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Show the utah question in con- i gkkss. A dispatch received ye.-krJuy IVoin 1 Washington, and published elsewhere, relative to Utah matKr:), will be read witlt intf-rc:-t. Of'cour.-e the opinions of the Ya.shi listen maker up of di:i- patches ot of the ".Mormon dclega- ! turn' there whoever may compose it j nilativc to a change in iho policy of' die administration arc worth no more than the opinions of others no better informed, and no particular weight should be kivcu to ihem. Hut there is little d-;uljt that Coiijjava will take up the Mormon question with a view of tttlliuf.; the existing difficulties ; and here, as interested parties, wedc.-irc- to express ourwelvca. The anti-polygamy act of LSOJ i.n unconstitutional un-constitutional beyond question. Not only in that it prohibits the exercise of a religious rite which the Mormons dourly hold marriage to he, whether inonogamic or plural, when properly performed; but in other points a well. And thcro is not a shadow of doubt that an attempt has never been made to enforce that law, because a deei.-ion by the Supremo Court declaring its unconstitutionality would settle the difficulty at once and forever in favor of the Mormons. There is also no doubt that the oourso of the federal courts in this Territory is not approved by Congress, as it dj not by the country; for if it wcro thcro would bo no need tn n.,v(l,; hut i.ormlt tli-it frtnrc to bo continued, and sustain it by the whole power of the country if necessary. neces-sary. But the cry ii, " Polygamy must bo nbandoncd!" Why? " Becauso the' Eonso of tlio country is against it ! "' If constitutionality and legality are to bo ignored, wc can settle down to a plain understanding that the popular voico demands an illegal and unconstitutional policy to bo pursued, that an unpopular part of a religious faith may be suppressed? With this conclusion arrived at, what next ? Congress may pass the old Crngin anti-polygamy bill, even moro glaringly unconstitutional than that of or it may pass some similar measure, and rcl'uso an appeal to the Supreme Court of tho United States, also unconstitutional; un-constitutional; and then leave an incompetent, in-competent, partisan and prejudiced judiciary in the Territory to pass a iinal decision on it and dcclaro it constitutional, con-stitutional, tho decision being virtually reached beforo an argument is heard on it. This Congress has tho power to do, but it has not the right to do it, and such invasion of tho supremo law of tho land would be fraught with tho most baleful consequences; for if, in carrying out a settled and favorite policy, that instrument which has boon proclaimed the governing law by over two-thirds of tho States can bo set aside and ignored in ono direction, it can bo in another, until the liberties of tho wholo people depend upon tho whim or caprice of a majority of Congress, and tho rights of tho minority minor-ity come to bo viewed merely as boons granted by the majority. It is proposed to pass an enabling act for tho admission of Utah as a State, on certain conditions again manifestly unconstitutional, but declaredly de-claredly demanded by popular clamor. The evil in this direction is almost the eamo in its results, though they would be reached by a different course. Compromise Com-promise between right and wrong can effect only a temporary remedy for existing evils. Polygamy is unpopular in this country, but is it therefore wrong? That cannot justly be assumed, for it is tho very question on which a conflict of opinion exists; and while ono person may positively assert that it is palpably and grossly erroneous, another person will assert that it is in every tense, when properly un- ,i . j j i i typo of civilization than rules in monogamic nations. And republican principles recognize the right of men to differ in opinion; to hold, uninterruptedly, uninter-ruptedly, diverse views; to claim on the one side as saered that which another would brand as error or blasphemy, blas-phemy, and vice versa. The mere fact that polygamy is unpopular un-popular should not have weight with cither tho legislative or judicial branches of the government; but tho j only question which Congress should consider is. Docs the practice of poly- j gamy in any way interfere with the ; inherent rights of those who do not practice it? Vet apparently Congress will do more than this. It will essay somo plan for solving the Mormon problem other than by recoguizing polygamy, and here is where the peril begins, which threatens tiro future; for if, in obedience to the clamors of the Methodic denomination Mormon polygamy poly-gamy has to go to the wall, because i the prejudices of that sccicty and of. some others arc opposed to it, the same spirit may by and by clamor for ; the abolition of the adoration of sacred '. statues and pictures in Catholic j churches, as a species of idolatry opposed op-posed to tho "progress of civilization" and "the enlightenment of tho age." To tinker with tho principles of liberty is not the work of statesman- ' like uiiuds. It is a resort to temporary expedicuts to satisfy the prejudices of a portion of the people. This is the poiiticiau's'plan for settling ditfioulties, and by politician we mean the man whose policy is circumscribed by the platform of party. But tho statesman states-man holds to sound principles when the ship of state drifts to tho breakers of revolution, as a skillful mariner would hold to his sheet anchor. And on this ground we would urge congress, con-gress, in dt-ussiiu the subject of Utah and polygamy, not to lose siht of the gioat principles of civil and religions liberty lib-erty on which this mighty Kepublie is founded, lcat the little tissurcs in the embankment em-bankment which keeps out the ocean of anarchy and chaotic revolution, uiuht widen so rapidly that a flood would pour in with force enough to sweep away the very foundations of our country's greatness, and leave nothing behind but tho strewn wrecks of a mighty power. |