Show 3V O VAlISE FOR ALARM We have see 7 a number of foolish remarks in eastern papers about the probable revival of polygamy when Utah attains to statehood The only peg on which these opinions can be hung is that garbled report of some remarks made by President Joseph F Smith at a meeting in Sevler which was published in a Richfield paper copied into the Tribune and scattered > I throughout the country What the gentleman gen-tleman declared he actually said has been published in The Herald and it put > the matter In an entirely different light lightVe We would not refer to this matter again but for the comments and conclusions con-clusions of several newspapers some of which come to us marked Jor reproduction re-production As one of them we copy I the annexed from the editorial columns of a Chicago journal The territory of Utah is now tankIng tank-ing its seventh atempt to come into the Union as a state and this time with far better prospects for success than have atetnded its previous efforts ef-forts fortsA itA bill for the admission of Utah to the Union passed the House of Repre bentatives in December 1893 and the Senate In July 1S94 This law Is unlike un-like any other ever passed for a similar simi-lar purpose in that it makes the following fol-lowing limitation That a perfect toleration tol-eration of religious sentiment shall be secured and that no inhabitant In said state shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship provided that polygamous or plural marriages are forever prohibited The law provides pro-vides that a constitution shall be submitted sub-mitted to the people in November next and if accepted the president will by proclamation admit the state to the Union It is safe to say that the enabling act would not have passed Congress had not the Mormons of Utah by protest and declaration convinced con-vinced the congressmen that they had as a church abandoned plural marriages mar-riages Without such an understanding it would have been Impossible to pass the enabling act The truth is however how-ever that a strong element in the Mormon church is as stubbornly com mlted to the polygamous doctrines of that church as it ever was Last month a quarterly conference I e f of the Latterdayi Saints was held at < Richfield Utah and an account of the proceedings of that assembly was pub tehed fn the Richfield Advocate uf February 20 An cudifes was made by Elder Joseph F omith which contains some I eel rrrafio ns In regard to plural t murrages that ire simply shocking A jiear relative of Elder Smith is toe > to-e the presiding clncer of the convention conven-tion now astembled to draft a coivjtitu tion for the new state The Mormon voters will elect the state officers and execute the laws ihd Congress and the people win be powerless to interfere In the affairs of the state of Utah It is to be lejired that polygamy will be protected and more or less openly practiced Phese doubts and suspicions and Mats of doubledealings come from Republican sources They are based upon a juggle of the words used and sentiments expressed by > a Mormon speaker in a public meeting The jumble is copied the reply is not heeded Is there a concerted movement in Republican circles to defeat statehood state-hood I If so we think its promoters will have only their labor for their pains The enabling act requires provisions to be made for the prohibition of polygamy polyg-amy irrevocable without the consent of Congress Those provisions will be made They may not and ought not to be formulated in the shape of a penal code but will undoubtedly be amplfe for all constitutional purposes They will be followed by such appropriate appro-priate legislation as the constitution i will require I The people of Utah are not agitating this question nor is there any movement move-ment or disposition among them to recede re-cede from the ground they have formally form-ally taken concerning it They are not a doublefaced or untrustworthy community com-munity They have the worldwide reputation of being true to their agreements They are all right as to this thing that seems to trouble some folks so much If the attempt to resurrect this question is for the purpose of hindering hinder-ing statehood it will necessarily fail The designated provisions will be inserted in-serted in the constitution The President Presi-dent is required to issue his proclamation proclama-tion if that instruments proves to have them and is Republican in form It will be time enough for the moral wetnurses of the nation to cry out when the young state shows any disposition dis-position to go back1 on its pledges Just now the fuss and protests are puerile and the whole agitation springs from alleged sentiments that were not uttered Our eastern contemporaries contem-poraries may quiet their alarms Utah is all right on the marriage question ques-tion |