Show MORMONISM A Critical Condition of Affiiirs Existing in Utah Interview With 3Ir C R Barratt at Grand Rapids Mich Mr C R Barratt who has been a citizen citi-zen of Salt Lake City for twentyfive years and who is i thoroughly acquainted with the people of thatTerritory and their social intellectual and political condition spent yesterday in the city the guest of Mr Charles Sligh Sheldon street A Democrat reporter called at the residence last evening and Mr Barratt talked freely with him of affairs in Utah which Territory is in a most critical and unsettled unset-tled condition in fact upon the eve of social and political upheaval Mr Bar ratt talked substantially as follows Yes I am from Salt Lake and have resided there almost a quarter of a century cen-tury and should know something of the history and peculiarities of its people I left the city on the 19th of March I left Washington yesterday and while there talked with some half dozen of the most prominent men I had letters from their personal friends wInch with my long residence gained me a patient hearing and possibly gave some weight to what I had to say The present Secretaries Lamar and Garland Judge Field and Senator Vest take a special interest in the tiresome Mormon question The President has been called a slow man He may be so Hut in the matter of polygamy and the Latterday Saints rely upon it It will be a case of the mills of the gods Indictments as you knoware still being be-ing found against prominent polygamists and matters are most unsettled The faint hope that some action would betaken be-taken by the April conference has been dissipated Possibly the case now before be-fore the Supreme Court and which will be argued this week by Senator Vest on the Mormon side with Mr McVeagh opposed op-posed may have something to do with this action or lack of action on the part it of the church leaders meet the requirements require-ments of the government and accommodate accommo-date themselves to the sentiments of the country The jury law for Utah is peculiar pecu-liar and differs somewhat I believe from elsewhere Two hundred names are selected 100 by theprobate judge Mormon Mor-mon 100 by the clerk of the United States district court Gentile In the late trials polygamy offenses the panel was exhausted without getting a jury and Chief Justice Zane issued an open venire The Salt Lake bar is divided as to the legality of this action Mr Rudger Clawson now in the penitentiary was convicted by a jury obtained in part at least in this way The case was appealed to the Supreme Court and as before stated will be argued this week As I I understand it if the jury is declared il legal those convicted will be entitled to a new trial ana matters remain as they have been until Congress meets and ad ditional legislation is had What we are anxious for in Utah is to have the question settled After twenty years or more we are sick of it as are the country at large and the authorities at Washington The Democrats of Utah are endeavoring to build up a party to get the voters ofthe Territory interested in politics AVe do not care so much how they vote so long as they act and vote as their individual judgment dictates Nothing can be said against the Mormon people or their Church apart from polygamy and their dictation and meddling in affairs with which churches properly have nothing to do The people are temperate indus trious and lawabiding with the one exception ex-ception but many perhaps the majority are foreign born and not English speak ing and have as it were for their emigra tion system is perfect been lifted up in their countries and set down in Utah Knowing nothing or little of the United States its people institutions they need political education instead of eternal preaching to about the hatred and enmity en-mity toward them on the part of the people of the States and if possible we mean to give it them AVe have four daily papers in the city two church one Republican and one Democratic the last issued first on March 2d AAre mean to break into the solid ranks of the church party and if we meet with the encouragement encourage-ment we deserve at home and abroad we will do it and in time correct from within the evils complained of relieve the federal government of the necessity of ad ditional legislation and fit Utah to be admitted a worthy member of the Union No matter what the Mormons may do additional legislation will be asked of the next Congress most likely a legislative commission To this peculiar kind of legislation the majority of the Democrats there are opposed They question the right of Congress to disfranchise and take from the innocent all local and political I rights because 10 per cent of the popu lation are living in violation of the anti polygamy law of 1862 Surely some means may be devised to reach the offenders without doing the masses tIllS Jnjustice Grand Rapids Democrat |