| Show DISEBAHCHISEMENTS The Commissioners have not only debarred from the polls those against whom the Edmunds act was intended in-tended to run namely men and women living in polygamous relations rela-tions but also those who have been polygamists though their lives no yard y-ard tor twenty years past have been those of continent bachelors It is clear that the law was never intended in-tended to operate against any one who abandoned the proscribed marital relations On the contrary the whole tenor of the act is directly opposite to the interpretation inter-pretation put upon it by the Commission Com-mission The intention was to overlook over-look past offenses to rub out old scores and start with a clean slate This view is clearly sustained by the seventh section of the law which declares That the issue of bigamous or polygamous polyg-amous mrriages known as Mormon marriages in cases in which marriages have been solemnized according to the ceremonies of the Mormon sect in any territory of the United States and such issue shall Lave been bore before the 1st day ot January AD 1883 are hereby legitimated This section meant simply that what had been done could not be helped but would be forgiven and forgotten provided the the alleged offense was not repeated It was au invitation a bid to polygamists to cease their plural marriage relations and avoid the harsh measures of the law Then if the act did not intend to I run against present polygamists who conformed to its requirements and accepted the premium offered it certainly could not mean to operate oper-ate against persons who had been polygamists years ago but had abandoned the relation long before the act had been talked of Still less could a construction be placed upon the law which would disfranchise those persons who had been polygamists polyga-mists only when polygamy was no offense against any jaw j Tha disfranchised as gracefully as possible considering the seriousness serious-ness of the case submitted to the strained interpretation of the act They felt that they were being persecuted per-secuted and proscribed even beyond the intentions and desires of those who had helped to pass the bill and they grieved over the loss of their political rights At the same time they len17111 l hat the depriving depriv-ing them of the right of suffrage could not materially ma-terially affect the result of any dectio as their friends would outnumber the opposition I three or four to one still preserviug I the territory to the people Now another effort is being made to extend the disfranchisements by depriving women of the right to votea right and privilege they have enjoyed undisturbed for twelve years The Commissioners we are glad to know have refused to be a party to this plot Ve do not believe the trick will be successful for the courts will hardly dare accept the responsibility of ruling against the validity of an act that Congress has sanctioned though repeatedly urged to annul it and which furthermore is in such perfect harmony with the growing I popular sentiment of the age Woman suffrage may prove a failure but a very large proportion of the American people have made up their minds that It should havet fair and general tritib before being condemned I con-demned Here in Utah the experiment experi-ment has certainly not been a failure fail-ure It has worked so satisfactorily that the popular sentiment of the country is strongly against any interference in-terference with it and would soundly condemn its forced discontinuance discon-tinuance through the machinations of a clique of irresponsible but ambitious am-bitious placo hunters We can inform those who are scheming in this matter that even should they succeed the result would not be such as they anticipate an-ticipate As the disfranchisement of polygamists will not change an election neither will the disfranchisement disfran-chisement of women Strike the names of all women from the registration regis-tration lists and the result of the election will be the same as it would were polygamists and women to vote as heretofore So long as the people peo-ple of Utah remain true to themselves and their interests the territory cannot be taken from them They are masters of the situation and if they are wise will never lose their birthright birth-right whatever deeplaid plans may be devised by their enemies to rob them of it We arc not of those who believe the American republic can II I I be guilty of making slaves of freemen I free-men and women |
