OCR Text |
Show ruLVUAnv aoai. I'oly gHinont Hivt-M ll'lll Ktt be Ailt)W4'l in l'rt-piiiit llUUH-MU'tjtis, Washing ton, 30. An interesting decision has just been made by acting Secretary lieil, ot tbu interior depart meut, 111 the cast ol Hugh Lyons agaiust Kiehacl HltWns. id Suit Lakt City, involving the qmtiou of the right cf ltue partus to a Mi tion ol laud in Salt Like- City land district. The claim of Lyons is n-jcelcd on tbu C round that tho tract w.is not subject to prt eruption or aettleuieul pv Inm. Kaehael Stevens, it appears, is n:ie of several wives ol John G. llohuau, whom she recognizes as her husband, and be, to all inteuts And puruoeis, governs and controls her acts. The deoMmi holds that, iu view of the polytfamuus condition, il the firet polygamous wile, voluntarily retain log lht illegal relation lo a man, may iu bi r own name obtaiu liile to li0 acres of public laud, itio second or twentieth wife may do tho eauie, and the so-called husband would thus obtain in fact lor his uu ue and benefit ttie control of that number of tracts of public land. This will not be permitted under the homestead or preiojptLu laws. "If me so-called so-called wile," the dicieiou c-jutiuuis, should repudiate tue thecal rolatiuu aud cca-te lo violate the p it-itive Imwi of ber country and ot Ilie civioa-d world, the fact tn.it she had at one time been called I he wife of a ruuti aud bad maintatne-d tout re!alun,to him wou'd not operate as a bar to ht-r ri,;ht. No woman, however, who voluntarily niamtiua aud acknowledge, acknowl-edge, her position to be t.iat of a plural or pol famous wilt, shuulJ be ; permit ted lo m a pnsiupti ju entry of pub.ic land, as ttie very la. l that she retains duc relation is conclusive con-clusive evidence that the entry 14 ul mail ia g,.d faiLb ItT hr cxclunto use ai.d benclit. |