Show disfranchisement DISFRANCHISE MET BILL washl washington afton ufton april 23 at them opening 0 of the meeting of the house committee on territories this morn ing delegate dubois opposed the proposition to give delegate caine of utah and J adge atison an opt op port unity of being bein heard beard in oppose i ton don to the molon mormon dis disfranchise franch ment bill dubols said that ahlai ahls matter and the whole mormon question had been fully argued be fore the committee both this year and last and they the confetti atee had all the facts and comprehended ir the whole matter delegate caine said he had never been heard on the prop proposition 0 it X a thief attempted 0 to o rob him of a few dollars he could k go to a court of justice and got get aia the time he waited to convict the thief but here was a pro to deprive a quarter of a mil million R on am citizens of their rights liberties and this wide minded statesman would defuse their re an opportunity to convict the robber on motion the committee granted mr caine the time desired mr caine thereupon in sub T stance said the bill under con coni i Js is intended to dis fran i chise all the members of the C church of jesus christof latter day saints commonly called the mormon church for disguise it as you ma may this is the aim aad object of ta the measure it is useless to say thai tha no such law heretofore has been proposed to congress in regard to any religious body it is un ameril ameri j can and subversive of those rights of representative government which theauthor the author of the declaration of int in dependence declared to be of ineste aimable worth to them and able to tyrants from colonial days down to the present time govern gover nr ments of the people by the people and for the people express the ame american I 1 idea of republican govern government n 4 with the majority of a community franchised disfranchised dis such a govern government mV 0 t is 14 impossible the government t then of a minority cannot be distorted to mean a government of people it is such an extraordinary thing to the total disfranchisement jofs of a whole people that I 1 am amazed that any man claiming to bean american citizen that any man claiming to be a republican or a Dem democrat could be found to quva cafe cate such a monstrous proposition if this thia scheme should law the large majority of the people of the territory of utah would be franchised disfranchised dis their property tam their domestic institutions the entire machinery of their local government would be at the mercy of of the minority io in many towns and setU emente throughout the territory men could I 1 not 30 t be found not members of the N mormon church to hold the local offices all civil government would therefore be destroyed and anarchy run iott riot r 13 he said carpet beggers would have to be iT imported ported to fil ft lithe the offices political floaters no men without witti gut occupation tempted by the pros U 0 of f plunder a herd of unemployed pell ticiano would descend like toe the goton and vandals to become petty tyrants and enrich by su pillage A gi e of the public treasuries are such men n 9 n fit to hold important local offices to tb collect and disburse the peopled peo taxes issue bonds and borrow money the mormon people were the pioneers of the rocky bocky mountain territories mr caine recited the circumstances under which they went to utah and what they had acco accomplished there and added inthe the history of mankind does not afford another such example of a 0 people g le stripped of all their posses possessions signi a successfully cess fully accomplishing so marv marvelous an undertaking those who w have made the journey across the great plains over the rocky mountains and through the great valley in palace see cars care and seon seen the wonders brought wrought by their persistence rals their theft industry aul aud their thrift can can have bave only bonfy the faintest idea of wha t the transformation tra has haq cost the peppie whom this bill delibe deliberately deliberated ratel pro poses po sesto to deprive of all their eulix rights are these people to be 66 dis franchised because they opened the great transcontinental hibbs highway ay for the immigration of the n nations because of their number upped helped to conquer the territory they now occupy as well as that era braced in the stae of california because their pioneers took possession of the salt lake basin and raised on the mountain peaks the american flag because they have by industry and coope co ope ration in labor redeemed the desert and made it blossom as a garden en because they have established a great commonwealth the wonder of all who have seen it because their people are frugal industrious and honest because in the commercial world their promises to pay are worth oue one hundred cents on an the dollar Is isit it because of these the seand and many other commendable works words and qualities they are to be chased this bill is a new departure in anti mormon legislation and japal is palpably in conflict with the aviv avowed ed views of those members of the senate and house of representatives who advocated the former anti polygamy act all the objections to those measures on the ground of their violation either in letter or spirit of