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Show -I :iOI!E tOMHLNTSi 0 THU I "jiubu.vnov j THE press ofthocountrystillagi I lates the "Moitin-n" que-'Ion and tho effect upon it of the attlon of I the Cliurcli in relation to further plural marriageo We liavo rc-fra'ned rc-fra'ned for evcral days from rcpro-1 rcpro-1 ducitig more ol these comments lest I we should wear our reiders. "A e 1 will nen publLh a selection from a I large tniss of clippings in addition to tlio-e w hich hive already ap-eatul ap-eatul in these columns I The CuSorrtfan, puollshed In San ' Francieco fays. i TheMormonmoementwiHlincc-I TheMormonmoementwiHlincc-I forth get a more repertf al study than il had while identified with polygamy. , WJsaj respsctful alt-ntioa, for con-Isidere4 con-Isidere4 in aiy aspect, a moxement j vhich lias controlled the conscience and the corduct of hund-eds of tbou-iand tbou-iand of eop!e, souie cf them of high intelligence, canno bo ignored bj phi losophers and iladeuts of p-ychology. Cor-idenng tho differenco in the ago and circnmstanccs.thp Mornon movement move-ment made much more rapid progress than MahonieUniin, and the inquiry irto thecauto of iw growth will be-eouio be-eouio of prime interest ThU hnal slepontof ixjlvgamrwill rai-e some iuteresting !ral questions an 1 1 recip-lUle recip-lUle some politkal issues of great im-artance. im-artance. Iioes it reniovo the bar to the aumlMion 0 l"(aL into the Union'' la a Territory to bake suuordinato Itecanw a rnajo-it of its people be-lonjr be-lonjr to a certain ClmrtihT ' Tho legal question relates to the statu of "vfomwKw in Idaho, who are now in ontlawrj by the hideous pro-vl.k'in pro-vl.k'in of the btatu t oiutitutlon. Wiien the Cbunh )ubucl announces tliat I' cease-10 teach polyaiuj , does tlie teat oath j rov'ded in that constitution consti-tution eoave lo operate Can the Idaho Mormons neat ear approach the ballot-box and be reinstated in their civil and political rights The-t'tasees no reason for refusing them their rights. Bcican they be regained without an I appeal to the courts- tn make it 1 mat-iter mat-iter of proof that tho Church has I purged them" I "The Mormon leaders dcerve credit I for voluntarily removing a rea-on which was lieing pleaded hj politi I dans fo- legialation that was running away from the principles of free government- Tbey have been wise in Ibi Lt us hope that tbeso people will now feel more and mora that thoy are Americans and batemutna! part and Ivr. hi tho fiiln-eandthedesin j of the Kepubhc " Tho Cheycune Swi makeb this brief enunciation I Tie formal reuuncUtian of iJys-I iJys-I amy by tho Mo-mon Chnrch, on the I ground that it is in ixwflkt with the I United bates law is causing much ! comment tbroaghout tho country, j There w every reason to behevo that the La.tcr-day '-"linw are in earnest." The Omahaic has had cansider-ah!e cansider-ah!e to ss an the qaestion, beiugat first r-ther skeiUcal, out finally in a long editorial it discusses the subject sub-ject In a more ratiouil manner and c!ocs In this way "As to the motites thai prompted this action of tbo Mormons it Is not important to inquire. If tbey have honestly and rinceicly icnouneed polygamy, lbat is rnoupli, and we tannot see bow there can longer be a I reasonable doubt that such i- thocaso. , The laws, however, wnl be prerrod, I at least untd the country shall btcomo convinced thai they can be of no further fur-ther service Meaawbilo tlio action taken b thoMonuon Church, in rc-i rc-i moving tho chief if no. the only ground of opposition to it, ought to have resn. j bencficUl to tho tn-itenal intc-ests of Utah and to all clashes of I tho people of that Territorj " I The SL Louis 7f Pupatclt cou-cludesanartlcl: cou-cludesanartlcl: 111 tiiCM. word Although a practical surrender of Mormon principles, it 11 a master stroke of policy in that it will take Morraonism oat ot na.icnal, if not local lo-cal politic1, aud witl wipe o it tho ground which has uxrted for lecisla-ticgacaintttUd lecisla-ticgacaintttUd !o-mon-. As ling as th's ruling pre. J", the Mormon mast be treated a- a reliioas et en-tnled en-tnled lo all the p-ivileges of other religious re-ligious orj-amzatlons." lrom the Macon, Georgia, Tclc-graph Tclc-graph wo mako then: extractt "Tliero Is eoaclnsive c i leneo that only a small. mlno-ity of the Mormons Mor-mons had a plurality of wives vhen Congress began to legislate against polygamy. Tin of tho present generation gen-eration hue pranced polyg-my. It was maintained atmot exclusively by the 1 .