| Show THE UTAH commission its annual report to the secretary of the interior A bodnes of Recommend and suggestions aIns v the following is the lull text of the annual report of the utah commission to secretary lamar CHICAGO ills 1118 september 24 1886 sin we respectfully submit e a report of the operations commission during the past pait year together with some observations on the the present condition of utah it at is hardly necessary to set forth in detail our proceedings in 1 relation to ao the execution of tae law as this would be substantially a repetition of has been stated in our former reports it is perhaps sufficient ent to say in general that during durine the past part gearas in the last and previous years the law ing to the disfranchisement of folyk poleg amista and those living in unlawful an awful cohabitation has been f tilly fully and sue cessa cess ally fully enforced all such persons with very few if any exceptions shave have been excluded from voting and holding office during daring this period as in the preceding year criminal prosecutions for violations of the law bof f of congress have been numerous A large number have been tined fined and imprisoned in the penitentiary tent iary for polygamy polygamy or unlawful cohabitation chie chiefly V for the latter tense it is reported and believed by many resident non mormons cormons that during the last year a large number of polygamous marriages have taken place in the temples bof logan city and st george located respectively in the extreme north and south parts of the territory we have not the means of very lying such reports yet we have no doubt that a considerable number of such marriages have been celebrated w with ith the knowledge a approbation and I 1 active operation cooperation co of leading men mea ol 01 thel Mormon church whether upon the whole polygamous marriages are on the decrease in utah is a matter on which different opinions are expressed but undoubtedly many persons tave have been restrained by the fear of disfranchisement and the penitentiary tent iary and we think it is sa s1 sale lie to say that in the more enlightened portions ot of the territory as for example salt lake city and its vicinity very few polygamous marriages have occurred within the last year while on the other hand in the rural districts disa trie taja in some p a its of the territory we ve I 1 uhe reason to believe that suen sucu viola fins of the law are not inere qu t by y the law of congress the duties of this commission appertain to allelic all elections territorial county precinct and municipal the municipal electious elections occur under udder legislative provisions or local ordinances at various times during the year and at the proper time before the election in tack ach t icv and town we are I 1 lequir ed lt to appoint the registration officers judges ot of election ew etc this work was waa begun eimy early in the present year besides officers lor for each county and precinct were appointed to the num number berof of and fudges for the general election lu the of over were selected and commissioned these officers were chosen after diligent iti inquiry as to their fitness and qualifications under the local law as moni modified tied by the act of Congre Con greba sst two revisions of the registration were made in the spring and summer pre preparatory V to thu the annual general election on aug 2 at which time there were chosen chosed three commissioners to locate university lands county sheriffs sheriff a judges selectmen assessors and collectors lec tors prosecuting attorneys treas frers coroners and various precinct officers such as justices justice of t the he peace and constables A board of canvassers consi consisting of three non mormons cormons and two gor mor mons intelligent and reputable gentlemen clemen appointed by this commission assembled in salt lake city and canvassed the election returns and it appeared that all the candidates candida teis of ane e peoples or mormon party except aal a few ew precinct officers were selected and certificates of election were given on january 11 1886 the legislative assembly of stati met in salt sail lake ct city y and remained fied in session sixty days daiy abill A mil concerning conc ernine registrations and aad elections was passed by bogli houses ot of the legislative Assembly but tailed failed to become a law through the disapproval ap ot of the governor the effect of such bill would have been to return the registration and election machinery to we tte local agencies from which they were taken by the act of congress and to restore t the mormon people tiie taie political po pow wt r of toe the territory dry in derogation of thu act of Con eress referred to since we submitted out our last report joint resolutions have beem brought forward and axe are now pending in bota houses of con Conet fess as I 1 proposing an amond amendment meat to afe t the e constitution of the united states prohibiting and punishing polygamy in all the states and in all p placed y aces within the jurisdiction of the united states extending the uricial power of the federal Gove government rement to the prosecution of such offenses and conferring upon congress the power to provide tor lor their punishment A bill which passed the senate at the last session of congress is now pending in the house with the amendments proposed thereto by the judiciary committee of the house f furnishes ur a comprehensive plan for the treatment ol of public affairs in utah bills have also beba heretofore introduced into congress proposing substantially ly to abrogate the joeal legislative authority in utah and ato to substitute a legislative commission to be appointed oy by the president af after ter the careful calef al and deliberate consideration that has evidently been given by the judiciary committees of the two houses of congress to the recommendations of the president the suggestions made through the reports of this commission which clearly appears from the bill referred to in which nearly all of our recommendations have been incorporated we deem it unnecessary to press our views f further ur at this time upon the same topics but we consider it not improper or superfluous to make some observations in regard to the proposed constitutional amendment while we are of the opinion that this should not supersede other measures we are satisfied that it would be an efficient factor in effectuating the desired result namely the abrogation of polygamy wherever it exists