| Show from the dally ot of may 1 71 tl 71 PLURAL marriage AND CENSUS PP FROM the numerous inquiries in in regard to the census and the information required by tile the law as it aubet affect poly pois polygamous gamUs families it is evident vl I 1 that some anxiety is felt on this subject both by the people pe pie of this territory and the enumerators tors tile the supervisor has submitted question to the department washington Washingto nand and lias has received in class polygamous wives tim til 0 sama same as other wives makes the tile way plain for tho the enumerators aerators mera me raters tors angwill and will save them trouble of asking questions that people might be reluctant to answer it also rel rei relieves leves the plural households of this tins territory from replying to queries that might be consid considered pred impertinent it is but a short time since most despicable methods were resorted to for the purpose of hunting out clues to the family relations of men ulen in comfortable financial circumstances they were selected because they were supposed to have money with the view of securing evidence i that could be used against them jn in prosecutions for polygamy y houses were invaded by spies P ies les male and female sometimes under the g guise uise of peddlers inquiries made irto into the private affairs of neighbors and all kinds of dodges resorted to by those contemptible persons in their endeavors to poke their noses into other peoples business even children were were tempted with toys and candy to tell all they knew about their fath father ers ens wives and family a affairs mma 1 rs this lias has made the people suspicious of pen peu personal onal inquiries and unless they are acquainted with the facts will be likely to make them view such sueh enumerators as are not known to them with distrust and 1 to evade evada questions relating to family concerns at jutt when they understand bat that t requires certain ce ertain information to tobe e given and that it is necessary for the public good they tiley will respond cheerfully and truthfully to every question which the cons census 9 tal tai taker jg authorized to ask k 11 t V i it is well known that the latter day saints vilo wiio wilo form the large majority of the citizens of utah believe in the doctrine of celestial marriage or as itis it is called in the world worlo polygamy oi or plurality of V wives we make no s secret ecret of this tilis nor of the fact that many of us practice what we believe in and te aeh teach til the e law as interpreted by the supreme court of the tile united states saysie says we may believe and expound this tilis doctrine as much as we please but must not carry our falth faith into active e this is aitho tho idel idea of or american religious liberty entertained by the tile highest legal tribunal in the land liberty of thought and speech but not of action such liberty as obtains in the monarchies of the tile old world popularly supposed in the new jo to be the tile special abodes of oppression and intolerance but lethis idea is expressed by the legal luminaries of the govern menothe mentS menti the law is so framed flamed that prosecutions will not lie against men having a plurality of wives whose last marriage is three years old and upwards the statute of limitation bars proceedings in such cases th those ose who have contracted a plural marriage within that timo time are liable to fine and imprisonment on legal proof of the marriage and of a previous marriage to a wife still living now tl the e question is can information obtained in taking the census be used against a practical the answer is legally no the enumerators are under oath not to communicate to others what leam learn in their visits the census cannot be used in a prosecution for polygamy tile tiie truthful tru ahful statements for the census of a man with several wives cannot be legally used against him there are but very few if any persons appointed as enumerators who will be mean and base enough to attempt to use in any way the tile knowledge gained in their visits for the injury of their informants the questions required in 1 the sebb schedule dule duie an can ean all be answered freely fairly fan fanis ly and openly without fear if it is necessary not nott only that th the e number of the population should be known but also their status E every very woman who is married should he be counted in the list of married persons whether slie she is the first wife or a plural wife in a house where inhere a man lives with moie mole more than one wife when the names are given and the question of married single widowed or divorced 11 is asked each wife should be enrolled as married and in answer to the question what relation t to tile tiie head of the family the reply will be wife another amotai er question that is required is if married during the ibe census yearl year the census year is from june 1 1879 to may 31 1880 under th thestal e stat ute of limitations there can be no vos pos possible sible sibie danger of any trouble arising from frank replies to these interrogations because ninety nine hund bund reths of the population I 1 are exempt from prosecution bev by virtue of that statute they can therefore answer the necessary questions without constraint in cases where a plural wife is residing t in a separate house from the other part of the family slie she will stand on tile tiie schedule as the tile head of the family because the tile hus kus husbands bands name will appear once in another place and it is not desirable to count him again she will be classed as married 11 but the question what re relation lation to the head bead of the family will not apply in her case she is not required to ailster answer any question tion as to her husbands name i or his whereabouts but simply to answer the questions as us to her ller name and status and those of her children servants boarders or other persons residing with her on june 1880 in some cases wives may lilay be residing with til their thein ein eln parents brothers sisters or other relatives the they y will elve eive give their married name and be e classed as married 11 and their relationship to the head hea of or the family will be daughter sister daughter in law or other relation as the case maybe may bay be they are not required to give the name of or any particulars about their hus bus husbands bands boarders in fa milles families if married will be enumerated as such but need not answer any questions concerning their husbands ilus lius bands their relationship to the head of kile iilo alie famay family will be boarder A married woman living as servant in a family will be enrolled ils lis as married and her lier relationship tion ship to tile the head bead of the family will be servant ll 11 she is under io no obliga obligation von Vou to answer questions about her lier husband or family affairs wo we make these explanations that impertinent questions may be saved or if put inay may be treated with or con contempt they deserve and that difficulties which might occur through ignorante of the jairis demands may be avoided what the law aims to glean gleanson gle gie anso so far as these family matters are con concerned berned athe tiie tile name of f each person living I 1 athe family visited au on tile the day ay of june whether single married widowed or divorced tile the relation borne to tile the head of that famil yand sand how hor many persons have been married between june 1 1879 and jiam 31 1680 Quest questions loiis other than these specially bearing on an the polygamous relations of families famille need sneed not be answered if propounded no enumerator has lias the right 11 to ask wh whether ethera a wife is the first second oi or other wife nor is she required to teli tell the date of her marriah ma ariage pe nor whre where nor by whom she was married A respectful demeanor on the part of the enumerators and a strict attention to the duties of thear their office without stepping outside of josf its bounds will be met with correspond ing respect eject from the bulk of tle people and frank and truthful replies to the the public welfare demands this hutt butt ut ne neither law necessity good morais morals nor manners ners requires the establishment of a private paul pry inquisition on polygamous lyga family relations |