the ru fundamental nd freedom or of religious opinion and worship invariably baet with the emphatic declaration that they did not interfere with liberty of conscience that the actions of men and not their opinions or religious creeds were the proper subjects of legal animadversion but the spirit of persecution like jealousy grows by what it feeds on and at length has assumed such monstrous proportions that would have appalled its projectors at the beginning so that according to the bard of newstead honest and devout christians have burnt each other quite persuaded the apostle would have done as they did 11 f mr caine cal ne quoted largely from the supreme court decisions statements made by senators and representatives in congress and from official reports of the utah commission to show that the legislation of congress was not enacted against the religion of the mormon peaple but solely for the suppression 0 of polygamy and argued that there was no necessity for such ayal a palpable pable departure from former methods nieth there to is no do rebellion in utah uta mr caine said 11 no insurrect In insurrection lo 10 the people are orderly order Jy peace peaceable ahl ia I 1 lustrous du and honest it has been ee shown by official reports that during the last two years or more polygamous marriages have been as rare in utah as bigamous marriages in any other state but it would seem the nearer the people approach to compliance lance with the requirements of the law aw the more they are to be bar distressed and persecuted Is tois just tolt Is it compatible with the character of a gjent gi eat and magnanimous nation to trample on the weak we ml might bt reasonably expect from some of the agitators and adventurers of the far west who have ous otis hides bides and india rubber consciences who think that the mormons cormons have no rights others are bound to rea respect ot should a t upon the principle capre of the poet the mormon people are quite appalling knock them down aud and kick them for aall falling but it is to be hoped that enlightened statesmen will he be governed by higher more generous and magnanimous views consider what kind of a republican form of you will have in utah with three fourths of the men women and children dis franchised the autocracy of russia the despotism of european states would deserve the name of a republican as well as such government P referring dg to the enfranchisement of the slaves of the south mr cal caine ne said I 1 I 1 I 1 it t is a sad commentary upon the spirit of our times to note the fact that on wednesday last while the colored people of this district were celebrating their emancipation from slavery this committee was gravely considering a measure which would condet condemn yin to political slavery without a hearing without conviction a quarter of a million white american citizens most of whom are not even accused of any dime this kind of suasion has been tried upon people by the british government for centuries and we all ehnow the result and it will fail wherever it may be attempted f mr caine referred to the legislative commission ache scheme me of years ago and quoted senator edmunds views views upon it as published in the new york claimed that they were equally applicable to the hill bill now before the committee he fie quoted from the debates in the senate during the passage of the edmunds tucker bill and cited senator edmunds as saying that upon a universally recognized principle we would not undertake to interfere with faith doctrine and worship and added now will any person presume to say to me that I 1 am ain not interfered with when I 1 am franchised disfranchised dis because I 1 am a member of a certain order organization or association I 1 think not I 1 am not a lawyer but I 1 hold such interference to be a violation of the constitution because prohibiting rohi bIting the free exercise of religion fegion A man who is dis franchised is not free in the exercise of 4 ny thing the speaker then referred to the efforts made ly by the non polygamous mormons cormons to place themselves in harmony with the rest refit of the nation i ile he showed that the constitutional convention of utah had placed an anti polygamy clause in the constitution which the people ratified the marria marriage e law passed by the legislature am and the resolution of the same body favor favoring luz the enforcement of the anti polygamy laws as other laws are enforced and that all such one uses be prohibited he quoted statistics which showed that only six convictions for polygamy or bigamy had occurred occurred in the whole territory of utah during the year 1889 which included non mor mon bigamists biga mists as well as mists and this too notwithstanding the fact that the juries are especially charged to use great diligence in making inquiry into the offenses or of polygamy and unlawful cohabitation thus united states marshals and their deputies resort to all means legal and illegal to hunt up mormons cormons suspect ed of polygamous offenses many arrests of innocent people are made and though the marshals fail to secure colv convictions I 1 egions they never fall fail to secure the fees of course deputy marshals must live and mormons cormons have no rights and they have few friends so they become an easy prey to the fee