Show IS PRECEDENT t The Tucker bill is not meeting with the hearty approval on the part of the intelligent press of the country that its authors and advocates expected The editors who taka the trouble to read the bill discover in it evils and dangers which they cannot overlook or pass by in silence True all or very nearly all are willing to go to any reasonable length in pursuit of the Mormons but when in that pursuit it is proposed to openly violate the plain provisions of the Constitution there is a hesitancy about accepting the proposition and giving it the sanction of intelligent popular approval The sensible clear minded person cannot fail to see in the bill legislation against religion to say nothing of the seriousness of the measure meas-ure generally and he cannot without doing violence to his conscience and sense of right consent to the straining of legislative authority that gross injustice justice may be done to a community Besides the establishment of a precedent pre-cedent is feared The Mormons are to be oppressed today because they RTB weak and unpopsSn Jbut next year It may be proposed to legislate against the Roman Catholcs the ntist8Bhak = ers or others in whicheTeaf thisct j J t q h f r 5 would be pointed out as a warrant and justification for attackingotherreligions than that of the Mormons Under the editorial head Is It Pre edentllJ the New York World hits the bill a dis cjuraging blow as follows f The AntiMormon bill which passed the House last Wednesday applies a rather severe se-vere rain to the Constitution It fall f-all Ten itorial aHa authorizing the incorporation incorpora-tion of societies or sociations connected with the Mormon church and directs their dissolution by the AttorneyGeneral Everybody desires that the twin relic of barbarism polygamy shall be destroyed blyg ai 1s The Republicans pledged themselves to Its eradication in 1856 more than thirty years ago Although they held power for nearly a quarter of a century Mormonism still flourishes flour-ishes It is left to the Democrats to do the work which the Republicans have neglected and it is their duty to perform it resolutely and effectivrlr Hut lu so doing tney should place as little s alii aspostible en the constitution Toot instrument s eks 10 sacredly guard against any iutenerence by Congress with an es ttblUhment of religion or prohibiting the I free exercise thereof Even the extinction of Mormojlm would not pay for tile im pairingof this great bulwark liberty the vindication of the freedom of conscience It woula seem tbat laws migut be framed by st tesmen that would tflecually do this goon work without taking the risk of the slightest infriug ment of one of the safeguards safe-guards of public liberty and equal rights |