The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1908-06-27
A National Issue.


issues of the national campaign, at least in the Nor
monized states will be the proposed constitutional
amendment for the suppression of poygamous prac-
tices MANY influential men and in other
states have interested themselves in the subject and
the force of their influence will be applied to the
reform.
The republican national convention ignored the
amendment proposition in its platform and IN many
other ways the republican party management has
served notice on the public that its syrnpathes are
with the poygamists and that great party is COM
mitted to crime that has placed the darkest spot on
the record of self governing people
1t is expected that the democratic national conven-
ton will reafirm its anti-polygamy declaration OF
four years ago. and it may express itself in stronger
terms than in the platform of 1904. If it does
neither the silence of the democratic party can be
attributed to the work of certain alleged democratic
emssaries of the hierarchy in the poygamous states
Idaho is represented in the unhoy alliance by dis
turbers who have already forfeited the liberation OF
the party by refusing to participate in the proceedings
of democratic convention because majority of the
convention differed with them on the subject of
polygamy.
Their action was part of the plan of the lecherous
saints of Zion, who could gain nothing by adhering
to political organization that has cast them out and
might gain something by disruptng that organization
and turning it against its own good intentions.
The church, having made its alliance with the re-
publican leaders, finds its greatest safety in fidelity to
its compact But if it can, through pretense, pre-
vail members of the democratic party to favor the
object of its alliance with the republican party it will
weaken the Of the champions of virtue and the
advocates of true American government,
In the national aspect of the controversy, the
issues that has aroused the strenuous activity of the
hierarchy is the proposed constitutional amendment
That issue has already become menace to the vice
that thrives in Mormondom because the proposition
for an amendment, though its presence is ig-
nored is now regularly before congress as a part
of its unfinished business. 1t has place in the
judiciary committee of the senate under the title of
a Joint resolution proposing amendment to the
constitution of the United States prohibiting poyga-
my and polygamous cohabtation within the United
States"
The proposed amendment reads:
Resolved, etc. That the following amendment be
proposed to the legislatures of the United States,
which, when ratified by three-fourths of such legsla
lures, shall become and be part of the constitution
of the United States, to be numbered and to read as
follows, to-wit:
Article XVI Section 1. Neither polygamy nor
polygamous cohabitation shall exist in the United
States any place subject to its jurisdiction.
Section 2. The practice of polygamy polyga-
nous cohabtation within the bounds of state or
territory of the United States, any place subject
to its jurisdiction, shall be treated crime against
the United States
Section g. Congress shall have power to enforce
the provisions of this article by appropriate legisa
ton.
Before proposed amendment to the federal con-
stitution becomes part of the constitution it must
pass the national and house of representatives
1t must then be submitted to each legislature and
must be adopted by threefourths of the legislatures
of the states and afterwards again approved by con-
gress and signed by the president of the United
States.
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