| Show WHO abe AHE THE PERJURERS WE wn notice thai that bome some of the coast papers are astonished that president hayea hayes and his cabinet have been deliberating over the case of george reynold roynold who has been sentenced to confinement in prison for marrying two wives in accordance with his religion there is no need for any wonderment about the thie matier matler matter the men who stand atthe at the head of the national affairs should be expected to act with some degree of COnSiSteD consistency cy they would show very little fitness for tor their exalted positions if it they were to fal low the example of the press before they decide they examine they deliberate on the subject pre pro denied to them most of the editors who touch on the mormon question judge without judgment they jump at conclusions without looking into the facts they plunge and tosa topa at the word mormon or the mere mention of polygamy like wild bovines at a red flagg flag but they should not expect statesmen to play such a senseless part A petition signed by nearly thirty thousand people is entitled to some consideration the case too loo is 18 a peculiar one like all things that are connected with mormonism ismy it has been grossly misrepresented here elere is the sacramento record union for instance at this late date stating in relation to the trial that perjury Pei jury was waff resorted to in the most shameless manner and the defendant reynolds was regarded as the popular champion the conviction was secured almost by an accident though upon the strongest possible testimony and now that the defendant has bbs hab has been found guilty it appears to us that nothing should be permitted to interfere with the execution of the sentence the san ban francisco chronicle I 1 says the rey reynolds trial exhibited everything to the contrary of his action in taking a second wife merely to test I 1 tho the validity of the antl anti poly statute every effort during the trial was made to screen him the witnesses prevail bated shunted shuffled in their testimony and did everything but commit open and willful berj perjury uty uly in denying deny ing what they had witnessed and knew know of the second marriage ceremony even the father and add mother ot of the second bride could not be made to admit in court courts that their daughter was married they knew nothing about 10 it 0 they were determined to know nothing and to forget nil nii all till they had ever known these statements are widely at variance with the truth we defy the record union to show wherein perjury was wis committed by any of the witnesses at the trial and the chronicle to prove that they tede denied what they had bad witnessed 11 the fact is that george reynolds himself furnished tho prosecution with testimony that led to his conviction vic tion he gave the names of his hia two wives aud and the dates of the marriages the father and mother of the bec second ond odd bride instead of stating in court that they knew nothing about the marri marriage agel agOl were not then and have not been in court nor in utah at all sli the chronicle scribe like other editors writes at random on tb this Is question and if put on oath in a court of justice would elther either have to commit the crimo crime which he charges against others or confess that he knows nothing about it bome borne of the reasons why president dent thares hayea should ruly fully consider this matter are that george reynolds is not at heart a he fully believed in the divinity of the ecclesiastical law under which he married his two wives and theun the unconstitutionality constitution bilty allty of the human law which declared his act to be a crime he furnished the chief evi evl dence which led to his conviction he carried the case casse up to the court of last resort to test the constitutionality tiona lity of the act of 62 when the supreme court contrary to his expectation decided that law to be valid he be submitted himself to the sentence he voluntarily placed himself in the custody of the deputy marshals appointed to conduct him to the nebraska penitentiary and the expense might have been saved of sending two onn off officers leers on thia thib journey for he would just as freely have taken the trip to lincoln with a letter of introduction to the governor of the prison and hur Fur rendered surrendered himself on the spot it is the people of utah who ask the president to pardon pardi 0 n this prisoner he is but one 0 out tit of a multitude who haye have acted as he has done under the same religious belief the cause of df justlee justice ustice will gain bothin nothing g by making him their scapegoat hla hia imprisonment wili will convert no mormon from the faith that is in him polygamy will receive no weakening fram extreme measures in this ease case a the mormons Mor mons ss are ac C cus eus tomed to harsh treatment and coercion will noti not in the nature of things induce submission or create any extraordinary regard for those who apply the force of fetters and the argument of prison b barb bars a rs to crush out a deeply rooted rel rei religious conviction A little clemency and some showing of fairness and consideration for their peculiar b eilet belief might have a batter effect th than an perpetual animosity and hos hob hostility tilita who knows at any rate the trial might be made it would we admit be a new thing under the sun to show any regard or kindness towards the deluded mormons cormons Mor mons but it would be no stretch of executive power to try its deflects effects for once we endorse the movement for the pardon of george reynolds simply as an act of fairness towards him as the victim of a sacrifice hia hla H la conviction was effected at the first trial by evidence that could not have been obtained except from the defendant at the second trial unfair tactics were resorted to by the prosecution and the counsel for the defence fought them as they should havo have ha ve done it is easy to say the witnesses prevaricated pre 12 the charge is untrue because persons who are sub inthe interests of the prosecution do not testify as they are desired they are assailed with implications of perjury the unprincipled wretches who make such charges or insinuations are themselves guilty of that crime as we can prove if necessary but la a witness required to testify of his belief or of what he has heard from corn coin common mon rumor or what he knows if he does not know of himself the fact required tobe to be prove proven rills is heaper heafer he a perjurer because be denies havi having ng that knowledge would he not rather be a perjurer if on oath he professed to know that of which he only had a surmise or suspicion we hurl back these charges of perjury upon those with whom they originated we do not allude to the papers from which the above quotations are made they are but parrots repeating without knowledge or reflection the inta infamous mops utterances te rances of unworthy beings steeped in falsehood and saturated with bitterness and venom to whom truth is obnoxious and who never allude to anything toil touching ching the cormons mormons Mor mons without wilfully iving lying or dr grossly misrepresenting the facts the mormon people are bound by the principles 0 of the their ir religion to be truthful they are generally BO so in their nature those who have been accused of perjury upon the witness stand in this case and others are people of veracity and lin doubted undoubted reliability and their only offense offence consists in not riot pandering to the desires of aba corrupt and not making statements dri dil on oath about matters of which they have no knowledge to suit attorneys bent on cout coul convict leti letl lt a defendant it is time that such were met and we kno knot that the changes charges against them u false and we consider it extreme unfair for the press of the eluz count to reiterate them without any ft ti defice of their correctness ai brother george reynold he receives the benefit of execute clemency or not he has acted is f pure and honorable motives i the real essence of crime is in intent As ho he had no intent lot wrongdoing wrong wron doing he la innocent in sight of gad and hib hia brethren ai ju we think ought to be so con consider consi sidel lei dei and treated by those who hold fi 9 reins of po authority in I 1 government |