-tiers of ad vaitced ears who rep recent th original. Mormon Ideas and practices. It Is true, soma of too xnen-ogamlsts xnen-ogamlsts among the Mormons have bfcnsunt ami uncompromising opponents op-ponents of federal interference In tho I doaiestlc affairs of tha peop'o of Utah." "It is only fair that tbo Mormon general conference should havo full credit for its declaration igainstlbo practice of polvgamy. It has been upplemoated by assurances from the highest, official of the Mormon Chnrch that th ry mean to execute 'the decree of the tnnferenco ai efficiently as they possibly can L"t us gh 0 tho Mormons a obanco and enconrago every di'posiuan on their part to reform re-form " The Jefferson City, V-u, Tribune concludes a lengthy editorial with these remarks. 'The cer.-UiatijiU.itj of theso drastic dras-tic measures was contested in tha courts as determinedly as their enacimcut bad been opposed in Congress, Con-gress, and wi.h an little success. The hupreino Conrt of tbo United States sustained the power of tho government, govern-ment, whieh l;f t tho Mormons no rc-oanrso rc-oanrso but to submit. 'This it has at last done. U retains its pscnliar faith, but it denounces plural marriage. It thereby pur-fen itself of criminality, and pats itself in line with tha law and popular sentiment. senti-ment. "This is practically the end ot polygamy po-lygamy and paves tho way for thead-inlssioa thead-inlssioa ot Utah as a fctate." Tills is the closing paragraph of nn rtlitoml in tlie Galvrston,Tera, JVw 1 The latest news from Utah wins to be decbdvoof the Morroou trouble. The PrcsiJont of tlie Mormon Cliurcli in general conference has come- oat squarely forbidding polTSr anft declaring for obedience to tbo Jaw as a matter of principle, and he speaks forthoApasUcs.lIishops and Elders, who austxin-riira unanimously. It, Is to be hoped that this will terminate the very unpleasant political conditions condi-tions In'utah. It was becoming a ma'-tcrof ma'-tcrof concern to Amai lean democrats that a populous and wealthy Territory should exist without local self government, govern-ment, and be a sphere for the cscrriao of such exceptional powers as have not been seen elsewhere In this country coun-try since tbo extremes' phases of re construction." Th Pittsburg, Va. Jitfeaf concludes con-cludes "There is no reason to doubt that these prof.su.Ioru. and deetaratloas were made in good filth and that plural inarruges Iu tho Mormon Church aro a thing of the pa-.t. Whatever What-ever tho religious tenets of the Latter-dav Latter-dav Saints may tx qoneerning tbo propriety or rrmlssibility of such marriages concerns no one but them- .... -- , A.fsirfhm solve. All una. can 00 .- is that ther respect the law-of tho oountrj- of whicb tbey are citizens. Kor would it be right or hnmano to disturb the relations, of those families that have been erganized ami hae giown up under the old Mormon dispensation. dis-pensation. Tho women and children ought to be protected, provuled and cared for, for in no instance should the tnuccentlwperniated to sutler." The Wa-liiugtou, U C. f7a-fe has the annei-e1! ettWbrlal para-griph para-griph . v, "It having beajroo a4Uwl fat tliat tho Mormons lei'p'ibauaaned i-olyg-, amy asi'jiracrtoJ in otUlierHOto laws , which h'a-. e beca dcci(fea to 1- eortl tutioual, no war remains to keep 139.I.W peonlo undo- tha a?mmion of , a few well -alarled federal offlclaU, I and a sprinkling of Get'lfei Iitah.l except to pass tire rpend10;: bill disfranchising dis-franchising alleged Mormons who may iWlino to swear that they do t bclioio in their Church tenet. "lL? the Itcpubllcan Congres-i go that length in order Id" continue their hold on tno spoil, ana, 11 so, " "". alleged Hemocrats will toUJ with them A religions test oath is all that Is needed to round ont the anti-personal anti-personal liberty record of tho pre-cnt Congres." The lliHimore. Md , Iteu'd fin-i-lies a comprehensive Ul-cussion of i the que-tiou as followt. ' Vormonism nnally brought to bj in tho valleysand moaniain fastnesses or the mighty Wont m3y be s'ill only In its infancy. Adapted t-i changed conditions, it doulHleas has Ihe vitality vital-ity ana tenacity of other religious beliefs be-liefs in otlier parts of tbo world. The end of poiyS-uJ may, perhaps per-haps have eme, but iba Monnon Church remains as s.