Show POLYGAMY t IN Ut i i s iLJ I l The Situation looked Square Jy fn the Face t GUI WESTS RECENT ACTION Tbe Conservative Elemsnt A Deserved > De-served Tribute to Utah Peaceful People The Real lame SALT LAKE CITY May 15Special By a wise judicious and humane step the new Governor of the Territory has turned back the stream of Gentile agitation into its legitimate channel J The telegraph advised you of Governor I Wests visit to the penitentiary and his promise of amnesty if this unfortunate Mormons imprisoned for polygamy and unlawful cohabitation would promise to obey the law Apostle Snow wanted to discuss the religious aspects of the question but Governor West quietly but firmly refused to look at the subject sub-ject in that light He told the incarcerated incarcer-ated Saints that the law must be respected re-spected and Obeyed that its officers f were simply performing their duty in prosecuting those who coatraveued its just provisions and that a vast amount of misery and suffering would be spared in the future if a pledge were given that the law relating to plural marriage and unlawful cohabitation would be strictly observed No eloquence on the part of the Governor however could elicit the required promise The Saints looked upon themselves as martyrs Some say they would rather rot in prison than renounce polygamy Others are inclined in-clined to temporise and say Let the government forget the past let the polygamous associations already in existence ex-istence continue as a matter of fairness and justice to innocent women and children and then we m y consider a demand for an assurance that plural marriages shall cease This last class I am inclined to think constitntes the majority those amenable to the Ed munds act What weight their opinion may have with TOE LEADERS or THE CHUBCIL it is impossible to determine Those with whom I haveconversed say it is useless t to talk about abandoning polygamy polyg-amy thatitjs a divine ordinance and human law caq not compel its suppression suppres-sion One prominent Mormon who bas alreadyserred a term for unlawful odoabitatioa eaya the abandonment poly Diy would be confession to the people thatitwai inerelyiq fraudulent sensual institution The church Jooks upon irhS One bf Its nwist sacredord nancesIaud only a revelation from God I who gQyerned 1be huich byJHia infinite wisdom could abolish this ordinance This is the way all the arnest Jrtor tudns talk You can notget them to discuss the duestfcn frdra a legal standpoint stand-point On the articles pf tneirJaiih these peculiar peopje are as stubborn as mules They abate nolona jot pf ardor about the tenets jot the iChurchsand threats ol Xarttjer adverse legislation seem only to w jld them more firmly and conscientiously together Looking at their sim let fragal t Hresv eired dent thrifthonestyand industry their peaceful neighborly foudnct their loving interest in their wives andchil dren and solicitude about IwauUfying their homes bIie regretd tbaPreligajis enthusiasm fan tiCU m call It which you may should lead them intrfprac condemned byihe law l Feards expressed fn man hbUter I That the decision incrtheoycasjf which practically legalrresuthe segrega tion of the offense pf unlawful cobabi ialfon meand more rigorousIprosdQU tion The docket tit the 1 conrUW swollen with cohab t cases I Scarcely a day goes by without The rifest ofsobse unlucky Saint who has been too liberal m the matter of wives ITbe marshals are active and inmanyinsiMjcesreck less as to the means by < which < ttiey cadi nab those particnlarJawbreaTjeraP I A FEELISO OF BITTER UATBED I exists among ther > e > plea ViniJf4ha3e < officials Fjishfful8tones of tliwrjjon I duct are circulatedatiimes but some are undonbtedrcdlare < lby Ifiefeeling of animosity which prevails Among thinking men the question Boys long the polygamists can 5 lndthia severe prosecution is receiving e attention Nearly every leading man of thechur ch who has practiced polygamy under indictment A number are in hiding This latter class is composed of most who dread the segregation roast > > and against whom the GentilafeehngfeHbe most bitter Otberstand up mmfQy at the bat and declare the Vill sustain their wives and children nailer any asd circumstances Ihis las comprises thi martyrs the ajtfa the men who are to receive