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Show U ASHING I O. Mrs. WellN ami Mrs. Williams Uelore Ihe limine Judiciary Judi-ciary Committee. Washington, 17. Following are the remarks made by Mrs. E. B. WellB and Mrs. Ztna Young Williams, of Salt Lake city, before the house judiciary judi-ciary committee, today, in support of the proposition for the enactment of some law to protect the wives and children of the present polygamists in Utah from ine anticipated effects of the enforcement of the law against polygamy, aa regards plural mar riages heretofore contracted. Mrs. Wells said: We have been driven westward from Btate to Btate, and at last took refuge on soil not belonging to the United StateB, but to Mexico. We wore thought unfit to live under the free American flag and wo took lhat wilderness in which to build up a civilization of our own, and to worship God according to our consciences. When we took possession posses-sion of our territory wo were again hunted down by the Gentiles, who followed there and who saw that we had comfortable homes, good husbands hus-bands and were rearing children in faith good children owned and blessed by their kind fathers. Toia; men have stirred up the Christian women of the country, who in appealing ap-pealing to you to further attiict us, know not what they do. We have do dram shops, no paupers, no outcast women, no illegitimate children. Enforce this cruel law, let the Gentiles rule that territory, and ycu must build prisons for our husbands and almshouses for our children, and we what will we be before your law? Mrs. Williams Baid: My lather, Brigham Young, loved his children, owned them aud provided for toem. Will the government of tho United States make these women outcasts, who are now honored wives and mothers, grown grey in rearing eons and good citizens of tue Uuited S:ales? We thought the constitution of ihe United Slates would protect us in Ihe free exercise yj our religion, aud lhat tbe law would be pronounced unco.ifct.tulional. Now that the au preme court haa deoided otherwise, we come to you for protectiou. We are United States citizens, born nn American soil. We are a strength in the nation. Nowhere will you find btaver, truer men than the husbands and the sons we are rearing. vVe ask justice at your hands. We ask deliberation on this subject that you may know every phase of thia question ques-tion balore you do us any greater wrong. |