Show THE MEMORIAL tho prepare a i startling document fi u x i r A APPEAL iff r A pica for justice tho suffered toy pa tient people at the ladies mass meeting held in salt lake city on march ath a committee was appointed to draft a memorial to congress calling at tendon to the wrongs inflicted upon the people of utah following is a copy of jhb tac morial which after being properly engrossed atvill be forwarded capital to the honorable president and the senate and houff of the united states in contress Cony ress As sem bled 1 9 1 y our memorial t v ti rt ests respectfully that at a mass odthe women held in the theater salt lake city march attended hy over two thousand ladies representing the irinea iri yea mothers sisters and daughters territory the following resolutions were unanimously adopted J AND OF OF UTAH IS MASS MEETING ASSEMBLED tho rights and liberties of women pre placed in jeopardy by the present cruel and inhuman proceedings ce in tho utah churls and in the contemplated measure in con pre sato deprive the women voters in utah of the elective franchise and WHEREAS womanhood is outraged by courts of utah to force mothers on pain of imprisonment to disclose their pen bonal condition and that of their friends in relation to anticipated maternity tern ity and to give information as to tho fathers of their children and i WHEREAS violations of decency haio now readied the length of local wives to testify a their husbands without their consent in violation both of written statutes and the provisions of common law therefore be it bj alie women of utah in that the suffrage originally conferred upon us as a political privilege has become a right by and usage for fifteen years and that we protest acim deprived right without and for no oilier than hat we do not veto to abnit our political opponents resolved that we deny the charge that we vote than according to our own free choice and point to the fact aliat the ballot is absolutely secret in utah as proof that we aro protected in voting for whom and ft atiat we choose with perfect liberty that as no wife of a polygamist legal cr plural is permitted to vote under alio lassof the united states to deprive non women of the buu kraeis eiph handed oppression for which no valid excuse can be offered i that the questions con bernina their personal condition the relationship they bear omen marked down cs victims to and the paternity of their born and uns born which have been put to women before grand juria and in open charia in utah aro an insult to pure womanhood an cutrano upon the genbi tivo of our sex and a disgrace to tho juicers and judges wh bavo propounded and enforced them Hw that we honor choso no ble women aho standing upon their rights ad refusing to reply to improper and insulting questions such as no true aniu nor any court any regard for propriety would compel them to answer have gone to prison punishment without crime rather than betray the moat acred confidence and yield to the batal mandates of a little brief authority that tho action of abo district Alto iney and the chief justice of utah in compelling n laffal wife to testify for alio prosecution in a criminal case liberty of her husband arid in face own earnest prot cut 1 a violation of laws which those have sworn to m contrary to precedent and for many a and is en invasion of family right and of that unity between husband and wife which both lw and religion have held sacred from time immemorial that we profound moral coy tefie exhibited by senators call mor nan teller biown and others and also by mra belva H lockwood who in the ine prejudice have defended the constitutional righta of tho people of utah that wo extend OUR heartfelt thauna to the hedien of tho woman sullia Sul lra association assam bled in boston and unite in praying that god may speed the day when both men and women hall chako from their shoulders alio yoke of ty yanny resolved that we call upon ho wives and mothers of the united suites to corny to our licup ia encroachments encroach ments upon our peaceful homes and family relations rela tiona binl that a committee be at this beutin me utin to memorialize the president end of alio united Sta 0 o or bronga to take nil necessary measures to pro abut our views and to tl country the following ladies were selected as a 10 draft and present a memorial to alie and con press aira S M Kiin ball sarn B B arll barntt ara aft baku city mr mary julin mary mra H C uro ida I 1 cook logani miss ida coombs payson in pursuance of this appointment we present tho following in behalf of the women of on the of march 1882 an act of congress was passed which Is now commonly known as the edmunds law it was generally understood to have been framed for the purpose of settling what is called alie utah question hy condoning plural marriages up to that date and preventing their occurrence in and also to protect the home maintain the antez family and shield innocent women and children from alio troubles that might arise from its enforcement but instead of being adminis tere d and H this spirit it lias been the avans of inflicting upon the bonen immeasurable sorrow and indignities of t families of destroying hoenes and of outraging the tender tt and finest feelings of human nature he law has been BO construed by the courts ai to bring