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Show fiiil Hm tiie trials. H ih l i: J - f :.f u f ;! j I To-day is the day set for the trials of a ' tj ? r j number of prominent polygamists on the i , I ! j? 1 charge of unlawful cohabitation. The ' i jj' j ;i ' . j question which a great many are asking ? ' themselves is, What course will these j'jji ' -I leading Mormons take? For a long time f t it was thought that the course that Bishop j 1 . 1 I Sharp might take would be the one jj ' I usually followed. What his course has ' 1 ; f I : been all know, and it is one that all who f.r ' i.j ll : are not in favor of breaking the laws favor. : ' s '. ;' . - , But that course met with a severe con-; I i . 3 ; 1 ; ; ' demnation from Mr. Sharp's co-religion- ! ' : 1 1 ; ' , ists, and the papers of his church set upon j j. J 1 1 f ' him as though he were a wild beast whose ' , j j i' i ; very presence in the community was a ; : j .1 j source of danger. In this course of con- - j r demnation for those who obey the law ; l and laudation for those who disobey it, $ the Deseret Evening News took the lead j p p .; ;i j but was largely followed by all the ; yli't ft church papers. In- all the history of ' 5 1 Utah there was never such a din I : j i'; h I raised for disobedience to the law ; t , j . I 118 smce Mr. Sharp promised to obey I. - i ; j I it. That din was raised that any who j ' i I were inclined to follow Mr. Sharp's exam- I j, j ;f 'I pie might be frightened out of any such uj' ' inclination; jmd we believe the din has I ! ; ' succeeded in its object ; but this can only : ' be determined by the result of the trials, j . , : which begin to-day. If the men who are 5 I ' ' y to be arraigned to-day choose to suffer f . ' i I imprisonment in preference to promising I i i r; . r I obedience to the law, let them go to pris- j I :-1 ;j I " on, and let the law go on and be vindi- j ' i t cated. Put the fact , of imprisonment on I I ' h ' the ground of martyrdom, and what' is I ' i ; f the cause for the martyrdom ? The men i I ; ''. i broke a law of their country knowingly 1; ! j 1 and wilfully, and when the law comes for ; j j :! its vindication and they are punished, j; j:, jf j j ' they term it martyrdom. Let them term j: hJ i ! it what they choose, but what they term i ! . it should in no way affect the enforce- -;. ; J ment of the law. If a man may do one . , j thing in defiance of the law, he may do j ' i another, and if an indulgence should be j 1 ' ' j A- given to one who breaks the law, it should : i be given to another who breaks the law. j ! ';; j I K laws are not to be respected and en- j' ' t forced, they should be abolished and let ; ' ; j j - " each' protect himself. It has got to ' ; ; I that pass in Utah that, the laws fj; - a'-.'ist polygamy and unlawful cohabita- ; ; , I should be rigidly enforced, or ; ; i -4.se .laws should be abolished. The j j people here think that the United States I Till get tired of enforcing the laws, and )'' ; will ceased Such may be the case, but , , . ' i ' ve doubt it. Pid the people of Utah ; t . ! - ever for a moment think that perhaps if ! , I j he laws were persistenly and unceasing-j unceasing-j ; , : : j j ly v; amicable the v themselves might get : ; j ! tired of , the struggle? If , the H; ;; rcppressiou of polygamy and unlawful ' ! ! j co'iuI.'l,! . i m Utah is only to be accom- i . ; i ' ; f pUsi.. i ,,v 'he process of attrition, very ; ' 1 ! i vU, 1. . let ; he attrition go on and see i !' j j whether larger or the smaller body u'l; i-.l j ' will, be..-worn cvay first. Butitisfre- ; ! J ; I I quently sa-1 (hat there will be much suf- ! . ; , ' fering con.quant upon the enforcement ; : ; i , ' l of tne law. Tliat is true, but in thereat, j I great majority polygamy cases have jh; - not the men entered in to the rela-tion rela-tion since it. wai made unlawful? Is !; ' h there 4i man in Ufcih Territory 'to-day who If ;.; I- j ! believes that it Congress were to grant !; 1 S i universal amnesty to all polygamists in j; " : j Utah and all the United States Terri- I tories on the condition that no more Polygamous marriages were to be formed, -. ; ; i - althougli those already formed were to be r