Show IS DEFENSE OF THE dormoy speaking 0 the mormon scheme the washington pos contains the following very logical editorial edit arial if an legislation for utah is to be attempted sac tha coming session ot jen gresa it should in the circumstances be proceeded with on the grounds of justice and wise expediency rather than those of official or partisan advantage the announcement that a strong lobby is to arrive here shortly to arge the adoption of further measures against the mormon in that territory though not verified has an evil sound and possibly a still worse implication the alleged purpose of these ticiano is to secure the practical disfranchisement of the cormons mormons by means of a bill to be passed in the hurry and confusion of the short ses sion two bills now pending able for the purpose one introduced by representative STRUBLE of iowa and another of similar nature by senator of illinois these bills take the privileges of the franchise from any persen aiding or counte nancine polygamy or attached to any to attempt to pass either of these bills in the face of the change which has been effected in the attitude of the mormon church would not only be such an avowal of distrust dic trust and suspicion of the majority of the people of utah aa on the evidence presented congress should not make but it would also have the appearance before the whole country of being a resort to a method of oppression altogether uncalled for by anything in the present situation the mormon church has done everything necessary to a public renunciation of polygamy as a practice and it has solemnly acknowledge its allegiance to the laws of the united states president manifesto declaring the end and doom 0 polygamy and the duty of obedience to the laws of the country was generally accepted as honest in its statements and shortly alter that declaration cl was explicitly affirmed by the heads of the church and ratified by its great annual consention the best evidence from utah is to the effect that the action of the church was sincere and genuine and it has been accepted by several of the federal of the territory of course there are many both in and out of utah who do not believe in the honesty of the mormon church and who regard its recent action as a mere bluff but in matters of political legislation and government only overt acts established by proper evidence can be considered and no reliance can be placed on mere surmise or conjecture however sagacious it will not therefore be wise in congress to put mud faith in the mere unsupported statements of utah politicians especially those of them who would regard the of the cormons mormons as loyal and law citizens in the of an eil because it would have the effect of retiring them the politicians cans from official into private life those in utah who the professions fes of tho cormons mormons are mainly of two very different classes the first of these are the men whose political supremacy an unrestricted mormon vote would overthrow and whose dread of that overthrow makes them BO eagerly but suspiciously jealous again sti an evil which has all but disappeared the other is the missionary class representing in various ways the several christial denominations in whose eyes the chief offense of the cormons mormons is that they demain in the mormon church and will not allow themselves to be converted to another system of doctrine Theae missionaries sion aries without any il intent dwell so habitually on the enormity of a bad doctrine that they come to believe they kaw its actual results in practice when all that has come to their knowledge is simply of a hearsay and exaggerated character besides they have to reasons continuance of their work now the fact that a man holds an obnoxious doctrine ha nothing to do with the right te vote in the state of new york for example a citizen may accent indifferently the theory of or alie doctrines of latter dasy saints without being in any way de barred from doing a citizens duty at the polls it is only when be commits an boyert act against the public peace and in violation of public law that his rights are abridged ahat is true in new yerk also be true in utah if under the new law any cases of polygamy have come into existence let them be found and suppressed by legal agencies let the malefactor suffer the penalty of his crime even if it involves his loss of suffrage but do not attempt the suppression of a whole people to be deprived of suffrage because of con degoed opinions is the tr method it is entirely reous nant to the theory and practice the spirit and the life of true republican government the allegation is that the coming lob byis by is organized in the interest of the republican party that the disfranchise ment of cormons mormons would lead to the admission of utah as a reliable republican state and that eliat admission would yield two needed republican senators the likelihood is eliat the brave conspiracy has little foundation and that the real conspirators have interest centering near salt lake and ogden but the end in view legislation leei of the character proposed should be discouraged for the good of the people the prosperity of the territory and the general maintenance of political honesty the people of utah should be en cour aeed to place confidence in the congress of the united states whatever can be done to strengthen their allegiance and obedience to the laws should be done but to deprive them of their rights except individually by due process of law would be unjust and oppressive and would plant the seeds of ineradicable animosity |