its penalties to bear upon alie innocent men who had honestly arranged with their families 0 o as to keep within its ct the law have been punished with the greatest possible severity and their wives and have forced befaro couri 8 and grand juries i and compelled to disclose the most bechet and private relations which in all civilized countries arc held sacred to the parties thu meaning of the law has been changed so many times that no one can say definitely its signification those who have lived by the law as interpreted in one caso find as soon aa they are entrapped that a new rendering is constructed to make it applicable to their own voder the latest ruling a man who has contracted plural marriages no matter at how remote a date must not only repudiate his families and cease all connection with them but if he is known to associate with them in the most distant manner support them and show any regard whatever for their welfare the offense of unlawful cohabitation is considered arf have been fully established and he is liable to exorbitant fines and imprisonment foran indefinite period one district judge holding that a indictment may bo found for each day of such association and recognition in the caso of solomon edwards recently accused of this odense it was proven by tho evidence for tho prosecution defendant had lived with one wife only enuco lie passage of the edmunds act but after from his former plural wife he called with his legal wife at the formers residence to obtain a childen chil dan agreement having been made that each party should have one of the two children and tho court ruled that this was unlawful cohabitation in the meaning of the law and the defendant was convicted snow now on appeal to tho court of the united stales abo evidence for the prosecution showed that the defendant had lived with only one wife frince the passage of the edmunds law that lo 10 biad not even visited other portions of his family except to call for a few domenis to speak to oneff his cons but because he blip ported his wives and children and did not utterly and entirely cast them kofl ander instructions of judge powers he was convicted oliree times for the alleged luense and sentenced in each case to the full tho law aggregating fine be eighteen months imprisonment the judge stating hi hia instructions to the jury it is not necessary that the evidence should show that alio defendant and those women or either of them occupied alie bed slept in the samo room or dwell under the same roof tho odense of cohabitation is complete when a man to all outward appearances is living or associating with two or more women as his wives thus women mho arc dependent upon the men whom tiny regard as their husbands with eliom hey have libed as they leavo regarded it in wedlock must not only be separated from gieir society and protection but must bo treated oa outcasts and be driven forth with their children to shamo and distress for alie bare association of frien eliop is counted n crime and punished with all inflicted upon thao who have not in any way severed the plural family relations in order to fasten alie upon the men accused of this odense women are arrested and forcibly taken before sixteen men nirl plied with questions that no detent woman can hear wit a little children arc upon the secret relations of their parc nta and wives in regard to heir one condition and alie doings of heir hus anda if they decline to answer they are imprisoned in the penitentiary as they were criminals A few instances wo will dlo for your consideration in the third district court nov 14 annie gallifant having been asked by tha grand jury ft number of questions which she declined to answer one of them being as to the name of the man to whom ehe was married ebe was brought into court and still was bent to the penitentiary although daily expecting to become a mother was kept all the grand jury was on tho brinl of john C anely she was again brought into court and asked when did you first cohabit with your hus band how long after you commenced cohabiting with your was it that your child was born atsa U harris waa sentenced to fine and imprisonment in the second district court at heaver by audgo taisa because ho declined to answer whether she wai a w an and if BO who washer husband she wa wai i to tho penitentiary a building for confinement of criminals of alio most hideous lier babe in ber arms and leaving oa her mother when asked mentioned by tha g and jury sho answered gentlemen you leayo no mcgil right to ask this question and I 1 decline to an the question was an insult nd a vila insinuation of departed virtue and yet were elio a public prostitute question would ever be asked she was boned 25 and imprisoned three and a half months when she was released by adge taisa she is a lady with strength of character who was defending a principle her right as a as sacred aa any right courts she was a martyr to personal right and in defense of a principle of freedom the question was not directed to her knowledge of any crime but to her docial relation to she not being hare edwith any crime on hay ln the same court nellie refusing to answer ner Bonal questions in regard to her relations with jar ed rounda was pent to penitentiary under the babie icom with and other con and confined there until