| Show ONE WHO KNOWS Mormon NonMormon and Jack Mormon Views of Polygamy To the Editor of the Evening Pot SIR There are really but two parties in Utah and upon all questions of a public nature on which there may be a division of sentiment the line is drawn between the two elements Gentile and Mormon In local politics the term Democrat and Republican are scarcely know While as a rule the Mormon people solidly support their church and its elders they are by no i means a unit in their agreement on the question of polygamy Many very many will tell you they do not believe in the practicenor under any circumstances circum-stances would they encourage it in others oth-ers for the one reason u for no other that it is prohibited by law A large majority of those who had been living in polygamy when the Edmunds Bill became Jaw put away their plural wives or all but one actually cohabiting with but that one honestly intending to live and conscientiously believing that they were living within the law yet were under the peculiar construction given by the Utah courts to the term unlawful unlaw-ful cohabitation brought to a realiza t on of the fact that they were living inv in-v olation of it that offences against it might be constructively committed and under this ruling a number of convictions convic-tions I do not say that this is true of all Mormuns Thee can be no question that the religious fanaticism of some of them carry them to the extent of living liv-ing up to their full privileges in defiance defi-ance of the law openly proclaiming that the law of God interpreted by them is more binding Jon their consciences con-sciences than the law ot man but they are theca fption The extremists are not found altogether alto-gether on the Mormon side of the tw < parties in Utah They exist as well ii ne ranks of the Gentile element Many auch vociferously proclaim tha Mormons have no rights which anti Mormons are bound to respect It i a wellknown fact that there does exist in Salt Lake City and in fact throughout through-out the Territory a ring within whose charmed circle only the I elect of the Gentile element can enter Hundreds Hun-dreds of nonMormons or antiMor mons if you please who honestly desire de-sire to see the blighting curse of polygamy polyg-amy obliterated men who are advo cates of the most radical measures for its suppression will tell you that all they desire is obedience to the law while those the aforesaid ring who arrogate to themselves the right to speak for the entire Gentile PopulatIOn Popula-tIOn of Utah Will say to you that po Ivamy VI the least of the evilS and in language of the Salt Lake Tribune it is but the cement which binds together the walls of Mormonism Mormon-ism mat there can be no solution of the Mormon problem unless the members mem-bers of that creed shall be divested of all the rignts of citizenship ot as a means for the suppression polygamy for the absolute and voluntary renunciation renun-ciation of it by the Mormon Church asa as-a religions or any other right would not satisfy these men but for the very purpose pur-pose which Captain Cod man states The appropnation to itself of the government of the Territory Let an honest Gentile radically opposed to polygamy say to these men that when the Mormon Church shall cease to prac tine polygamy and its members declare their intention tj live within and obey the law that is all we have the right toe to-e that is all we cart ask and he will have thrown into Li < teeth that be is a Jack Mormon I have had ample opportunities for studying the Mormon question have been brought face to face with it have seen it in nearly if not quite all its phases A more industrious provident hospitable and in their business rela lions a more honest people never lived and with but the one exception named they are as a whole not in the least tainted with disloyalty Here and there may be fouiid some fanatical fool who gives utterance to disloyal sentiments senti-ments but of the loyalty of the bulk of the people outside of their religious fanaticism there can be no question OJTE WHO Wsows UTAH TERRIToRY February 3 Our correspondent who has had an experience in Utah which entitles him to his signature has favored us with along a-long communication a great part of which i needlessly devoted the defense de-fense of one of our correspondents against the attacks of a Utab newspaper news-paper We omit all of that and pre sentsome extracts which just now deserve de-serve pnblic attention Kiev York Even ng Put |
