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Show LINCOLN ON POLYGAMY. Whether Abraham Lincoln was or j was not religious continues un excit-. ing topic of discussion among the m iiny thousands of his admirers. And I while they are relieving themselves oft elaborate opinions on the subject, we I may be permitted tu quote tho dead j 6 talesman's opinions on Utah niul i the polygamy question, inasmuch as once again the great outcry is raised for prescriptive and stringent special legislation by Congress against the Mormons. In J. H. Barrett's "Life. Speeches and Public Services of Abraham Abra-ham Lincoln," we find a Bpeech, delivered de-livered at Springfield, Illinois, on June 6th, lto7, in reply to Stephen "A. Douglas, on Kansas, the Died Scott decision, and the Utah question, from which we quoto as follows, copy inn . from nn're lS of Mr. Barrett's work : 1 be-in wi .h Utah. If it prove to bo true- or ia probable, that, the proolt o! Uu art; in op in robmlion ngMnet Ui Uni td Sistfe. tliea Jude Dg'as it in fivor of K-puali' k their Tor nt or ml orftB!i-i.iiioa, orftB!i-i.iiioa, a: d atiacbing them lo die hd joining SUaU'6 tor juuieitil jairpotcs. 1 say, tjo, if thi'y are in rub.'liion tliy otii(b.-. lo bo iomtliow coerced to obedi-imce; obedi-imce; and I am nut now prepivrxd ta ftd-mi". ftd-mi". or deny Unit thu Ju'g-i'a mcda ol' cotT.Mug them is not bj good aa nnv. Th Kt')ub icns c-vn t'!l in with it wi limit Wki k b.-icfc anything ihoy have over uuid. To he suro, it would bo ft eoneiderabie bnci pk down by Jud-i Douglas trom his ii'Ueli vaunt fd doctr'nauf nell-guveiDiPiiiit for tho Tcn-ilorics; but this is only additional addi-tional proof of what was very plum from the bi'if inning, that that doctrine was a more deceit fid pretence for the benefit of slavery. Thoto who could not t-ee that much in the Nebraska act itself, whioh foreed Govrnori, and Secretaries, and Judges un tho people of tho Territories, without their uhuiee or consent, could nut be made to see though ono should rise from the dead. But in all this, it is very plain the judge evades the only question' the Republican have ever preyed upon the Democracy in rf;ard to Utah. 'J hst imestion tho Judfre well knew to bo thi: "If the yjop'o of Utah shall peacefully form a State constitution tolerating polygamy, poly-gamy, will the Democracy admit them into the Union ?" Tncrc is nothing in the United States OmsOUttian or law ti'juinxtvohjfjam; and why is it not part of tho Judge's "sacred right of f-elf-guv-crnment" for the people to have it, or rather to keep it, if Ihoy chooso ? The italics are ours. It must be remembered that this speech was delivered de-livered by Mr. Lincoln atn time when the public mind east was inflamed by the falsehoods of the notorious Judge Druramond, written in San Francisco and dated Great Salt Lake; and when Floyd, Secretary of War, was having the flower of the army 6ent away into the wilds of the Rocky Mountains, avowedly to quell the so- caiiCu reoeiuous mormons, uui reanj to get it out of the way as a partof his secession programme. It should also al-so be remembered that tho only law ever enacted against polygamy was the act of 1S02, which President Lincoln Lin-coln refused to sign because of its unconstitutionality un-constitutionality permitting it to become be-come law without his signature. And, then, the urgency of the demands made on Congress for special and plenary powers, to be conferred upon the Federal officials here, ostensibly for the enforcement of that particular law of Congress, but really to give power for carrying out a gigantic plan ol public plunder, may be estimated esti-mated at their proper value. |