Show A KNAVISH MEASURE IT SEEMS BEEMS that the threat made by some of the members of the idaho legislature to the effect that it was intended to pass a bill during the present session of that body that would discount all other anti mormon measures was not without foundation the nature of the act that was thus fore shadowed was a measure providing for the taking away of the citizenship of all members of the mormon church and the readmission to citizenship of those of them who had severed their connection with the church for a period of years it appears that such a measure is actually in preparation and that the legislature of idaho will take action upon it it is even believed that it will pass that body if so the alternative will be left a discerning public whether it shall regard the members of the idaho assembly as an aggregation of idiots or a convention of knaves it would be impossible to separate them from one or the other of these inferences it goes without saying that the 51 idaho legislature has no more to do with establishing or abolishing the status of citizens of the united states A than has haa the king of dahomey those we are matters that are necessarily of national control and that ida hois ho is not the republic of the united states ought to be clear even to such characters as compose its legislative body which they seem anxious to transform into a circus no matter what measures may be passed in idaho to the contrary nothing of that kind can affect the citizenship of any of its residents legally or in fact to assume that the idaho solons are unacquainted edwith with that fact would be tantamount to attributing to them a density of ignorance that we cannot conceive ean can even exist in them such measures must therefore be considered in the light of unadulterated villainy the question connected with all these conditions is not one of legislation but of politics which underlies the whole scheme of bascam ty everybody possessing a moderate degree of sense and int intelligence intelligent elligen ce knows that the notorious idaho test oath act is unconstitutional as it practically nullifies that clause in the sacred instrument which forbids the application of a religious test the act serves however as a political barricade and will suit that purpose until swept away by the supreme court of the united states to reach that tribunal requires time and in the interim the mischief and wrong intended by the measure is accomplished there Is a prospect of the test oath law being overthrown before a great while one would surely presume that such would be its fate so 80 soon as the court of last resort is reached this prospect causes the nullifiers to formulate another barricade that the wrongs inflicted upon an honest and longsuffering long suffering people may be continued it is expected that if the proposed bill to members of the mor MOU church should pass it will be a period of yeats years before it can be taken to the supreme court of the united states and in the meantime it t is presumed that the victims at whom it is aimed can be kept in political serfdom men who will favor such anti republican publican ye Te legislation are self seek ing tyrants and traitors to the institutions of the country |