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Show THE STRUDLE BILL IS UCOX-STmmOXAL. UCOX-STmmOXAL. Iris not improbable that the reason why tho members of tho "Mormon" Church were not all disfranchised long ago, is because there existed no constitutiona' method of accomplishing accomplish-ing that result. At frequent Intervals Inter-vals during the last twenty years, bills tcnJing in that direction have been Introduced In Congress, giving rise to long and thorough discussions of the questions involved in the Struble bill, but always with the same result: American citizens cannot can-not be disfranchised, nor can their rights as such bo abridged, because be-cause of opinion or church membership. member-ship. In vain have conspirators in Utah and their co-workers In Congress, during the last twenty years, racked their brains in the cflort to devise some means of reducing the "Mormons" "Mor-mons" to the situation of aliens, so far as the franchise is concerned, but every measure invented, and every bill framed for that purpose, hivo always been clearly shown to be ln direct violation viola-tion of certain Inhibitions contained in the nation's organic law. When tho Kdmuuds bill was under debate in the Senate, members of that body n ho voted for it emphatically stated that they would not favor any measure meas-ure which sought to take from a man bis rights as an American citizen un account of any opinions he might entertain, and they sustained the disfranchising provision of that bill because it applied only to men whu had performed certain acts that had been held by the Supreme Couit of the United States to be in violation of peace and good order. The Strublo bill is therefore confessedly con-fessedly unconstitutional. Under the precedents established by tho decisions of Congress, when dealing with the "Mormon" question; according ac-cording to tho declarations of the best constitutional lawyers who haecvcrdiscussed that question in tbat body; according to the admissions admis-sions of the ablest and most thoughtful journalists that hare treated upon the sul ject, It would be a flagrant and dangerous breach of the American Constitution to deny a mau the privilege of the ballot because be-cause ills religions views or associations associa-tions were objectionable to the maioritv. This proposition is elementary, and any denial of its soundness must arise from sheer ignorance of the nature and intent of the provisions provi-sions of the country's basic law n hich relate to the matter, or from a reckless disregard of truth and consequences. As this Ignorance can hardly be attributed to tho members of Congress, it follows that ever' one of them who may vote for the Struble bill will do so for the reason that he prefers to break the organic laurel the laud rather than permit the "Mormons" to pofseso and exercise the privileges of citizenship. citi-zenship. So far as has yet been developed, de-veloped, the disfranchisement bill cannot bo characterized as a party measure. Conspirators from Utah have succeeded in winning to its support, certain Republican members mem-bers of Congress, upon whom they have brought a strong and direct personal influence, and to nhom such talcs have been told and representations repre-sentations made as only antl-"Mor-mon" lobbyists can tell and make. But according to th best information informa-tion in our possession the Republican Republi-can party in Congress has not yet signified its Intention as a party to support the Struble bill. In all probability the measure would not have made tho headway it has, had It not been for the efforts of tho insidious hypocrites who, under un-der cover of a legitimate and dou-political dou-political mission to the capital, have made strenuous efforts to advance it. The abandonment to all sense of honor and honesty which these agents have shown has few parallels, in even Uie tallUcal history of Utah, which is so repleto with examples of "Liberal" treachery and perfidy. The moral turpitude of the men who have been lobbying for tho disfranchisement disfran-chisement of the "Mormons," while using money contributed to some extent by the latter to pay for the food tbey were eating, has been fully exposed in connection with recent developments, to which only a reference ref-erence Is here required. There is still ground to anticipate Uiat Congress will not reverse Uie record it has so often made upon projiositlons to disfranchise the majority ma-jority class in this Territory. It cannot bo held that the decision of Uie United States Supreme Court in the Idaho test oath case would jusUfy such a reversal, fcr that decision does not touch Uie gist of the controversy to which theStruble bill has given rise. Congress has, therefore, nojudicial decision from Uiat court behind whicii to shield Itself from the responsibility of disfranchising dis-franchising American citizens by thousands, for conscience' sake, should it pass the Struble bill. |