Show UTAH AND territorial MATTERS YESTERDAY we endeavored to answer tho he complaint of a mo montana papery daperl tile tiie neo new adew nort norf inest west that tha it utah or rather Mormonism ini inn lri ua utah tall tali was the cab cah cause e of odthe the hesitancy of 0 congress angress in legislating moro more I 1 liberally towards tOWAr del dEi tile the showing that tile tho cause chuse thus alleged cashot was not t a justifiable cause for any such hesitancy W we e mean that it mayor may not bo ba true that congress has his refused legislation of that kind because of the peculiar religious practices of the ildr mor mons ia in utah but we hold that congress has nd right to make inake those religious practices or the ibe religious practice of any otherl others body a cause for such buch legislation for the lile ample reason that religion is is apt aching which comes I 1 within I 1 the constitutional cognizance I 1 of or congress as for legisla legislation tio 0 or AS affecting legisla legislation tl on except to be lotte lette loft entirely i rely nely alone 1 we proceed to answer ou our r north ern contemporary a littfe mare more fully aej hand ihus ulus take note of some of its statements 1 that the laws of the united states conflict conflict with wilh certain practices of the mormon church we know of only one ja of f this kind the anti polygamy law jaw of 1862 if congress had not m made ade adb this lawthers law there thero would hav have e been no do such conflict and the proper way why to end it would be fot for Con congress iress to repeal jie jle tie the law and that for a very viry good reason reason because the law is clearly unconstitutional being a law forbidding certa certain lu relious 9 practices eb with which congress rightly lightly has jio jao nothing thing lhing whatever to do tio if congress were to enacts enact ia tl law prohibiting baptism 3 would an anybody y body jn his senses expect the baptists to obey that law io no it would be the duty of congress to repeal that u unconstitutional constitution n rul fil law jaw arnd arid not the duty of the baptist baptists to id renounce the cere cerp ceremony Mony of baptism because of the laithe law jaw the wrong the tho crime would bedine law not in the religious act apt i 1 a 2 these ege practices of 4 the thet 11 mor church dry ana violations of civilization I 1 the then n IS the bible a violation bf civilization for plural 1 xu marriage arriage arriago was wag undoubtedly a biblical tice nowhere condemned but expressly provided for jor therein if civilization is not in accord with tho the bible then civilization m must ast be unscriptural Gen gentile heathenish barbarous then this modern civilization must be a bastard civilization a spurious civilization a bogus civil civilization bation for the civilization of prophets u apostles astles and holy men nud and women agod of god the civilization of the gospel of christ the civilization that emanates from heaven it must be conceded is the only genuine civilization and there is nothing better established in biblical history than the fact that a plurality of wives was a portion of the law and will of heaven to the people 3 these violations of civilization can claim no constitutional protection we wo yesterday bili Eili billowed allowed owed that religious faith and practice had full constitutional prot protection eption and that congress constitutionally had nothing whatever to do with them we need not enlarge further upon this liol point hit fit 4 the existence and maintenance of polygamy and the tho unity of church and state in utah successfully counteract the administration of the federal govern government men V here so 80 much the worse for the federal government if xe religion ligion counteracts its administration with marriage as a religious institution the federal government has no constitutional right of cont controversy rovers y As to jo a unity of church and state or in other wordia blending a of spirit fal bal ua and term tern at matters what wb it has congress to do with that has congress any right to denine define the line between spiritual and tempo ral things his has congress the right to forbid a mans religion from giving color and complexion to his business bubines his politics his everyday acts nets siche the poet says and says well I 1 Rell reli religion glon gion is lef concern of mortals here bere below we ve believe if it is according to natural law that the jhb chief things overshadow 8 and have havle effect upon the things which are subordinate and y af lesser importance we yve agrenot are not enamored of what have of late been termed e ed somewhat sarcastically I 1 I 1 rh christian ast 1st lan ian pta statesmen neither do we krio kilo know w how it may be with the y X jf wi but we have an idea that there thero area ard large number of congressmen as well as other citizens who would be much better men in erk and und citizens cit liens ilens if their daily course whether in politics or aily any other othen business ave undeniable evidence that religion refi reil gion pure and undefiled was their chiet chief concern and was manifestly held by them to be the paramount consideration on week days as well as sundays in the hails balls of congress or in the rooms of the store or office as well aa as in the church or chapel i if there had been sufficient sum suf ficie ficle nt of this overshadowing overshadow ingall ail ali all pervading genuine religion we should have heard less of baek back pay stealing salary grabbing credit bribery and pacific mail investigation 5 6 where the laws of the united states conflict with the practices of tho the eno act mormon lormon church the united states authority has been set at defiance I 1 I 1 wedo ve do not know of any defiance in the mormon church of the united states the tice ticeen of plural marriage is followed in obedience to a sincere conviction that it is the will of heaven and not in defiance of or the authority of tile t he united states polygamy was pm practiced in utah as a religious order fifteen years or BO so before con gres made any law upon the matter it is the truth to say pay that the lar layr in question was made in de defiance flance 0 of f the A AI formen ormen religion and of the federal constitution we do not suppose that one polygamist in a hundred ever thinks thin s of or the united states or its authority much less of defying defying either when he engages in that order of marriage it is wholly a religious act of the highest and character it is done as unto the lord the supreme ruler of heaven and earth as in accordance his bis mind and will and ano law and command and therefore any such infinitely lesser and al together altogether irrelevant consideration aa As de flance defiance of the authority of the i united states is entirely out of the question besh besides lesitis it is very difficult to discover how the authority of the united states can be defied in a matter wherein its own constitution ution which is the supreme law of the land does not recognize that it has any authority to be either respected or defied 6 0 con Cou congress oress cress will not