the glorification Jathfc hereafter even If they do endure the pangs of imprisonment llJ this1e Under these conditions It seems to me only la question of p me befpie the Its law bs tIS now canstUubdrwJH crash datp lygamy Tbdmpitiact with I lhi segregation business is severe enough for any purpose Underit man snaybesent to prison for life and subjected tofineswhich would seriously diminish tbelQTtzatujtXzrclAcTbf courts are enthoslaswrin execminglEe1 law There is no chaacefor H escape of a polv ids 8Dld hQbe nes art rested 3t4i4 uejlleorgeQ4oa < forfeited M bail which was fixed ata at enormous figure bpt the dxctfc > e3n bLU easels that la view oOoM Tayifers1 age and feebleness he isihe real head j of the church and that its affairs both I temporal and spiritual would suffer I I were he ISCARCZKATED FOE HFE t which it is believed would have been the punishment meted out to hi bad I he stayed to accept the sentence the court The appointment of trustees for the church property and the legalization legali-zation of a test oath which t wouldbar all Mormons whether polyga lsts or not from the rights of citizenslrj are i regarded as harsh and unconstitaaonal measures by the conservative Gentiles of the Territory who pre opposed anything which svrorsJpf spoliation and persecution and thms the suppression suppres-sion of Mlrauny all that isaeedOito brinctbe church and the people within the just limits of the law Tberorte not a Icw who repardGov Wests mission T > r ru rcy to the peni temSarv as prelude toamore vigorons i enforcement of the law They claim that the enemies pf the cliurcn jjanned j the visit 10 that the OoTemormtgbt see the stubbornness of the people in upholding one tenet of their faith and gradually come round to the general Gentile assumption that the church is bad from top to bottom and not the slightest particle of good can be found in any of Its member Once imbued with this sentiment it it argued the Governor wonld follow in the footsteps of his predecessor and support every measure calculated to annoy irritate and oppress the people Governor West owever does not appear to t DP that kind of a man He recognize that < has a very difficult recognize Wrestle with one which has baffled tae statesmanship ol the last twenty five t yearsand cannot be mastered by the study of a few weeks He Is improve with the fact that he is here to govern the whole peoplft and not to bx the mouthpipceor automaton of any clique As a good and loynl ervnnt of the guy ernmenthe will endeavor to EirCUTE THE LAWS as he finds them unswayed by any in finance which either Mormon or Gentile Gen-tile may endeavor to bring to bear upon him This visit to the penitentiary is the first important act cf his Jtuberna tonal career It was doubtless not don without the knowledge and sanction of the authorities at Washington It is significant therefore as an indication of tbe policy of the government on the Utah question in its preent phase It is thought to be an intimation that if i the people will place themselves within the pale of the law in regard to tbi one question of polygamy all other assaults sault on their religion and church property will fail But what if they stil stubbornly resists re-sists the law The rabid Gentiles who flourish most in this beautiful city say they will show that these people are unworthy worth of the rights of citizenship and should be disfranchised that the thirty 01 forty thousand of thl minority sbould have full control of the Territory and administer its affairs This as I have shown before Is the real fight here and Governor West deserves praise for narrowing nar-rowing the issue to one which can he readily understood and fully appreciated appreci-ated in the ealtnamelr the exterpa tion of this unAmerican system of plural marriages Stripped of thai svstem the church has about it a grenl mahv things to commend It cannot be said that it fosters anything inimical to the welfare of its communicant Tor they are among the most thrifty industrious in-dustrious prosperous and sober people fn the world There are as many virtues vir-tues among the Mormons as there are among the Methodists orthe people of any other denomination The church probably has more property and exercise exer-cise more paternal care and AUTHORITY OVEB THE FZOIXY than do some of