Show FROM A LA LADY Y DELEGATE ON THE RECENT PROTEST the washington star of the loth lust contains the following letter from one of the sisters representing the women ot of this territory at the nations i capital i washington april 8 1886 to the editor of the evening star in the evening star of april ath I 1 find under the ne heading acting A mormon petition somo some errors stated that I 1 am prepared to correct in reference to the memorial of the women of utah recently presented in the senate of the united states by the hon henry W blair the memorial was drafted by a committee of I 1 mormon I 1 women whose signatures were attached to each engrossed copy this committee having been nominated at a mass meeting of over two thousand women from all parts of the territory while assembled to protest against the wrongs and an d grievances under which they are suffering from the of the edmunds law of 1882 and also against the disfranchisement of the women of utah I 1 who have voted for sixteen years and who are not even accused of violating any law and other measures included in the edmunds bill which recen recently t ly passed the senate of the united states mormon women have surely some rights left that ought to be respected spec ted and one of these is the right to petition the president and the congress of the united states for redress and of presenting to them and to the people facts and incidents in relation to the existing condition of affairs in tile the territory where they reside which are of vital importance to the welfare of the community and specially oppressive in application to those most deeply interested the edmunds law of 1882 is sum sufficiently ca rigid when enforced to satisfy those who are really anxious to abolish polygamy and to adopt harsher measures and add severity and cruelty to thel administration the is not only an injustice to those already suffering punishment but bat amounts to positive persecution se do the american people forget that these women against whom such la fia pressure of circumstances is brought to bear at the present time are their sisters in the one great family of the union and that they have human hearts heart and affections as tender and true tru as their own do they realize that it is simply because of their religious faith and for a principle of it that they hold bold to be sacred and ana divine that they are suffering these hardships I 1 if f they do is it not in the interest of h humanity uni anity to see that no cruelty is inflicted fl upon these women and children b but ut that the law be humanely and ana wisely administered by men who have common sympathy and true respect for motherhood and the purity of little children that mormon worn women en are harassed and annoyed and insulted unnecessarily by unprincipled men employed as deputy marshals and spies who have no genuine respect for womanhood and think any measure will be justified in dealing with the wives and daughters of mormons cormons Mor mons is very apparent parent and apparent certainly calls loudly an ana aT should shoula not call in vain lor an investigation in regard to these offenses and a radical change in dealing with aeh a delicate matter as the severing of family ties and the breaking up of homes that were dear to those who toiled together to establish them and whose hearts are entwined around each other so closely that to separate them is to inflict a wound that only divine love can eyer ever heal the incidents cited in the memorial referred to are only a few of the many cases in which insults and outrages upon up on propriety and even common decency have been committed by men who usurp authority in out of the way districts and places intimidating with threats and in various ways defenseless women and children when at home in salt lake city I 1 am almost daily in receipt of letters from different parts of utah arizona and idaho giving information in detail of facts per taming to arrests serving of writs warrants and the misconduct of these deputies and spies houses are broken into in the night time the sleeping apartments of women are causelessly invaded and the occupants insulted whole families are arrested and dragged before grand juries and women and children are terrorized and interrogated in an indecent mannerly man hectoring hectorina hec district attorneys and their assistants in office do you think such things reasonable because the women are mormons cormons Mor mons in the interest of motherhood of young women and children of tender years and in the interest of universal humanity I 1 appeal to the mothers of america and entreat them to consider the situation in utah brought feelingly and forcibly to their notice in the memorial just presented to congress and would ask them to investigate the subject without prejudice before further cruelties cruel ties tio and greater bard hardships ships are im posed upon a people already suffering persecution for conscience sake As one of the delegates sent here to present the memorial of the women of utah to the president and to the congress of the united states I 1 felt called upon upon to reply to the unfavorable notice of it in your paper and as I 1 have been delegated on ofir other occasions to represent the mormon women at the ilat national ional capital and elsewhere and am the editor of the mormon paper I 1 feel authorized to speak in their behalf behalf and to defend their interests in whatever way possible and especially at this time when the flood of poeju prejudice adi ice and misrepresentation Js is brought to bear against them so heavily and as the friend of all who love justice and desire to protect human rights I 1 remain very respectfully etc B WELLS editor romans exponent salt lake city utah |