enlarge the organic privileges of the utah people until polygamy shall have been discontinued and the federal authority recognized and obeyed as in other territories we are not responsible for what congress will p or will not do the responsibility rests with itself we do not know when polygamy will be discontinued or whether it ever will be it always lias has existed it prevails with four fifths of the human race today to day and we are inclined to think that it always will prevail in fact we soberly believe it ia is a true and eternal principle we do not think any genuine mormon would abandon it to please the united states or any other body of people for any one who would so repudiate any principle of his religion would prove that he had not the root of the matter in him and that he did not believe that it was better to obey god than man we are glad to learn that other territories obey aey the laws both in letter and spirit we hope they will continue in i n well doing dong an and not weary i an xa due time they will reap if they Taint not meanwhile I 1 if we were people that laid wagers we would wager chatas an orderly law abiding territory utah with all her faults stands in the very front rank of all the territories though she does not wish to boast about it 7 utah would have to be specially excepted from liberal legislation we are getting used to that but we cannot help heip it utah will be known as the great excepted by and by after that she sho may become the great accepted the excepted first and the accepted afterward the stone that the builders rejected afterward became the head of the corner if we mu must st be the objects of stingy illiberal legislation so be it all is well that ends well weil these light afflictions etc read bead the scriptures for they testify of us and particularly of the principles we advocate 8 utah is a great if not the greatest and insuperable obstacle in the way of the other territories procuring their just deserts if it is so sorry we are for it but we have a dim recollection of a certain lamb down the stream being the alleged great and Ju insuperable super obstacle to a certain wolf up the stream obtaining a drink of pure water however never mind we do not wish to stand in any body blodys way sway we came a thousand miles into the trackless desert that we might be out of way and our territorial neighbors if ir we are now in their way are at perfect liberty to travel just as far or further away from us u that we may continue to be out of their way 9 the people of montana know that in utah is detrimental tri to all the Terri territories tories again we are sorry very sorry it is really regrettable that any mans religion should be a detriment to him or his neighbors near sear or remote religion w was as designed deigned for a help not a detriment 10 in the territories there is recognition of the fact that tho the saintly sinners of salt lake bar our progress and liberties that is the progress and liberties of tho the other territories we W have no undue sympathy for saintly sinners pin ners either of salt lake or montana or anywhere else none whatever on the contrary we hold them righteously in abhorrence does the JV JN IV mean the rascally carpetbagger carpet bagger ring they are the greatest sinners at salt balt lake by far 11 polygamy is a vile dreg of barbarism this is only a borrowed botten plank from an au old political platform too stale an idea too antiquated for further consideration i 12 we know polygamy polygamy is in absolute and wicked violation of the laws of the territory of utah indeed how which when where point out the indent in leil icil laws so violated 13 it is in similar violation of the commandment of the morr Mori noil nori bible bibly Is it we have read the bible from our youth up and have never seen where that violation comes in the A mormon formon bible Is the christian bibie bible does our montana friend mean the book of mormon if so has lie he ever read it has he ever seen it certainly he has never read it attentively 14 the confiding simple easily gulled followers of brigham young accepted plurality bf f wives because he wanted and had taken another woman did they this will be news to them and nonsense too 15 if f the NEWS wishes to do light and help the territories to fuller civil liberties it should disown polygamy profess fealty to the tiie united states faithfully and patriotically obey and support the laws of the land and suggest to congress the best method of disposing of great sin the NEWS does wish to do night right and if it can help the territories to fuller civil liberties but to disown marriage of any legitimate kind or any other true principle pla the NEWS NE vs is not ready to do liberties or no liberties for fealty patriotism and obedience to constitutional law the NEWS has always been famous if the NEWS were egotistical enough to think that congress would be influenced for good by its advice it would take pains to advise that honorable body every day in regard to many things which we believe would be good for the territories and for the whole union and especially if the NEWS knew of any great sin in in utah would it advise congress as to the best method of disposing of it that is if it was the proper buia buso ness of congress to attend to it but not without 16 10 if the NEWS wont do tills this it must not tantalize and vex the the other territories by favoring their projected reforms which utah mormonism does most moa obstruct and bar the NE NEWS vvs designs to do all the good it can and as bittle harm barm as possible but it cannot bind itself Procrustean ly to the tho JN N IF V 18 s beast bedstead ead cad b by y any means this isa is a free country a country where free religion free freo speech and a free press are insured d by specific constitutional tut ional guarantees therefore we must be allowed to advocate such reforms as we consider most beneficial and in the way that commends itself to us as the best if thereby we happen to tantalize and vex any of our fellow citizens we shall be sorry for them very sorry for them but we cannot give up our constitutional right to do good to advocate useful measures or to coin corn commend mend promising reforms not even when they are proposed aided or abetted b by y our ter territorial r atoria neighbors in conclusion we would say to the new northwest north morth west and an any others of our territorial neighbors interested sted if you think utah is in in the way of your prosperity tk never mind just bo good enough to consider her practically out of your way and she will not be offended about it As for congress that honorable body is under no 0 ot obligation whatever to except utah from any liberal or othe otherwise beneficial legislation affecting the he territories utah only asks equal constitutional rights and privileges with other commonwealths and these she thinks her just due as much as if all her citizens hereof african descent instead of caucasian but in a woid in regard to illiberal or otherwise unfavorable legislation the highest wisdom in the federal legislators and the greatest favor to utah would be to let her alone |