The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-01-12
THEY SHOULD REPORT,


The Tribune, concerning polygamy;
"and if il is not permitted 10 die out
because Of the persistent defiance OF
certain fanatics, il ought to he killed
out by their summary cXcommunication
and thclr prosecution under the law y
That is undoubtedly the view taken
by the honest majority of the Mormon
people. They arc becoming wcaricd of
the troubles that are forced upon them
by the hundreds of men who are TAX
ing both the law of the land and the
law of the church in their own hands.
II Is realized by them that the rcspon.
sibility for these of'enses can no longer
be shlrked 10y their church officials be-
cause the men who commit them be
long to the church and pretend TO pur-
sue the practice under what they assert
Is still u valid doctrine Of Inc organ2a.
non. Some 60 So far as to say that
tho high officials of the organization are
cuIpablc on account Of the fact that
they act so slowly against the offenders.
II Is pointed ont that. even taking The
list printed in The Tribune. the per.
ccntagc of cases i'm which discipline
has been had is So small as to encourage
additional new plural marriages. rather
than to have any effect in stopping
them. If only one in about forty is
handled y on account Of new plural
marriage. there are hundreds of men
IN the church who are now monoga-
mIsts. but who arc fanatica on the
question, who would be willing TO take
the chance Of being Of the thirty nine
- Fortunate ones AS against the pos.
sibiIity Of finding himself the one Gun
fortunatc' in the lot.
The gentleman whose words we re-
produce at the opening of this article
is of the progressive Mormon element.
He admits that upon this one question
Of polygamy at least, there should be
no effort on the part of the Mormon
church, either as body or through its
officials or newspapers, to blame non
Mormons or n-polygamists for the
strife that has been renewed The of
lenses are all committed under a doe
trIne that was formerly taught in the
church-and in whose supposed right
eousncss. even now. some OF the leaders
openly express bclicf-but which is sup.
posed TO have been rclinquishcd since
the year 1890 Never has there been
vigorous campaign waged against the
new offenders 10y officials of the church
-, ,Is
lutely free up TO within few months
past; and even now they are not hand
cd over to the law after conviction be-
fore the church tribunal upon compc-
tent evidence That evidence would
convict them in the courts of the State
and if there is anything on earth that
Will stop polygamy. it is the danger of
the polygamist going TO Jail. a few
examples of this sort would do more TO
stop the practice of contracting new
poIygnmous marriages than all the
cdIcts that could ever be issued from
the church, OF all the accommodations
that could he enforced by IT in Il thou.
sand years. 1t would seem that If the
Mormon officials are in earnest about
this matter, and arc honestly deter.
mined to stamp out the practice, this
suggestion would be acted upon by
them without unnecessary delay. 1t is
not in fact their province TO pass upon
the suflicicncy of the evidence for legal
convictions; the civil officials are the
ones to Judge Of that But it is the duty
of the church officials to report what
they have to the civil authorities. and
let them decide whether the evidence
is sufficient to prosecute on or not.
There is another matter that has been
brought to the attention of The Trib-
unc. and in connection with the case
of Henry 5. Tanner. This man was a
member in good standing of the Bar
Association here; and il is assumed
that he still maintains such position.
The suggestion is that if the Mormon
church has been so offended by him rs
to refuse longer TO tolerate Tanner, ccr-
tainy the Bar Association should be
So If his acts have been such as to
have disgusted the cult which gave
DlILH, anu NiSolpuo
growth TO polygamy, surely they are of
such nature as TO nauscate an asSocia.
tion of distinguished gentlemen whose
FIRST sworn duty is in the line of fidelity
10 the country and to its laws. The
suggestion might be worth entertain
ing.
At any rate, there seems to be gen
cral rejoicing over the action of the
apostles quorum in the Henry 5. Tan
ner case; and that JOY is enhanced in
the encouragement which ii gives that
the AK will be laid at the root of the
new polygamous evil with greater iu'
dustry than heretofore.
Nearly every Legislator naturally
has a bill for law that ne wants to get
out OF his system: but Speaker Robin