The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-08-28
Fine Address
Delivered By
Chafin Here
Last Evening
EMINENT PROHIBITION ORATOR
LECTURED ON ONE STANDARD
OF MORALS" TO A LARGE AND
ENTHUSIASTIC AUDIENCE AT
THE COURT HOUSE.

Eugene W. Chafin, former candi
! date for President of the unitni
States on the Prohibition ticket, de
!ivcrcd his lecture One Standard Of
Morals for the United States" las,
night ut the court house. The couu.
~ court room was filled and the mes
sage that the speaker brought to his
hearers was full o. food for thought
! Mr.. Chaiin said that every grca;
question that has come before til,
American people and have been set
tied by them, has been done on the
principle OF the "Onc Standard Of
Morals. II was on this principle
that the Republican party was found.
ed. II was the stand that Abraham
Lincoln took in his memorable Joint
debate with Senator Stephen A. Doug
las, where the doctrine Of the "Onc
Standard of Morals was laid down
Tor the first time and Lincoln citam-
pi0ncd that principle until it tri-
umphcd in the land. The Great Com.
noncr held that questions should be
settled on the proposition of whether
they were right or wrong. If the
proposition were right 1t should pre-
vail, and If the principle were wrong
Il should be cradicated from the gov
crnncntal fabric OF the nation. The
as enumerated by Lincoln for
the first time when Douglas was urS-
ing his doctrine Of popular sovereign
~. ably championcd by Lewis Cass Il
few years before, took Il hold on the
people Of tie United States and that
principle Of the "Onc Moral Stand
ard" become imbcddcd in the people,
and the result was the passage and
adoption OF the thirteenth amend
mcnt that forever blotted slavery out
Of the United States.
Another great question that was
settled by congress where the "Onc
Moral Standard" was invoked was
pOlysamy. Senator George f. Ed
monds, of Vermont. who had sat ut
;hc feet of LINCOLN and had been im
hued with the teachings of that great
statesman. prepared what was known
as the EdmOnds' bill. making It a
Ipcnitcntiary 0ttcnsc for Il man in any
part of the United States to have
more than one wife at one time. he
fore that II was lawful in Utah for
Il man to have more than one wife.
but over the Utah line he could be
arrested and sent to the pcnitcntiary
on charge of bigamy. just as II had
been unlawful to sell slaves north of
the Ohio river but lawful to sell them
south Of that stream. Here Brigham
Young asked for the principle Of pop
ular sovereignty to be employed. He
asked that the matter be referred to
the voters in Utah and let them dc.
eide whether polygamy should b.
tolerated. But congress denied him
the right of popular sovereignty.
When congress denied brigham
Young the right OF popular sovereign
ty then the leader of the Latter Day
United States could not enforce the
cid fat%. He said that public scntf.
mcnt in Utah was against the federal
statute and that II. would be ineffcc-
tive on that account. But there was
a lesson in store for these men in thu
territory. A United States Judge was
appointed from Illinois. a district At
tOIn"y from California, and consta-
Die fran Vermont.
When time came for the first cOart
to C0nvcn" II was called to order by
the judge. who asked the district at.
torn"y " there were any eases fOr
trial. The district attorney replied
| that there were. When court started
the trial of those arraigncd for hav,
ing plural wives. Brigham Young oh.
iccted because the jury was composed
! Of Hcntilcs only. Il was the effective
way of applying the law. 4 judge
n district attorney. n constable and
| twelve 1urymcn was administering
the law. II was an administration
where the principles Of government
were effectively applied. 1t was moi
case where public sentiment pre-.
vailed. The speaker said taat PUB.
lie sentiment has nothing to do will
the enforcement of law II the Off,
Gals are backed up by the federal
government. He said Sentiment IL
not government; coercion is govern
mcnt."
To make the. case mere effective