july ath hie jury being kept over and fur the purpose f protracting protract ing her imprisonment he beginning of a new term in the court of TL 8 commissioner McKay June elizabeth ann starkey was brought iu as ai witness against charles at white on refusing to answer tug question have you ever in tha bunty within the hist two years occupied the same bed with defendant abbe was sentenced to one day s imprisonment and a fine of 50 and edin the custody of the U S marshal until payment on june ahe again declined to answer and was fined and committed until payment on june she refused to answer similar personal questions to the grand jury and was committed to the penitentiary until august but was again imprisoned and kept till october ath while in prison she was approached and grossly insulted by an employee of i the marshals on the kofl september 1885 eliza shafer was the penitentiary for refusing to n answer the question have you within three years last past lived and cohabited J W suell as hi wife the court ordered lier the question was answered on february mra manila J cannon was brought in the third district coart and the grand jury complained that alic would not answer certain questions among the following are yon not now a pregnant woman arc you not now child by your lius band george Q cannon on still declining to answer the court adjudged her guilty of contempt and pending sentence filie was placed under bonds of 2500 which were subsequently raised to on march ad miss winters was arrested by deputy marshal Vandercook 1 at her home in pleasant grove miles distant no charge being preferred against her but it was suspected that slie was a plural wife of george Q cannon she was brought to salt lake city and conducted to the court house where she was required to furnish bonds for for her appearance pe arance to she might bo wanted under the suspicion eliat any woman or young lady is some mans plural wife she is liable at any time to be arrested not merely but taken by force by deputy marshal and brought beffre a grand jury and examined and brown beaten and insulted by alic prosecuting attorney or his minions but this is natall in defiance of law and the usages of courts for ages alie legal wife is now compelled to submit to the same indignities on feb in the third district court in the second trial of isaac haugton upon whom the prosecution biad failed to fasten the slight of guilt prosecuting attorney dickson exclaimed if the court will allow me I 1 would like to call mrs langton defendants legal wife after a strong protest from the attorneys for alic defendant the court permitted the outrage and against lier and lier husband s consent she was compelled to testify for the prosecution alic evidence however completely alie husband who was bal this has now been set up aa a precedent and within the past few days a legal wife liaa been taken before the grand jury as many have been before who refused to give evidence but this time was compelled to answer the questions propounded by the public prosecutor against tholan ful husband we also direct your attention to the outrages perpetrated by rough and brutal deputy marshals who watch around our dooryards door yards peer into our bedroom windows ply little children with questions about their parents and when hunting human prey burst into peoples domi ciles alid terrorize lie innocent on jan early in the morning tive deputy marshals appeared at the residence of william grant american fork forced the door open and the inmates in bed ande their way to their apartments there they met by one of the daughters of ani grant who was aroused at the intrusion and respite her pro eions without giving timo foi the object of their search to got up and dress himself made way into ills bedroom him detill iff bed and hin wife en dishabille in the act of dressing herself early on alio morning of jan 1 th 1880 a of deputies deput iea invaded alie peaceful village of west jordan and under predence pretence pre tence of searching for ista committed anum berof depredations among other acts f violence they intruded into the house of F A cooper arrested him and ins legal wife a witness against him this so shocked hot that premature pie mature birth occurred next day and her system was so deranged by the disturbance that in a few days she was in her grave feb 2318 SO at about 11 at night two deputy marshals visited alic liobis lioi is or solomon edwards about seven miles from eagle bock elisho aisil arnstad arnst airs edwards his legal bif after eclie had retired to bedard required lier to accompany them tin mediately to eagle alock knowing something of lie character of one of the deputies having visited the liou c before when lie indulged in i great deal of drinking profanity nd abuhl lc feared to accompany without aonie protection and requested n neighbor to go along on horseback while she rodo in the budgy with the two deputies on the way the buggy broke down and she with an infant in her arms was compelled to walk the rest of the distance between two and three miles they could have no reason for sub aing her in the night and compelling her to accompany them at such an untimely hour except a flen diali malice and a determination to all the indignities possible upon lier because ehe was a mormon woman for see never |