OCR Text |
Show Idalio Supreme Court Test Oatk Decision I Idaho Scimitar. To the Scimitar: Knowing that your most valuable paper circulates throughout through-out the State. I desire to express In Its columns and to its readers, possiblv- for their comfort and cheer, if they aV6 In neod of elthor. the real views or this entire en-tire section of the Stale on tho recent ruling' of our highest court. The Supreme Court decision is accepted by every one hero, Mormons and Gentiles, Gen-tiles, lawyers and laymen, as n complete vindication of tho position of the Democratic Demo-cratic party during: tho past two campaigns. cam-paigns. It Is admitted all throusrh southeastern south-eastern Idaho that the Mormons must take tho test oath in order to vote at the next election. It Is amusing to read in tho Mormon-controlled papers that the decision ends Dubois and ills contention, ami that Dubois will now have to prove that the Mormon church practices polygamy polyg-amy before he can ask a Mormon to talce the lest oath. These Mormon papers express ex-press great satisfaction with tho decision. It ie all a very cheap bluff and deceives 110 one, and least of all doos it deceive tho Mormons. The Mormons understand what the decision means. They know that in order to vote this fall they must take the test oath, 'celestial marriage" included. They also know that if thev take tho test oath they will bo arrested for perjury, and they al.o know that Ic van and will bo proved that they commit perjury when they take the test oath. The Supremo Court hasn't deceived the Mormons by Its derision and attempted definition of "celestial marriage." "Celestial "Celes-tial marriage" is in the Constitution. The Supreme Court 'says the Constitution la solf-ejcecuting. No party can afford now to place obstacles In tho way of its execution. The small band of Democrats in the employ of tho Mormons, who ask that the party abandon its last platform demanding that the Mormons take the test oath, make themselves worse than ridiculous iu their attempt to extract comfort out of tho decision. The Democratic Demo-cratic 'party and the court are agreed that the test oath must bo taken as a prerequisite to voting. - The Supreme Court says ic is self-executing. The Democratic party says it must he executed by organized eiTort. What excuse can any one give against organized effort. In the fnco of the Supreme Su-preme Court decision? The Democratic parly will sec to It that the Mormons take the test oath this fall, if thev vote, and the Republican party will lind it more difficult than it was lat election, to prevent the test oath being administered. adminis-tered. The Republican machine and the Mormons Mor-mons may prevent the test oath being administered at the coming election, through force, as they did at the Inst election, but the moral offect of the court decision guarantees thut If they succeod in this, the coming Legislature will be compelled by statute to incorporate tho. "test oath" in tho electors' oath. The Mormons understand full well that they cannot escape much longer from the constitutional con-stitutional requirement for voting. They are very much afraid, also, that if they I vole illegally and arc arrested for so 1 doing, their case will find its way to J the Supremo. Court, of the 1'nlted Slates. This happened once upon a lime, in a matter Involving this Identical provision I of the Stnto. Constitution, and ninny of tho Mormons have a very vivid recollection recollec-tion of what tho Supreme Court of the r tilted Statos thinks of this clause of the Idn)io Constitution and of them. ,If these Mormon npologlsts who arc whistling and singing that the Supreme I Court decision is u knockout for Dubois and tho Democratic party will consult the Mormons themselves, they will change their tunc and words. The Mormons Mor-mons are not grateful to Judge Allshlo or tho Supremo Court. No opinion of the court as to what the word colesti.il means, can obliterate the unanimously recorded verdict that the test 0.1th. celestial celes-tial and all. Is self-executing, and cannot bo wiped out by the present elector's oalh or hriy" other legislative substitute. A trip through this Mormon country. 1 would quickly convince even the most subservient Jack-Mormon that the Mormons Mor-mons regard their light as lost. They do not even hope now that the Democrats Demo-crats will abandon their contention, and I hoy fear tho Republicans will be com-pellcd com-pellcd to acquiesce In making the test n -j ' oatli a. part of the registration oath. l I A REPUBLICAN ATTORNEY-AT-LAW i'f Pocalello. Idaho. March 2G. 100S. J |