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Show TUB JIORMOS PltUULE.1I. By conimcDciog prosecutions apainst the .Mormons we have got a mcdiuiu sized elephant on our hands, and the animal ia already begin niiii; to trouble trou-ble us. The course ol judge McKean has been that of an intolerant bk'tit, so much so that no .Mormon can get justice in his court. To go into it is to be condemned. Sometimes he rules that he is a Territorial court, and iheu that it is a United Slates court, aud then a Territorial court aain, jumping 1'rom one court lo the otlit-r, and then back again, as it may sceiu best, to forward for-ward the prosecution?. lie convicted Thomas Hawkins of committing adultery with his own wife, upon the sole and uncorroborated evidence- of his own wife, which was a clear violation of the law, as the wile is never a competent witness against the husband. Thus illegally was Thomas Hawkins sentenced to three years' imprisonment im-prisonment and a fine of five hundred dollars assessed against him. lie prayed an appeal to the supreme court of the Territory, and the fanatical, one-idead one-idead McKean fixed his bail at twenty thousand dollars, so as to keep him in frison and prevent his making a bond, twill take all of Hawkins' property to pay his fine, so that he can not give such enormous bail. When the supreme su-preme court met, McKean peremptorily peremp-torily adjourned it until June next, as is supposed to keep his associa'e judges from reversing the case, which they will be very apt to do if they can once get it before them. But this is not all indeed, it is but the beginning of the arbitrary acts of this unjust judge, and only the fact that he is away out here in the wilds of Utah, and but littie known of his high-handed proceedings, keeps him in office. We brag from one Fourth of July to another about the justness of our laws and the freedom of our institutions, institu-tions, but at the same time allow a Methodist bigot to occupy ihe bench, and prosecute a religious sect under imaginary laws. If there was law for it, and it that law was impartially carried car-ried out, there could bo no ground of complaint, but law and practice are alike violated, that a few poor devils out hero in Utah may bo sent to prison or driven out of tho country, whose only crime is a sincere and candid be lief in the doctrines of their church .Let me say here and for all, that while I detest many of the cardinal principles prin-ciples of the Mormon creed, and thiuk their so-called revelation is a fraud and a humbug, yet I do not for a moment mo-ment doubt the perfect siucerity and candor and good faith of those here who profess the Mormon religion. I believe they are as honest in their belief be-lief as wc arc in ours, and I know thai they are more faithful to their creed, more self-sacrificing and zealous in building up their church than we arc in building ours. They prove their faith by their works, and we prove ours by tho strength of our lungs rather than by the depth of our pockets. poc-kets. The Territory of Utah has been settled set-tled by the Mormons, and converted by them from a howling wilderness to tho foremost Territory in point of population pop-ulation and Wealth on the continent. They have accomplished this with no oilier aid than their own strong arms and willing hearts. They have, by their own exertion and at their own expense, brought forty thousand emigrants em-igrants from ihe old world and added to the aggregate of tho nation's wealth not less than seventy millions of dollars. They have flourished and prospered aa no people ever did under similar discouraging circumstances. They say ihcir prosperity is because God favors them and their religion; but from what 1 see of them I think it is because they work twelve and fourteen hours a day and drink no whisky. A pooplo so industrious will flourish anywhere, do matter what their religious creed may be, so that they honestly and sincerely believe in it. Notwithstanding nine-tenths of the population of Utah are Mormons, aud notwithstanding they hold eleven-twelfths eleven-twelfths of the property of the Territory, and are as intelligent and law-abiding as the Gentiles, and far more so unless we look upon polygamy as practiced here as a crime; notwithstanding all this, no Mormon is allowed to sit on a jury in McKean's court. And now the Territorial government, govern-ment, which is Mormon, very properly prop-erly refuses to pay the expenses of any such court; congress also refuses; the time for holding the court draws Dear, and what arc wc going to do about it? WHAT OUGHT TO HE DONE. Utah is now, or will be in a few days, knocking at the door of conercss for admission as a State, a sister Stale in the glorious galaxy of freedom, as the fellows will say who make speeches about it in congress. The convention which framed the State constitution, which will be presented pre-sented to congress, has just adjourned, and the result of their labors Is enrolled od several paces of flat-cap, and will go to congress in that htipe. The convention con-vention heid its session in this ciiy.and 1 have wen and talked with a larce number of delegates, to catch ihe drift of sentiment as far as possible. There were one hundred and two of the delegates, feven-eii:h:hs oiTffhom were Mormons. They were quite a respectable looking body of men. and seemed zealous in their woik. Nearly all of them were upon the e-hady side of lite; so mueh so as to be noticeable no-ticeable e'.en to the mo?t casual observer ob-server who wivjld dr-ip in to witness their proceeding'', ",1'bey received no compensation whatever for ther la bors, their work Lump purely orie o( pairioti.-ni. They fee no way out o: the cloud of d;;;ic-.i:'U' that c-vrrhac' . Monuoni.-ni but to become a State. and take the reins, ol government into their own hands, under congressional restrictions. restric-tions. They were only twelve days in framing a constitution, notwithstanding notwithstand-ing they had to work from the "stump up," showing a degree of industry and earnestness, the example of which ought to be taken into consideration by the West Virginia convention. The constitution they have turned out is essentially progressive. It is the embodiment of the "jump ahead" that Ben. Wade used to talk about. It incorporates in-corporates at one breath both negro suffrage and female suffrage. It provides pro-vides for the minority representation, the abolishing of the grand jury, and for a two-thirds verdict in civil cases ; that is to say, making nine jurymen competent to render a verdict independent inde-pendent of the other three. The other provisions are not materially different from those of other States. i The election for the ratification of the constitution will take place upon the ISth of this month, and, to give the Commercial the benefit of some early news, I will state that it will be ratified. The woman suffrage plank will cause some to kick up in the harness, har-ness, especially those having half a dozen wives, but Ihe desire to become a State will overbalance all, and the constitution will be ratified. Now for my headline, What ought to be done? There is an easy solution for all ihe troubles, and a clear way out that is, to admit Utah as a State, and let her govern herself under such restrictions as congress may prescribe, one of which should be the abolishment of polygamy. Let polygamy cease hereafter, but let those who are married alre-idy remain married.for any attempt to tear up existing domestic relations will result in untold troublo and misery. mis-ery. - The Republican party now has it in their power to get rid of the elephant a few fanatics have saddled upon it, and come before the country Baying"wo have settled this difficulty ; the Mormon Mor-mon troubles are forever at an end." II. V. R. in Cincinnati Commercial. Has the World been Deludeb? The following strange revelation is made of an eastern penitentiary: It is a popular theory that ignorance is the parent of crime. That there is a fallacy in this is, however, proved by some figures presented in the report of the inspectors of the State penitentiary of western Pennsylvania. Of the four hundred and eighteen inmates of this institution, there are only forty-3evcn who can neither read nor write, and forty-four who oan read only, while those who can both read and write number three hundred and seventy-seven. seventy-seven. That is to say, the proportion of "illiterates" among these prisoners is actually considerably less lhan the proportion of them among the whole adult population of the Northern States taken together. The Barue seems to be true of other prisons. The reports from Auburn prison, in this Stale, and from the prison at Columbus, Colum-bus, Ohio, also show ihit tho vast aia-jorily aia-jorily of criminals have received a fair education. Alio York Paper. |