Show pronounced opposition TO confiscation 0 0 THE confiscation of the property of the church of jesus christ 0 oc latter day saints sainta continues to be denounced by the patriotic portion of the american press As a rule the influential journals of the country express a willingness for mormonism to be opposed but many of them pronouncedly dissent from the methods now being applied in that direction the process being uncalled for and irredeemably unjust and dishonest rhe fhe denver republican is one of the papers which abagail confiscation and presents the following condensed plea for fair dealing and honesty 1114 Is the handful of mormons cormons in utah and other parts of the country such a menace to our institutions that it is necessary for the government of the united states to resort to conflict teon in order to hold the mormon church in check there is such a thing as honesty in dealing with ones enemies there is sueh a thing as justice to criminals there is such a thin thing g as doing right for rights sake and in the face of popular prejudice but the bill which senator edmunds introduced to turn the property of the mormon church over to the public schools of utah falls fails to recognize any of these general propositions the fact that some of the mormons cormons axe are polygamists and that the church teaches the doctrine of polygamy will no not justify the supposed supposed confiscation the constitution of the united un cited states declares that private property shall not be taken for public use without juat compensation we do not mean cosay to say that thal the transfer of the property of this dissolved corporation to the public schools of utah would be in violation of this provision of the constitution ution but we do say it would be in violation of the spirit owhy why should not congress be bel just ven even e to the mormons cormons Mor mons thousands shousan a of members of the M mormon church have never lived in poly polygamy amy ought they to be made to angler suffer because of the rimes of others or because their church teaches the doctrine of poleg amy the proposed confiscation is is unnecessary it would be unjust and unfair the foregoing is tersely put is in and simply unan bw erable from the standpoint of reason justice and republicanism some time since the new york sun had a strong article with the right ring to it upon this important subject it was largely quoted and variously received while some jon journals opposed its position others as strongly supported it A private gentleman mr H C baldwin of broadway broad way now new york took unqualified lifred ground with the sun as will be seen by the following which appeared in the columns of that paper in the form of a correspondence from frem his pen to the e suitor of the sun sir your remarks on the mormon confiscation case are ara timely and just but not severe enough the edmunds act in many of its features was the most infamous that ever disgraced our national statute book and there have been bome very infamous the decision of the supreme court sustaining the act will return some day to torment not only the court but the congress of the U united states the leal cause for the passage of that act never showed itself in the discussion over it in congress its defenders claimed its object was to destroy polygamy the real object was to destroy cooperative stores that interfered with a lot of sharks who wanted to control the trade of utah that act took from the women of utah the rig right lit of suffrage and confiscated ta the property of the people and all under the pretext of morality but I 1 felt from the day of its passage until the decision of the supreme court that hat it was so contrary to every principle of natural justice that a judicial decision would kill it 1 I have not a word to say in defense of polygamy but I 1 have more respect for the morin morans ns who had no houses bouses of prostitution and no illegitimate children to put into foundling hospitals than I 1 have for the hypocrites who from unworthy motives secured the passage of the confiscation act mr baldwin is a man who is a credit to the race he has clear convictions of right and the courage to fearlessly state them over his own signature long muy may he live and be able to raise his voice and wield a pen in favor of the and in denunciation nuncia tion 0 heartless demagogues whose un american political and mercenary schemes are threatening the very existence of the great republic the los angeles express erem very properly showy shows the absurdity ot the insinuation offered against chief justice fuller because of his disagreement with the majority of the supreme court on the recent confiscation decision the dissenting opinion of chief justice fuller in the decision of the united states supreme court declaring the mormon church property es cheated to the united states and the concurrence of the same gentleman with the majority of the court in the original package decision are cited as evidences of aspirations to the presidency on the part of mr fuller and it is predicted mr cleveland may find in him a formidable rival for the democratic nomination this reasoning does not appear to be sound concurrence in the original pack age decision might make mr puller more popular with the democrats though it is encroachment upon the rowers cowers hitherto exercised by the states but his dissent from chemor the mormon decision though the latter was a startling innovation for this country could have no such effect everybody is against the mormons cormons and the man who even appears to take their side is likely to lose friends there thereby bv I 1 I 1 the da daily of york pa enters its protest against the legislative and judicial jesuitism by which the church is robbed of its property contributed by its members it says under this statute proceedings were instituted to forfeit and escheat to tile the united states the property of the mormon church the constitutionality tiona lity of the legislation was disputed by the mormons cormons Mor mons but they have now lost the final battle in the court of last resort to us it seems that this result can cau only be deemed satisfactory by those who believe in the doctrine that the end justified the means 3 however objectionable the latter it is most desirable that it should ease cease e but it should not be brought about by disregarding the plain commands of the constitution and here we have three jud judges of the supreme court of the uri united ted states including the chief justice TU stice declaring that certain essential provisions of the edmunds act are in contravention of specific limitations in ia the fundamental law of the land the same journal truthfully asserts that the case is one of the most important ever decided by the supreme court the following uttered in irony frona from the albany times shows that the position frequently assumed in relation to the shameful an and d u unjustly nj discriminative treatment accorded the mormons cormons Mor mons would widen out until it reached others who are now in the enjoyment nt of all the rights and privileges guaranteed by the constitution is correct here have we been wasting time in in endeavoring to convert the mormons cormons by sending them to prison and confiscating fis cating their church property when we have all the time had in our midst a reformed presbyterian denomination the members of which refuse to act as good citizens ought to do it is suggested that we shall now have to do t little persecution upon them they have been holding a and their wickedness has leaked out ont in the debates the they report that the constitution of the buted united states is a tG odless and document by bv which religion is not established an and d they therefore cannot conscientiously give their votes to recognize and sup port it these bold advocates of an established church au an I 1 of a religious doctrine enforceable by law are surely not desirable citizens according to our american idea of civic duties I 1 I 1 we have published the views of a large number of american P rs upon this vital question the importance of th subject combined with a lesire desire to acquaint our readers with the fact that there are still many patriots in the land who are ready to oppose measures that threaten the weal of the republic even when the unpopular mor m mons ons are the victims of the process has induced us to give somewhat copious space to extracts of the nature of the foregoing besides they are rather interesting reading and well worthy of preservation v |