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Show A TWO-EDGED SWOHD. Our esteemed contemporary, the Helena, (M. T.J Herald, doesn't know whether to weep or rejoice over the decision of the Supreme court in the Reynolds cawo. The IhmUl is insanely in-sanely violent in its treatment of Mormons, lu dealing with them no measure can bo loo severe, no law loo cruel. The prompt and indiscriminate indiscrimi-nate slaughter of tho people of Ibis territory, men, womon and children, would be specially delightful to the Montana editor. He could turn Nero while the oloody wortc was in progress. Hud the Supreme court , decreed the hanging of all Mormons, and stopped at that point, ihe Utrald man would have been happy. But the high tribunal did not so order. It did, bowover, trench upon some of the inherent rights of American citizens in the territories, and therefore there-fore the Helena scribe repudiates it. weep undisturbed, he does both, and in the aamo breath, U'ib sobs und aachinnatioua harmoniously blending, and ending in a doleful wail. As the merry Btrain is cod fined to ten brief lines, and the mournful refrain Bpins out lo a column in length, it must be concluded that be is about ton timeB more sorry thiin be ia glad that the decision baa been given. But, seriously, the Salt Lake Hekald heartily endorses its Montana nameBuke's complaint againit the unjust, anli-republican and even wicked usurpation by congress and the fediral government of the riglile of citizen? of the territories. Tho treatment of the dependencies is simply infamous, and should mako congressmen, presidents and judges blush to speak of lreedom and self-government. We have no rights or privileges not accorded by the most cruel mouaicbies to their distant colouitits, and many of the imperial governments are more generous gen-erous and more just to their subjects than tho United States are to the people who reside in the vast scope of country comprised in the eight terri tories. These unfortunate people have greater cause for complaint against the oppression of thoir own government than the people of the nlnnip liafl In nrntpn!. nrrftinqt thfi cruelty of the mother country. The Helena Herald but voices the eeuti-1 ment of every bona Jidc resident of a territory, in its strictures upon the system by which the aflairs of the dependencies de-pendencies are administored. We rep.oduce the entiro article from our contemporary, crediting the writer's severe expressions about Mormons to icoorant prejudice and a superabund ance of bile : Tho chiof juslico recently deliv red tho unanimous opinion of tho supreme court, of tho United States, declaring valid Iho act of congroJB punishing by tine and imprisonment im-prisonment polygamous connections in tho territories. It lb a docision had consigned con-signed lo prison or tbo stocks everyone guilty under the act, wu thould have soen more cause of rejoicing than wo can discover dis-cover at present. There are two very serioui drawbacks to our rejoicing. First, the ground on which Iho decision n sis is that congress hns exo usivo juriitliclian to legislnte for the territories a position that wo cannot Accept, nolwithstandirg Iho high Authori'y thai makc3 iho declaration. dec-laration. If this doctrine- be true, we arc subjects and Ecrfj, but notcilizans. Wo are governed by a body of legislators which wo have- no vote or voice in choosing. choos-ing. We aro taxed without representation representa-tion and ruled by otEcors in whose selection selec-tion wo havo not the slhtcst choice. If any one can teil us wherein we have any higher rights on any surer batis than the sul'jccta of the emperor of Russia, according to this doctrine, we shou'd liko lo hear trom him. Precedent, assumption, assump-tion, acquiescence, may be pleaded, but wo hold to tho doctrine that the statute of limitations docs not run Bgainst human hu-man nghU and liberty. Wo concede all that ii asKcd on the icoro of precedent, for history is a continuous net work of IJIBUIIIVB. J HO lUUlb UtL-JSLUIl KOC5 U&CK to years and examples before tho adoption adop-tion of our constitution, and c"oe3 notl seam to realize that a distinctively new1 era is recorded thero. We hear no mora of divine r'ghls of rulers in the constitution, constitu-tion, but on Iho contrary that all just gtMjrnmenU aiuorg nion derive their jowera from the consent of the governed. Wo me impertinent in our curiosity to inquire when, whoro and how tho con-sont con-sont of tin pop'o ia ilia territories has evar been sorjfht or obtained, constituting constitu-ting congress and tho president our lawmakers, law-makers, governor.-1, o'.e. We know very well tint many t f the fundamental piin-cij.los piin-cij.los of government to which wo appeal aro contained in the declaration of inde-pendtneo inde-pendtneo Bnd r,ot in tho constitution itadf, but tho declaration is :he oldest instiunwr.it, and tho constitution ex- a mc-ro perfect; uni-n acd to secure Iho blessing ol freedom lo ourselves and our postorily." 1 ho advj; lion of tho con-ttitution con-ttitution was not a slop backward-mnoi backward-mnoi g tho musty precedents of conturiei of ignorance, superstition, and tyranny. In the particular ca;o at hand we re-jo re-jo eo to ico a heavy hand laid upon the ac:uned institution that dogrados woman from being an honored companion lo become tho slave and toy of a brutal, lord; but we cannot forget lhat the power lo mako laws that shall bind us, or carri- a iho possibility lo .take from us our liberty and property, without our , consent or concurrence, tigia our doith-j doith-j warrant. i A gain, of what particular value is the law, so lorg as tlio execution involves the right of trial by jury, and Mormon juries enn bo trusted lo acquit every ons tried before them? Will you mend this by excluding Mormons and polygamist ' from juries? This implies a preliminary : itrial to ascertain vliethcr a man is a Mormon or polyg-imi t. Our constitution constitu-tion pohibi!i any religious test, and we could rot by any oith compel a poly-gniist poly-gniist to state what would subject bun 10 criminal prosecution. f bull-duzots are secure from punishment in the southern state. by risson cf this right ol trial before thtir peer in crime, we may bo sure that llio law of congress will situ i no eo.ier eiinnco ol execution against the polyitamiitj of Utah. Here, we presume, there will he many to 'join in the common execration pgninst trial by jury on account of Iho immunity it gives to tho Mormon?. But ?o long as wo are robbtd hy congress if all our political rights, it is about tho only safeguard safe-guard that remins to us of all the boasted heritage of American citizenship. So our satisfaction is mined with much "Hoy on all these tlouri.-lies cf this two-j two-j edged sword. |