those ancient sects ut 4he people seem to Idee that kind of government They wax fat and kick despite the tithing system i they are cheerful obliging and neighborly neigh-borly despite the Alleged bulldozing tactics the bishbp and elders They are gradually yet surely developing one of the richest Territories in the country and are happy in the prospect of general wealth when this agitation is I over and timid capital comes m to back their pluck and energy To my mind this very question ot capital would speedily settle the Utah question without the enactment of any other stringent and coercive legislation The antiMormons are correct when I they lay no other Territory is richer in natural resources The mountain I ranges fairly groan with mineral I wealthgold silver iron copper coal and lead The valleys thanks to those villainous Mormons who saddled the mountain streams and directed the course Of their fruitful moisture aro uncommonly fertile and the benches formexcellent crazing lands Waterpower Water-power is abundant for manufacturing purposes The population is steady tad trustworthy TJespUbneltbeocrntic goy r ernmenlof the phurch apd every con ditiqn exists for tHe development cf a mlni > p hgrMnltael and manufactur liDS country second id hope In the United States WIW alhtbese natural advantages capital keeps aloof from I Utah AndwhyT Elniplvbedausfof this perpetual din about the Mormon question It rrTaftr ftrvestnlentsare unsafe that life andjiberty injeop ardy while the church holds control of the Territory All this Is the ver eat traslu There is no restriction on immigration immi-gration here and property is as safe as it Is anywhere else in the world IFTHECBKT1LZS had displayed half the energy In in uc lug capital to come in that they have to drive the Mormons but of t c Territory 1 the polygamy question aqd the nuttttc of Territqriaj control mighthaveleen settledtyears ago Were the resources of the Territory carermjy placed before the country capital would speedily Bow injdesi ite the wickedness ana enorml ties Qf the Mormon a clfnrch and on the heels of this capital would come a toast ot jJbtdy1 immigrants whose vigor and Independence would speedily acqoire the balance of power and place the Ter nfory by legitimate American methods meth-ods where the professional agitators want to have it by means which to say the least are questionable their constitutionality con-stitutionality q > < But nnfortunatelPfbVlhJ 1 Temlory ere is no jirpf pct nf this agitation teasing iBolbsid ttra bitter td > Je1 l termineJ 5 0fab > rentoi eMalalM added l forcet Wd6 Jt and > feJoi g atruggl may j4Akeeitbet Wkere4he thing will nd appp tBvi6ret IL hUt the messed t Jot s4iafrasektseee passes ih paaelnoe > 3tIhe dbhrtkrpte i pie which kssibt ceder I I recent trials aywr beitsxhanstedjand measures ot4i tJi 4enTiodcgurafed i So far as more vigorous proseeubeni under existing laws isc concersed J 4e not an ticiPlltlf Dy trpmbkoahBrpeopte are couselle Jo yobslil lot aJidfor bearanceand are neerf ally following the advice ofj thei < cle4d tsX > IHJswu abiding citizens are anxious that polygamy polyg-amy should be suppressed and as I said before the present measures if I vigorously executed must bring abopt that remIt in the course of time Itw said I POLYGAMOUS MAHJUAGES j I are still being celebrated in the differ 1 ent temples Of course tke charch people will give no eviience iri cerrobor = i alien of this statemeat Duten venerable vener-able patriarch told mo today tha hu anamiatare is sa caostittitedthat It would rather indulge in forbidden rrac tires than exercise rights agalnstjvbich there Is noTnlilbition IJnferred from this remark that Jural marnugett are still bemgconsHmmated Some twelve thousand people male and femtle have already been disfranchised on account of polygamy and every voter in the Territory has to take an oath that heor she does not practice nnlawfi cobahi tatio before registering As to a Mormon Mor-mon uprising in the event of harsher measures being inaugurated I do not appreh nd any danger from the present temper of he Saints Everyone with I whom I have talked deprecate any thing of the sort and la disposed to look upon the present troubles as a persecution tolerated by the Lord whtib should be meekly and patiently roroeJ P in the Chicago lmcs |