| OCR Text |
Show EXTENDING THR INFAMY. The Efforts (o Disfranchise the '.Mormons'' la Arizona. WASiuxaras, May . There was another sceno Jti the republican State-stealing drama enacted before tho House committee on territories this morning. Mr.Murphy, secretary of Arizona, appeared before that committee'and made nn argument in favor of tho admission of Arizona as a State. He said he was a republican; repub-lican; liad resided there seven years and thought he knew tlie wishes of the republicans of that territory In regard to the admission to statehood. Arter speaking Upon the resources of the country, he stated that the people desired to come in with a constitution that had all the safeguards safe-guards of the Idaho constitution in it as against the Mormons; that they did not desire to see their State admitted ad-mitted under conditions that would permit the Mormons of tho surrounding sur-rounding territories to be unloaded upon them. Mr. Mansur, of Missouri, a member mem-ber of tlie committee In charge of the Arizona bill, asked him how many "Mormons there were. In the Territory of Arizona. Murphy estimated them at 1,200 voters, and said that they were generally gen-erally democrats. Mr. Mansur said: "You propose, then, to disfranchise them outright on the same ground that you would disfranchise the Chinese?" Upon Murphy answering In the affirmative. Mr. Mansur, asked him how .many he knew of could vouch for as living In that Territory in open polygamy or bigamy. Murphy replied that he did not know; Mr. Mansur then queried if there were twenty-five In the Territory. Murphy thought that there was. He was asked if he would not compromise by requiring them to take n test oath, and not ask to have them absolutely disfranchised. Murphy said what ho wanted was a safeguard put in the enabling act ot Congress as a precedent to their admission. 'Therii" said Mansur, "you are unwilling to submit tlie question to the people bf Arizona in the formation forma-tion of their own constitution?" After some hesitation. Murphy replied re-plied that ir it w ere left to the people peo-ple or that Territory, they would vote down that proposition. Mr. Mansur then said In a jocular spirit, but which Mr. Murphy took seriously, "Are you not willing to take the conditions or tlie constitution constitu-tion of Wyoming in your enabling act? And Inasmuch as the women are generally the better part of crea-tion, crea-tion, w e will let the Mormon women vote 111 Arizona as in Wyoming, ir Jou will let the Mormons vote." Murphy answered that he did not want to make any compromises on the matter; he wanted a constitution constitu-tion with the safeguards of Idaho. Mr. Mansur, in speaking of the Incidents afterward, said that he understood that practically all the Mormon voters in Arizona, as In Idaho, were Democrats, while In Wyoming the Mormons naregenef-ally naregenef-ally voted the Ilepubllcau ticket, It thus appearing that it was only the Democratic Mormons in tho territories terri-tories that were to be disfranchised. Congressman Springer created quite a sensation in tho House yesterday yes-terday by reading to a knot of democratic demo-cratic friends the telegram of 357 words which he f eccived from Salt Eakdcdntainingresolutionspassed by tlie mass meeting or Democrats held there last Saturday night. The resolutions denounced the efforts to disfranchise "Mormons" who had violated no law, aud were very gratifying to the opponents of disfranchisement dis-franchisement in Congress, as going to show tliat their course was fully endorsed by the followers of Jefferson Jeffer-son aud Jackson living in the midst of tlie people w horn tlie BaSkiu-CuI-lom bill proposes to disfranchise. Jfemtd. |