnnhood
Of America. The Ethiopian may change
his skin, the leopard her spots. but the
ashes and sackcloth of Ninevab would
scarcely be sufficient to work repent
ance as deep as the roots of this Smoot
wrong. This affront to decency may
be covered up and hidden from the
public, but let those political trimmers
know that the veins Of the body polite
have been opened and the red corpus
cles Of the nation s life have been
vitally attacked. If these statesmen,
with such lean and impoverished moral
ideals could look for a moment at the
vast eating sore of Mohammedan po.
lygamy they would apologize to the
"prince Of the power OF the air" for
their encroachment upon the preroga-
tives of the kingdom of darkness. We
hate. even common hypocrisy. but we
despise that mixture of political insn-
cerity. obsequiosness and dema gogical
cowardice with which these Smoot no.
lygamE promoters are chargeable. May
they all be sentenced for life TO private
life. How can the government deport
the wife of one polvgamist and foster
the eleven wives of another? Where
is the phantom commonly called a
"square deal?'