| Show T uhe THE E N NEW V lioan noar amendments TO THE NEW EDMUNDS bill binl IT will be seen by our washington 1 dispatches that the new edmunds bill has been reported back from the judiciary committee by mr nir hoar hoarn HoarA dir nir fr edmunds being in the chair as president of the I 1 senate the bill has received several additions in committee we have commented on the tho bill as presented by senator edmunds and showed its ln in justice and violation of established principles of jurisprudence some pointed remarks on the subject will be found in the report of an interview bya philadelphia reporter with Ho nJohn T caine to be found in another part of this paper the amendments reported by senator hoar are more remarkable than the original provisions of the bill and lead us to doubt the sanity of their author the enactment of last session known as the hoar amendment which the governor of this territory jumped at as a chance under which to exercise despotic and extraordinary extra powers exhibited a total absence abse n c C of i knowledge of the affairs of utah and ignorance of the laws which it was intended to amend the same lamentable lack of understanding is patent in the new amendments introduced by the gentleman from massachusetts the first seven sections of the bill appear by the report to be substantially as introduced by mr edmunds id section eight provides for tor the amendment of all ali laws of this territory which provide for the identification of voters at elections but there are no such lawsuit laws in existence there are no better provisions ro visions for an absolutely secret t ballot allot in the country than those of our territorial statutes section eleven exhibits the same ignorance of our laws as section eight it amends all laws which provide that prosecution for adultery can only be commenced by b complaint of the husland or wife kutt but there here is no such law upon our statute books it seems very strange to us that learned senators will persist in attempting to tinker the laws of utah without examining them and will continue to frame enact enactments me ants to suit conditions and a people about whom they know absolutely nothing and in recommending which they are guided only by hearsay and prejudice it appears by section nine that senator appears I 1 aloar oar does not wish that the children of any but the first wife shall inherit anny portion of the fathers estate he is very anxious to sup suppress ress polygamy and has pretended to ae be desirous that the wives and offspring who are by such suppression to be deprived of a husbands husband s and fathers care shall be provided for but this section goes directly against such provision under the laws which men have made the children of plural wives are called illegitimate under the laws of god they are just as legitimate as the children of the first wife and a statute of this territory provides that 11 every illegitimate child is in all cases an heir to its mother it is also heir to its father when acknowledged by him this is an eminently just law taking the word illegitimate in ri 11 11 its legal sense but the amendment recommended by mr nir hoar is not only omy unjust but cruel and lufa 1 the idea of the government of the united states taking out of the hands of a church the power to app appoint its own trustees to manage its own church property and tiie the president and senate appointing such officers as provided in sections twelve and thirteen is the most ridiculous thing I 1 in the way of legislation ever suggested in contress conc conat ress ess unless it be the provision of section sixteen taking away such money as may be lound found to belong to the perpetual emigration fund and making it escheat to the united states the government has no more right rl lit or lawful lawf ua power to do these things than elihn it has to appoint trustees to manage the affairs ot of a private banking house incorporated under the law or to take all senator hoars haars surplus money and confiscate it to the united states treasury the last two sections of the bill are mer merely e I 1 intended to give the governor and ilis lits his associates a little extra power and to continue the utah commission in office a little ion lon longer er there is not the slightest necessity for redistrict the territory as that was done at the session of isso 1860 under tinder the supervision of the then governor and it gives the citizens an equal representation in the legislature according to numbers as nearly as it could be done with the interference ter ference of the executive who endeavored deavo red to favor as much as possible the element of which he was a conspicuous part it is a shameful thing that the affairs of utah which are made so much the subject of congressional action are not inquired into with an honest desire to arrive at the truth the statements of arrant knaves and political schemers with I 1 personal personal ends in view are accepted without w mout wout investigation the most palpable untruths un truths are swallowed whole like pills without a glatice glance obsolete laws and alleged utah provisions t that h at never had an aa existence are cited and movements made to repeal them without any attempt to learn whether they are in force or not and the most foolish and untruthful statements ro viding they reflect u upon on the mor mons 11 are given crecence cre credence Nence to and repeated gravely in the highest legislative body in the land with but a few honorable exceptions no pains are taken to obtain correct information I 1 rashly and with amazing disregard of consistency ency and justice legislation is framed and recommended that if directed against any other people than an unpopular religious society would c expose pose rose the authors and advisers thereof to derision and result in their final political retirement it is disgraceful and contemptible and when the country comes to its senses on the 1 I mormon conyl question will vill be so regarded by rat rational lonal ional people of every party and every creed |
