Show Public Sentiment Effective Tho veto of tho Evans polygamy hill by Gov Wells of Utah Is a noteworthy concession to tho public sentiment of tho country at large In his veto message the Governor virtually avows himself a believer In plural marriage Ho says I yield to no ono In affection for those of my people who from the highest motives and who believed It to bo a divine or der entered Into the relation of plural marriage Born and raised In Utah my self the result of a plural marriage brought up myself lo regard It as an Al mighty creation every Instinct of my na Lure reaches out to shield my friends from harm and to protect lljcm from nn unjust attack But he Is prompted to volo lie bill because ho fears nm In stead of protecting the polygamlsts It Would make their condition harder that It would lend to a constitutional amend melt and Federal I legislation that would revive the persecutions of Territorial days by which ho means the prosecution of polygamlsls In tho Federal courts Thus tho veto from iho Governors standpoint IM not a matter principle but puicly ono of policy llo fears to arouse tho Indignation tire Nation against tim polygiimlGta No doubt his action Is the result of careful consulta lon and deliberation among the Mormon leaders They nro shrewd men They watched the rising tide of popular wrath as expressed In the newspapers the country and wisely concluded that the IJvaiiR bill was going a step too far I Tho avowed object of tire Evans bill waR to protect pcr ons vvho had entered Into polygamy before he compact abo irthlnp It from malicious pro ocullon but the bill was gO broad iu Its terms that so far ns the State IB concerned new plural marriages could havo been cjntractod and polygamous relations sustained with Im punity l so long as the husband and wife and their near relative were saUalled I with the arrangement So far as protect ing the oldlime polysamlsis Is concerned a recent decision of the Utah Supremo court defining Iho ruleR of evidence Is Uiat aH effective as tire Evans law would bo Under this decision It will bo Im possible to convict n man of unlawful cohabitation If ho has wives residing In different counties nnd this Is tire usual I Morinqn arrangement The polygamist usually scatters his plural families around tho Stale and visits each In turn period leally or occasionally So loijg as the Executive the courts and the Lgtylala turo of Utah arc In sympathy wltn the principle of polygamy It will be Impossible Impos-sible to punish those who are living In that relation very severely It Is about as Impossible ne It Is to enforce a prohlbl lory liquor law In a community In which publIc sentiment Is dead against It But the EvanB bill veto Incident Is rc aBsurlnfr In the fact that It demonatratou thtft nubile Hcmiment Is effective to pre vent open nnd ilagrant breaches of morality mo-rality cvon out In distant Utah Tho nu thorttlos of Tho Church of Latterday Saints who control the politico as well us the sPiritual affairs of Mormons saw that It wouldnt do to defy public opin i ion by a IcclMlntlvo act and so brought i the veto power to bear after the Lx > gls I i I Intiire hnd pnHBcd It by a doclvlso inn J Jorlty I In our opinion however the demand i upon Congress for a constitutional amendment directed against certain social so-cial conditions In Utah which Coy I I Wells foresaw and deprecated should I still be prosecuted notwithstanding the loof tho Evans bill Ml vhll Jo no harm to place the lower In rho hands of Congress to prohibit polygamy In States as well UK In Territories Then If the Mormons do not violate the law they will not be disturbed but If hey should i attempt to puss another Evans act and a Governor should be In power less prudent pru-dent than Gov Wells there would bojin effective merl at Washington Minneapolis I I Min-neapolis Tribune |