j j j allowed to continue in statu quo, that the : ; T j ' people here would give an honest promise ! ; 1 1 ! ; i nt to celebrate or form any more polyga- ; f ; j mous marriages? They might make the ; , : I promise, but it is very doubtful whether : ! ! . ! ' they would be sincere in, observing it. ! ' ' T,ie Mormon people would look upon it I : , ;!' as another sign of weakness in the Gov- ! I : j i ernment, another interference by God in If ; i , 1 1 their behalf. We have heard Mormons at-?, j j say mat tney Had a contempt for the j J ' J ; United States because of its vacillating, j j pusillanimous'treatment of the Mormon ; ! j question. They haye looked upon leni- ; ' ; : : i ency as weakness and dislike to resort to i i . strong measures as fear. They look upon I I - : j the stringent enforcement of the law to- ' ' " day merely as a spasmodic effort which .! (IN j V shortly, cease. Thay admit that the J: l effort has hecn prolonged more than : t j ; ! I " usual," and they ask" among themselves ! how long it is going to last, ; i I and the answer they make to themselves is that the present con- ; ;. dition of things cannot last-always, ; j : j . and that soon God must display His hand ; I I to protect His people. It is the hope of j ! ? ; i having this hand shortly . displayed that ; ; I ; I j various men are now preferring the full ! , - j . penalty of the law to promising any i ! i obedience to it. None would wish to , i ; j- deprive them of that hope, but we would ' i ! " wish that they might see that such hopes I i j . are vain.- So long as men snlfer imprison- I ' Ij ment such hope 18 a blessing to them, but I i j . j . such hope does not repeal laws or unbolt ! : j 1 ' "j j prison bars. But a great many are not ; : ! sustained by any such lofty feelings, f . They have placed themselves in a bos, ; fo to speak, and they dare not extricate i : ' v themselves therefrom for fear of the con- j j demnation and revilement they will have I'j j 'J to encounter from those who have been j Iheir box-companions. .They are in that j frame of mind described by Hamlet, :j ' "Whether tis nobler in the mind to suffer j! j The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, I ! ! . Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, ! 1 1 - And, by opposing, end them?'' - . M That very aptly described their mental L . condition, and what their decision will be ; .. - it is hard to isay, they themselves not knowing. The majority of men can ( better stand phj-sical suffering than men- ; ? -1 - tal suffering, and tltey prefer imprison- ; - ment to the sneers and jeers of those 11,1 . 'with whom they have for long years, or . i I ! "I H perhaps a life, been associated. It is the intensity of this feeling feel-ing of moral boycotting in the Mormon church which makes the members mem-bers thereof fear to meet it. Whenever a man turns from the Mormon church, or acts independently where the church ha3 a policy to pursue, the whole influence and power of the church is turned against him. The members having long rendered a willing obedience, the church exacts it whenever a member desires to act on his own responsibility; and the church is usually powerful enough to enforce en-force this obedience. - In the majority of cases a member's temporal welfare is so dependent upon the good will of the church that he dare not offend the church. Couple the fear of social ostracism ostra-cism and the pointing of the finger of scorn at a man, together with the fear of a loss of temporal prosperity, and we have a very good reason for much of the martyrdom mar-tyrdom now being indulged in. When the people of Utah recognize that their church is not all-powerful in temporal matters they will begin to render voluntary volun-tary obedience to the law whether the church approves of such a course or not. To show them that their church is not all-powerful the law must be enforced whether prominent men expect to create a sentiment in the public mind in their favor or not by .going to prison. And if tlje laws are inadequate to the case they should be so amended as to be adequate. The martyr period, if the law. is steadily enforced, will tease within a year or two at most. - . |