OCR Text |
Show "WHAT SHALL BE DONE WITH THE aiORMONSV Tho New York Herald of Iho 17th instant, contains a long editorial nrticlo with Iho tibovu caption. After assuming thai the execution of John' IX Leo inspired the "Gentiles" of this city with sufficient courage to hold I tho BO-calletl liberal meeting on the 11th instant (which ia contrary to the fuel, a, similar meeting!) having been held here at intervals during the paat tea yearn), the Herald uoea on to say that "the lime is at last fully ripo for disposing of tho hitherto difficult nnd troublesomo Mormon question." Until the Pacific railroad was built Iho coat of auWluing the people of Utah, according to tho Herald writer, would have been enormous, now it would be "easy enough to pour troops and supplies iuto this region and crush all rcdistanco whenever the govorument deem it expedient. This scandalous plague spot ought now to be efUced once for all." Alter this blood-tliir&ly language ono would imagine that tho writer of tho great New York journal had set' tied it in his mini that the fed era army should at once be sent to Utah to wage war upon its people and eradicate them fiom the face of the earth. But no. In the next paragraph para-graph this wise statesman proceeds to say and labor to prove the assertion "that the Mormon problem would in time solve itself, even if the government should stand aloof," though "it would require two or three generations" to eradicate polygamy. poly-gamy. Even without hostile legislation, legisla-tion, wo are told, polygamy cannot long endure. The Mormon women, liko all their sisters, will worship at the shriuo of fashion, says tho New York Herald, "and the chief passion of tho sex will ultimately destroy polygamy": Tho tone of fashion and tisto for personal per-sonal adornment mako murnago a vary Eoriom queilion With most nitm in our present st it o of eociclj: and when the question of one wifo onuses so much hesitation, hes-itation, tho idea of a multitude of wives could not be entertained at ali. Nothing i nioro certain tii m that polygimy can not survive tbo introduction cf what is called fashion among the Mormons. To satisfy one woman's ttato for porsonal decoration is a pretty formidable undertaking under-taking fur an intending hiub-ihd in tho present Btnto of society; and ft soon as tho Mormon women arc accessible to tho spirit of fashion which reigns in the gonlilo woitd husbands will think tho expanses entailed by one wifo quite sutlloicnt. Whatever may bo true ft tha Mormon wives, tho Mormon daughters have no lingo of the fanaticism by which ihoir mothers wero seduced, and they will elope to tlia neighboring neigh-boring territories to securo the advantage advan-tage of an undivided husband and tho indulgence of such feminine tastes as his fiurjO can all'ord llioni. We iavo no doubt tint tho Mormon question would in limo settle itself by the patent influence of feminine inslir.cts; but we hope to sea it settled more seodiiy by governmental action. While I'tah remains a territory tho legislation of congress is supreme, and if cong'ess will adopt tbo wise recominendaiions of the great Salt Lake mooting and disfranchise disfran-chise all polygamist) it will expedite a rftorni which iho whole country stands ready to indorse. The articlo abovo referred to is about as logical and consistent as much that appears in the newspaper press in regard to this territory. It commences with a demand for a military solution of tho "Mormon" problem; it then shows that the problem prob-lem if left to itself must shortly be solved by the working of natural laws, without governmental interference. Tho spread of fashions and the ex-pouso ex-pouso ot th feminine wardrobe, it claims, would intimeextirpite polygamy. polyg-amy. Yet tho writer is not satiatitd with this gradual process, and echoes the favorite demand of the Utah extremists ex-tremists for special legislation to ac celerate the work. It is very easy to clamor for special legislation in regard to Utah. For the past twenty years there has been no end to this demand, and Borua little legislation ol the kiad has been brought about. But what has it all amounted to? It has contributed little or nothing towards solving the existing problem, which, alter all has ! been said and done, is still left to the solution of time and the operation opera-tion of tho general Isws which apply alike to all parts of t'tie country. Tho anti - polygamy law baa been in existence for years, though but very few cases have been brought to trial under it, and there havo been at least two convictions of polygamists, ona of whom is uow crving out his sentence of imprison- , ment. The courts are open for the punishment of this class of ofll-ndcrs, and what more can be legitimately : done it is ditBcul. to conceive. As to the demand of the late "lib- ( eral"' meeting that polygamies shall hi disfranchised by law lrom voting, holding office and jury duty, before j due trial and conviction of crime, the , idea is too absurd to be seriously ( considered. Such a law would not i bo worth the parchment it waa written writ-ten on, and cuuld not btand before any judicial tribunal. No judiciary committee of congress would consider: such a provUion for ten minutes; and how a meeting of Halt Lake! lawyern could seriously discus and propose to congress a remedy of this kind for the solution of the "Mor mou" problem is in itstlf a etiil greater problem. It does not increase the confidence of the public in the Eoundneaa ot tho members of the leal fraternity who put forward such looflo and ill-dicstcd ide;is as formulas formu-las of law which are deserving of congressional con-gressional adoption. It is still more amnzing that a journal of the character char-acter of the Now York Ifeiald should adopt and sanction such preposterous views and recommend tliit thev be carried into eflect. ! Until the opponents of Mormoniam unite upon aomc practicable measure to carry out thetr designs it is evident that they will fail. In the meantime sensible people everywhere may come to the conclusion that no moro special legislation is necessary for Utah, and that all the peculiar questions ques-tions arising may bo wisely left to the test of time, the operations of the general laws and the progress of civilization. |