fiends gentlemen 1 1 the speaker said tear from this proposition the vall vail of pretense tt it ignot is not to punish poleg amista for every such offense suffering all the pains penalties and disabilities intended to be inflicted by this measure fhe only persons affected by it are those who have obeyed every ladof law of their country who have subscribed to every evera required test who have given and nd are dally daily giving eviden evidence cea 3 of their love for this the title of this bill should be changed to read A bill to punish loyalty for it seeks to condemn to perpetual serfdom a class of citizens who have transgressed no law and w hose bose fu political 0 lotical fault if any has been trustfulness alness in the national government when this era of proscription for utah commenced the loudly proclaimed intention was to bring the younger generation into accord with the government in good faith they accepted the governments regulations they subscribed to the oaths and obeyed the laws and disfranchisement chi gement is the proposed reward it is breaking faith without the poor excuse doing doigg evil that the good may come mormon prisoners when before the courts charged with polygamous lyga off offenses lenses have repeatedly repeal aly been told by the J judges that all the government requested was that they should promise to obey the law that the government did not desire to wreak vengeance upon them but to correct their morals morals that if they would promise to obey the law in future they would escape with a nominal punishment row how different the spirit of the measure under consideration I 1 N nt t only are men to be dis franchised who have never broken any law but who have registered an oath they would not do so BO hereafter an astonishing tle element mentin in this thin matter is that the measure is seeking enactment without the endorsement of any party in utah or the other territories who wants such legislation who asks for it noone no one who has any direct Inte interest fest in this question A few days ago I 1 enquired of the governor of utah who is here and he be stated emphatically that he was taking no part and would not do so 80 one way or another prominent men here from utah equally are reticent f at this point delegate dubois in terru pled the speaker and said that governor Th thomas thhomas romas ex governor W west eat and mom members bers of tb the e utah commission who were here all favored the bill and thought it should become a law that governor thomas had made such a statement before two or three members of the committee mr caine replied he would only repeat what governor thomas had said to him that he thomas had talked the matter over and bad decided to take no DO part either for or against the bill and then remarked the committee have now both statements before them and can judge what kind of a man governor 1 I have heard this bill originated with a certain utah Liberal whose hatred for they the people eople of that territory has doubtless been increased because his own party now partially in power there has seen fit to ignore him it is said that he be contemplates leaving utah and wants to fire this poisoned arrow that he may be remembered this man represents preseD ta no other but himself he has been recognized for years asa as a bitter bigoted and fanatical enemy of the mormon people Is this a proper source from which to receive inspiration for legislation would you strike down dowd a whole people at the suggestion of their most pronounced and bitterest ene oe my for over forty years the people cleof of utah have enjoyed popular self government will it not prove a great damage to the territory to emasculate the bone and sinew of its inhabitants to deprive a man of the franchise dries up his aspirations he h e has little left to excite his ambition i ou he becomes a political eunuch can a state the majority of whose people are in a relation of serfdom expect to achieve any brilliant future all put past experience answers no during the delivery of his argument foment mr calse was asked by the chairman mr struble if the mormon church had not been declared by judicial decision in utah to be a criminal organization rema remarking king that it was not because of their religious belief that it wati was now dow proposed to disfranchise the mormons cormons Mor mons but because they were members of a criminal organization mr caine answered that the time allowed him would not permit him to explain the circumstances which led to that so called decision it was charged that while passing through the mormon endowment ceremonies certain oaths were taken the united states and disloyalty to tho th government was inculcated in the endowment endo ceremonial lie he said he had been through the endowment ceremonies und and could testify as a man of honor and truth that no such oaths or teachings of the character represented were included in the ceremonial and that the decision was founded upon a basis of falsehood and rendered for political purposes he presented the official declaration recently issued by the leading author ithe of the mormon church from which he read extracts bearing upon the points raised by the chairman in 0 inclusion exclusion he said 11 1 can cannot not believe that any gentleman of this committee who |