| Show THE CHRISTIAN US ION ON THE NEW EDMUNDS BILL THE christian union is a vigorous advocate of the suppression of polygamy by the strong arm ozithe law it does bot seem to have much confidence in the force of scripture or the power of argument for that purpose but it has favored very extreme meas measures ures to overthrow that chuch aich the superior civilization and religious ances of the age do not fiot succeed in affecting to any appreciable extent however even the unton cannot stand the latest emanation from the 1 0 ommittee committee room where sits as chairman the dyspeptic sage of vermont the following edi editorial appears in the C Q U of dec 31 1 I 1 the anti polygamy bill of lat last year with no material modifications nas has been reported back from the senate judicial committee it passed the senate in 1884 by a vote of 38 to 15 and Is likely therefore to pass the senate again in in the house it may m sy be ei expected to receive sharp discussion some of its provi provisions sioDa appear to us to ue be as of making a lawful wife a competent witness against her ber husband and that of a recorded certificate of every marriage ceremony but there is danger lest in the righteous passionate fervor against polygamy oly gamy fundamental fundament hl principles of theJA theR merican constitution shall be violated and it if the provisions of this bill are correctly reported some of them appear to us open to this charge it provides that fourteen p persons rl ong appointed by the Fre f resident sall U U be added to the trustees of the church it forbids any religious corporation that Is 18 presumably pr e u al Y in utah from acquiring or holding 0 id ag more than worth of real estate and provides for the forfeiture to the united states of real estate beyond that limit held by sucha such a corporation and it requires the attorney general to wind up the affairs of the perpetual emigrating fund company a mormon organization to promote immigration what business the united states has to appoint trustees of a mormon church more inore than a roman catholic or a protestant church we are at a loss to conceive or why jit it should anter intervene to destroy an immigration company if legally conducted because the religious senti sentiments mems of 1 the mormons cormons are obnoxious to the people of the united states if anything is settled in american nations national life it is that no man shall be called to account account for his bis religious opinions polygamy we have a right to fight with every le legal aal instrumentality but the superstition and the ignorance which enthrall the larger portion of the mormon population we must fight with the church and the school house if the united states would put a public school well equipped into every school district in n utah tah it would do fsr afir more to und undermine erml ne the mormon hierarchy than by undertaking to forfeit its property or appoint trustees for the church of the latter day saints it seems a little singular to see a I 1 christian journal which has a great deal to say about the sanctity of af home the sacred relation of husband and wife and the unity and sad integrity of the family endorsing as admirable a measure to compel wives to give evidence against their husbands which has been regarded from time amme morial as contrary to the best interests of society and calculated to break down the safeguards which law and religion have placed around the institution of marriage but the union rightly denounces the proposition to put under governmental control the property of an organized religious religions body aud and to seize upon th the e funds of a corporation organized to aid immigration we have no objection to the establishment of government schools in utah if the government pays the cost but we dispute the right of the government or any other power to support geach schools school with means stoles from the mormon ll church the perpetual emigration fund or any other private property of individuals or corporations As to the superstition and ignorance faupel I 1 supposed to exist in this territory we assure the christian union that there is more of that to be found in one ward of the the great city in which that able paper is published than in this whole territory our educational facilities are not by any means perfect but they will ivill bear lavo favorable rable comparison with many others they are all the time improving and those who imagine that ignorance is a necessary concomitant of mor imor moni reckoning upon a groundless basis we chii think with the union anton thattie that the dishonest and unconstitutional measure will most likely pass the senate like some other senseless bills in a pigheaded anti mormon fashion b but t fashion we do not believe the house w will 11 consent to such IL a barefaced bare faced attempt at wholesale robbery even of the unpopular people vulgarly called 61 mor mons |
