The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-07-06
WHY THE AMERICAN PARTY?

manifesto This manifesto was reac
, to the general conference Of the Nor
mon church on October 6. 1890, anC
Unanimously approved,
In the hearing before Judge c. F
Loofbourow, Master in Chancery, t,
take testimony as to the disposition oi
tho cschcated church property. Presi
dcut Wilford Woodruff President Lo
renXo Snow, and President Joseph L
Smith all testified that the manifesto
meant the cessation of polygamous liv
ing (unlawful cohabitation), as well as
any entering into new polygamous re
lations.
In December, 1891, the first presi
dcncy and apostles of the Mormon
church forwarded 10 President Harri
son petition for amnesty. setting forth
among other things that "our people
have voluntarily put aside something
which all their lives they have believed
TO be a sacred principle and closing
with the words. eve ask amnesty for
them and pledge our faith and honor
for their future.
On January 4, 1893, President Harri-
son recited the laws forbiddlng polyg-
amy and unlawful cohabitation, and
proclaimed amnesty 'upon the eX-
press condition that they shall in fu-
turc faithfully obey the laws of the
United States hereinbefore named, and
not otherwise.
On September %, 1894, President
| 4 I,,
of amnesty, reciting that upon the
evidence now furnished me / am salts
fled the members and adherents of said
church generally abstain from plural
marriages and polygamous cohabitation
and are now living in obedience to the
laws, - and extended amnesty "except
ing persons who have not complied with
the conditions contained IN said cxecu.
tive proclamation of January 4, 1898. -
The church presented before Congress
its claim for the restoration of the es
cheated property, making showing
that complete obedience to the laws had
been obtained Whereupon Congress
passed resolution restoring the prop
erty, reciting among the preambles that
Whereas, said church has discontinod
the practice of polygamy and no longer
encourages or gives countcnance in any
manner to practices in violation of
law, or contrary to good morals or pub
lie policy" etc. the restoration was
made.
On February 4, 1892, the Legislature
Of Utah enacted for the then Territory
OF Utah, the laws previously passed by
Congress forbidding polvoamy and un-
lawful cohabitation.
In the Enabling Act, preliminary to
Statehood, it was expressly provided
that polygamy should cease and should
not be restored,
The constitutional convention of
Utah, May !, 1895, adopted an amend
ment making the laws against polyg,
amy and unlawful cohabiuation a part
of the constitution, enforceable without
further legislation. This on the mo-
tion of Mr.. Varian, reinforced by a
speech from Elder B. II. Roberts, who
declared that the desire was "to es-
tablish beyond all question the fact
that we intend TO carry out to the let
ter our agreement rs expressed i'll the
compact with the United States
The first State Legislature passed an
act, which was approved April 3, 1896,
legitimating the issue of plural and po-
lygamous marriages. This act was for
the purpose of forever closing ont the
polygamy question in both of its
phases; the understanding being that
polygamous marriages had been aban.
doned and all future polygamous mar
riages forbidden.
But pledge. breaking all along the
church lines destroyed all hope Of such
settlement
In the hearing of the Smoot case in
Washington before the Senate Commit.
tee on Privileges and Elections, Presi-
dent Joseph f. Smith sauarely stated
that he had never carried out the COM
pact in good faith and did not intend
to. President Francis NJ. Lyman of The
Twelve Apostles testified TO the same.
and he further squarely swore that he
was living and intended to live in de-
1lancc OF lnc laws OF G0d ana man.
President Smith IS testimony was to
precisely the same effect.
There had been a good deal Of sus-
picion that the compact with the United
States and with this community with
respect to the cessation of polygamy
had never been lived up TO, but the tes~
timony of President Smith and others
in that hearing was complete tearing
away Of the veil of secrecy, and an
open avowal that not only had the
pledges not been lived up TO, but that
they would not be. Thcreupon, indigna-
tion meetings were held in the spring
Of 1904 at the Bamberger Hall in this
citv, protesting against Joseph +,
Smith IS testimony and repudiating his
claim that the people of this commu-
nifty condoned his law-defying course
and his open breaches of honor. That
protest was signed by upwards Of 5000
citizens and forwarded to the Senate.
The same meetings referred to dc,