Show THE amm CHINESE preferable TO MORMONS utah should not be admitted As a state 27 the annual report of the utah commission Commis Bion has been received by secretary boblo the report says the commie sion on november 3 1888 appointed a canvassing board of fiva republican citizens three of whom were gentiles and two cormons mormons Mor mons this board made returns of the vote east for delegate to congress on the sixth of that it was found that john T caine mormon bad received votes E N basking rotes and S B thurman caine was given a certificate of election with but one exception the report states that there was no charge of fraud in abo conduct of the election the commission has continued the report and followed in the foot steps of the first utah commission which recognized the fact that congress in creating it desired it to use its best endeavors to wipe out and extinguish polygamy and as far as possible all polygamous influences and tendencies with this purpose in view the commission in appointing registrars of elections selected when possible those belonging to the non mormon element and always appointing the majority of judges of the gentila class in some places however there were no gentiles to hold tha position this of course the report states baa bad the effect of decreasing the mormon vote touching the question of polygamy the report says polygamy is of at the present time openly practiced except perhaps in the few re mote and out of the way places the non mormon element insists that ural marriages are solemnized clan esti nely and practiced secretly in arger centers and throughout the territory this may or may not be rue the commission neither nor denies in the absence of positive evidence doubtless many members of the ormon church never have iced nor never intend to practice polygamy loly gamy and perhaps many of lem do not believe in the practice ml from the standpoint of their faith and creed they accept it as a reve aaion from god through the prophet seer and revelator joseph smith ratified and approved by the great president brigham young and that whoever desireo to do so should have tie right to comply with this ordinance of the church all laws forbidding the practice of polygamy the report continues the cormons pronounce unconstitutional here are grounds for belief it is stated that polygamy ia egtill taught y the church as a saving ordinance and that those who practice it are a of higher exaltation in heaven ban those who content themselves with one wife extracts are given tom morason papers showing that hey still openly advocate polygamy ahat the teachings and practice of polygamy have not been discontinued is claimed by some is proven the report says it is a baet since september 1888 there had the territory of utah convictions for polygamy adultery to and unlawful cohabitation and only four for bigamy if plural marriages are now celebrated ays the report it is done in the secret chambers of the temple if po agamy is it is with the secrecy with which the burglar guards lis housebreaking and the thief his larcenies larce nies those who are convicted of polygamy regard themselves and are regarded by their friends as martyrs md think it no disgrace to be sent to the penitentiary the courts are commended for their vigilance and also for the mercy with which the mandates are tempered the commission in view of the present condition of the territory as regards polygamy does not think attah should be admitted as a state should it be the commission says it would not be long before the gentile element with its advanced civilization its trade and traffic would be driven from the territory and mormon theocracy be made supreme the commission makes a number of recommendations among them that the jurisdiction of all polygamy and sexual offenses without regard to place committed within the the territory be conferred on the district courts that imprisonment for unlawful cohabitation be extended to at least two years for the farat and three years for the second offense that it be made a penal offense for any worn an to enter into marriage relations with any man knowing him to heva a wife living and coupled however with the provision that in cases where the polygamous wife is called as a witness against her husband her testimony could not be used in any further prosecution against herself and a like provision as to the husband that the person who refuses to take the oath that he or she ia not cohabiting with more than one wife or husband in the nage relation aa abe case may be ahall be excluded from making loca tion and settlement upon public landa that the lawa with reference to the importation of chinese and importation of contract labor haupers paupers and criminals be so amended as to prevent the immigration cf persons claiming their religion justifies the crime of polygamy that the constitution should be amended so as to prohibit polygamy that a law be further enacted ere abing a board to consist of the governor the utah commission and the i of the territory to apkor salt lake city into aldermanic alder manio i and districts it also recommends the commission in its discretion cause to ba made annually a new registration instead of revisions of former lists that congress pass laws for the government and conduct of public schools in the territory of utah that as soon as the remit of the eleventh census becomes known the territory shall be redis tricked legislative purposes the commission believes the limitation on prosecutions for polygamy and bigamy should be extended and that a sentence to bard labor should be added thai their confinement may not bal in idleness and glorification of their supposed martyrdom the commission has no doubt that the punishment of woman for voluntarily entering into a polygamous relation would do much to lessen her zeal for tho peculiar institution and thus tend to remove one of the strongest bul barks in regard to prohibition of immigration the report says while we forbid immigration of non peace loving docile chinaman ba cause we fear the auturo futuro danger from hip coming while we forbid the landing on our shores of contract laborers because they cheapen wages of american born citizens and haupers paupers because they become a burden there is far greater reason for closing our doors as a nation and forbidding citizenship iz to the boarded who are brought here to swell the ranks of an organized body which teaches them in advance to hate our government denounces its executive lawmakers law makers judges and prosecutors and instills into every mind the constant treachery that their pretended revelations are more binding than the highest and best laws of the land and that resistance resi stence to such laws is a virtue and a rending of obedience to god how far short of treason these teachings are we leave to those who can answer in concluding the report the commission says should take no backward or even wavering step in the enforcement of laws against polygamy |