within the jurisdiction of the united states in addition to the reasons so forcibly presented by the judiciary committee in their very able report accompanying ahe joint resolution we would suggest that the incorporation of tuis provision in ia the constitution of the united States would serve as an advertisement to the people of all civilized nations that in the united states polygamy had been put under a ban in the most authoritative and emphatic mannet manner so that the most ignorant of the deluded immigrants migrants le might reasonably be expected to take cognizance of the constitutional inhibition and the consequences of violating the laws again the mormon leaders have taught toe the people that the laws against polygamy are unconstitutional they pretest prefers a high regail for the dionas an inspired instrument but they claim that it has been subverted subvert ef and misinterpreted by Co congress agress and the c courts ur now if the anti poleg fumy sma deat show become ft a yar of the constitution they would probably not have the hardihood to say that the constitution itself is unconstitutional and it is cot unreasonable to predict that the wore more sagacious and influential pers persons us among would realize C the hopelessness of a further conflict with the government and accommodate them themselves seNes to the inevitable by the exercise of that worldly wisdom which so often tempers and ana modifies the conduct of religious 11 ou fanatics 11 in n regard regard to the bill hereinbefore referred to senate bill 10 amended in the house committee and reported june 10 1886 we would surest suggest that section 25 should be changed so as to require the registration and affidavit to be made before the proper registration officer of the precinct at the usual time of registration when the voter takes the oath required by law for registration As the section of the bill now stands such oath and registration are to be made before the clerk of the probate court of the county many of the counties are very large some of them more than a hundred miles long iong and travel in many localities is much impeded by the ruggedness of the mountain ta inroads roads and at certain seasons of the year by deep snows and many of the voters would not bb willin to in cur the expense and loss of time required to go the county seat to be registered ered besides the amendment which we have suggested would be in harmony with the registration and election laws of the territory as modified by the act of congress in our last report we called attention to the propriety of amending the immigration laws so as to extend their ap application li cation to the mormons cormons Mor mons the fr president adept also i in his annual message in december last called the attention of congress to the same subject it seems to us that such an act properly guarded raould be framed f so as to forbid f or the immigration of all aliens into the united states who are poly polygamists amista or jhb uphold polygamy by their profession fes sion the fullness of detail with which we have in our former reports set forth the condition of affairs in utah dispenses with the necessity of again a din zo ing into particulars but we gearn deem it P proper ope r to present a passage contained ta ne d in our report of november 18 1884 As the government has to deal here with a people who are wondern wonderfully ally superstitions and fanatically devoted to system stem of vo religion ligion tho the public should not expect as ae e immediate result of the present laws of angress nor indeed of my any legislation however radical the sudden overthrow of polygamy and the most moat that c can an b be pre dieter dieted ot of sueh legislation is that it wi will if no step backward be taken soon ameliorate a me li r alethe the harder conditions of mormonism mor efflo is and hasten the day for its final extin extinction tion 11 before closing this report we wish to impress upon the govern government meat and the people eople of the united states the magnitude t of the evil with which we have to contend and the difficulties in the application of a remedy the total number of mormons cormons throughout the world is over a large majority of whom reside in utah while of these a great majority of the adults are not living in polygamy yet every orthodox member of that church prole professes ses to believe in it ilasa as a divine revelation the people have been been taught this dogma in their temples t rup 0 tabernacles meeting houses and sunday schools for a third of a century their church organization and ecclesiastical polity are marvels ot ol skill and ability their leaders are fertile in resources while the mass of the people are fanatical and superstitious to a d degree ree that has hasselbom seldom been witnessed F in modern times eilbes in such a condition there is no remedy that would be immediate in its effects except military force and this cannot now be applied because no civilized in this age wu wage a war of extermination against unarmed men women and children but the evils existing exis in ia utah cannot carnot be ignored by the government ade devote voted ignored as the americast Americ aiT people are to religious liberty by education tradition and constitutional sanction they will never allow this principle to be subverted by y the toleration or sanction ot crime here we may say that while we reco recognize nize the obligation of the government 6 oi the united states to protect the personal and property lights of the mormon people collectively and individually and to deal with them as equals 8 before e the law yet it is ia equally the duty of odthe the government to punish crime committed within its jurisdiction sail and religious liberty libert cannot be pleaded as a bar to bunisk punishment ment for criminal acts in violation of the laws of the land and of social order the mormon people ought to understand this it if they expect a toleration or protection of polygamy pol gamy from any party or faction in this country now or hereafter such expectation I 1 is vain and futile the laws then must be enforced it if present laws and the proposed amendments are not sufficient to suppress the evil more stringent enactments act ments must be adopted and the result will be that at no distant day this relic of asiatic barbarism this blot on the fair fame of america will be swept from the land for the commission A B CARLETON chairman utah commission alte secretary Sacre tary of the interior washington ID 0 |