-.ast and powerful power-ful iiiflucneo upon the future cWirrza-tion cWirrza-tion of Utah and contlguons -utes and Territories." rrom the Boston Traneenpt wc clip 1 couple of paragraph" Tho recent manife'to of the President Presi-dent of tlio Church of Litter day saints has been followed by a formal surrender to the United fctalcs law and the promise is made that hereafter polygamy will not be encouraged or even permitted by tho Mormon Church or its ruler. That is to say, there will be uo more marriages of men already married. The disposi'lon of the nnfortunato wotr-n who are alreadjyiumbered among tho wives of 'plurally married ifornioiis is -till a problem." "There have not been wanting the over-iealorts with their cries of 'Es-tcrminationj'fo-getling that the experiment experi-ment ot extermination has never been successful when attempted agains a people who believed tbey wore defending de-fending a faith. Tho history of tho Mormons shows tli.t their nnmliers have giown with each successive effort ef-fort at obliteration and it Is not unlikely un-likely that had the crnade which was so Cercdj called for wLen a'tutnpted, the experience would h.e been repeated re-peated " TheXcw York Independent has published tl e Declaration, the Articles Ar-ticles of Faith, dispatches from President Woodruir, Governor Thomas and otlier. aud lias com mented editorially ou tlie matter. We only Im e space for n paragraph, ' or two Itrays: "ehao no national war on anything any-thing in tlio Monnon Church but polyganij. Tub ecclesiastical machine Is liad cnoab and should ' reformed, ami rill ne by its o-rn people. peo-ple. But it has the samo rights, within with-in tho talc, as the P.esbytoriau or Method!!: or ltonmi Catholic oocle-t.a;U-al .jstoni, whoso odlccs can bring no phjsical force to oacecto thiu Timo and cdacafon must end that cvJ Tho laws were concerned only with polygainj, public nti ment, the public sentiment of tho third and fou-ih generation, wdi do tbo rest.' Now is the time to bring all the fo-cesot public opinion on Utah to bear, by all the means the Church can ue or Ike pnUie p'ess supply Lut this Is no longer the dutv of tho ntion It belongs to thu donian of privato rights and gool reason. rea-son. Tlie brst thing to tc con sidere.1 is that now the Monnon will be, and ought toi aiolcr, In Utah or Idaho or Moutani or n-zona n-zona " 1 The ew-Ybrk J Uutiralcd American Am-erican remarks! " part from tlielr religious l-elltfs, nobody of the American people do-serves do-serves all .ho rights and beneiits that a repabllo can confer on them more than do tho'Morinons Tbey are temperate. KuiuAoa, Intelligent. Their cpmniinilli.nte molels of od6r.rarl hjvp o air of gen-erlpgirc?sperl.y gen-erlpgirc?sperl.y that lis. gnen by the universal exerciso of diii gence. Tlielr'-han'y is of that most practical kind! whKtT'doo-' not seek to rellec merely, but aims at making tlie needy Independent. Xcwcomers among tkemv have an acknowledged claim upontheir ueighbors fo- assistance as-sistance in establishing tuenwltcs In short, U10 Mormon social systom Is far more wise and helpful than tho methods prevailing among most of tho Christian bodies of the nation, if wo may trust the general testimony of those who havo studied tho followers of Joseph Smith and Urigham Young." The Troy, X. Y., Jisicj 001 les from the Helena Journal with comments. com-ments. Iuco tho Mormon Churen renounced re-nounced polygamy there has not unnaturally un-naturally arisen ranch donbtastothe sincerity of that action. Tho Timet, however, readily gives space to this parag-aph from the Helena Jourtmt A good many newspapers ail over tho country ailed to believe that thu Mormons a-o insincere in tbelx promues to abandon polygamy. This-is This-is a great mistake. The action of the Church Is simply a victory for tho younger generaaon, who have never been earnest believers in the ancient practice. It would benefit no one for the old men to abandon their laml-mles, laml-mles, but it is absolutely certain tbat the rising generation have no uiofor polygamv, and lbat it was more the pressure from thru than tbat of tho go vcrnm-nt which brought forth Uu renunciation, which is absolutely sincere, and which, II10 countrvmay dopcndvwilI bo rigidly adhered to. " . These citracta nro all tie hsw. space to print today We may glvo our readers a few raure fd miue other time. |