OCR Text |
Show TIIK COLORED I1KOTIIER OX THE I-A'ITEK-OAV SAIT. . The Xatioiidi ,Vi.of last Thursday's date has an editorial upon ' 'The Mormon Question" which is in con-1 trust with tho bigotry that finds utterance utter-ance hi so large a part of the press of the country and, in particular, of the llepubliean party. "While it charges things upon Mormonism or polygamy which arc. not nccessarily . its cilects, it denies: the expediency I and comes pretty near to denying-thc-right of hiterfcxciiT"'rlic. .State in .-tliw-dcrrnCstXc relations of the people of Utah. The statements iu the following follow-ing paragraph are so generally correct cor-rect and the sentiments eo liberal that we take pleasure in transferring 1 them to the columns of tlie Caj!ht. 'Speaking of polygamy, it says: r "There are two objections to it,' tho j low state of morality, as is alleged, that it cultivates, and the eflect it" has socially. Unfortunately for the thco-! thco-! rists. the actual' state of morality is far higher among the Mormons as , bulb their enemies and friends testi-; testi-; Jy, than among the average Gentile , nations and communities. Tlie rum -hop, billiard saloon, nnd gambling ' liells which a--ej jsopietimcs sujiposoj to be necessary adjuncts of American civilization, find no supjxrt nor couii-' couii-' tenance in Utah. ' This makes the , interference of national authority J with these people a thing to be dreaded: dread-ed: in the first place, '"because the moment we attack their State and I system, we attack ' then religion and I begin a religious persecution, foreign alike to our republican govermnen anil the temper of the times. At the . same time by B-uch a policy we should i at once elevate to the scatlold of mar-. mar-. tyrelom the bigoted sensualist and his . I ciders, while we provoke lor theni the i sympathy of die world. In the sec-. sec-. und place,' because it is the policy ol ; our National Government to interfere as httk as possible with the relations of the States aud TeiriLoiit-s, and in : ihee cH.-e-s whuro it does, only when . absyiuiciy , :nc:&saiy to preserve Uic ' authoiiiy or the lU'o of the t fcute. . i ! That the St a dots not have' ou-i ou-i u,V1;lt" U) iutert&t iuelf directly in tho ia-lu' oi a Territory, ruch as Utah, niibt be ackuon-ltdi;ed; but the expe-jtucy expe-jtucy ofsodouigisasc-ther and far i diilerem- riutciiojT hi execution and retails. Uuih d,jes not render' itself amenable lo law by its pra-;tice o: what the law of' July, lco2, diavnc-temojj diavnc-temojj i bigan.v, but ac tiiis law is pr-actically a dead letter, and has never he-en active' enforced, it is to-i to-i day, at least, an , excxflingly ques-! ques-! liable jjoiicy u Bpply it to f.ie Mor-l Mor-l mona alone. Polfgamy is s'.-d j to have an Lijuricius eiivCt upon Uie , women who arc iu v.'Liries or vic- "rn. but their g..D-.ral t-tiiuony de-t-s ! not hoar out ihU auppositioii, whether j it arises ft-jni Li-.- ir i prance ux in-f-'to.ation. In fact," all the crperi-, crperi-, nients made in Oimmuni?tic circles ; in France, ;jg:and. and at the Onei-. Onei-. da LonuuuniTT in America ratinir ! "car witri'ss to" tix generally con ten t-. t-. "1 di-posiiions tftiic women. Indetd. I """" are rather in.-!hied to think that nn, after all, i$ oae who chafes I most at the infraction ot thft nuptial L-jiid. Now, wliilo bigamy, when committ,.d by a single individual, can be properly t:v.iud ;is crime by the State, when ill. .is the sanction Of ft whole eommiuv.iy, and is a matter oi rehgi ms faith, h l-eivmes the State to' be extremely direful, lest in its zeal fir morality it doe-s not violate the rights which arc guaranteed to those people by the Constitution. " nst-m:.t-.n Oij'ital, |