| Show IDAHO POLITICAL FETTERS ano no person shall be permitted to vote who la Is not registered as provided by law or who is under guardianship idiotic or insane or who has at any place been convicted of treason felony embezzlement of public funds bartering or selling or offering to burter or sell his vote or purchasing or offering to purchase the vote of another or other infamous crime and who has not been restored to the right of citizenship or who at the time of such election is confined in prison on conviction of a criminal of fence or who after the age of eighteen years and since the first day of january 1888 has been or is a polygamist or is living or has lived in what is known so as patriarchal plural or celestial marriage or im ia violation of any law of idaho or the united states forbidding any such crime or who in any manner teaches or has taught advises or has advised counsels or has counseled aids or has aided encourages or has enczur aged any person to enter into bigamy polygamy or such patriarchal plural or celestial marri ge or to live in violation of any such law or to commit any such crime or who has been a member of or contributes or has contributed to the support aid or encouragement of auy any order organization association cor po horation pora ration Uon or society which teaches or has taught advises or has advised counsels or has counseled encouraged or aided any per ion to enter polygamy bigamy or such patriarchal or plural marriage or which teaches or has taught ad advises aises vises or has ad advised v abed that t the he laws of this state or of the territory of idaho before its admission as a state into the union or of t the lie united states applicable to the territory of idaho prescribing rules of civil conduct are not the supreme law the foregoing is the text of the provisions in the third section of the election law which has just passed the idaho state legislature relating to the mormon citizens citi of that state particulars dicu ticu tic lars ulars of its passage will be found in another part of this paper the design of the measure is plain on its face it is to prevent any person who has been a member of the mormon church since january 1888 from taking any part iu in the political affairs of the state the bill only an sits aits the signature of the governor to make it a law that will be appended no doubt without delay and this singular sample of idaho legislature wisdom will acquire the name and dignity of a statute whether it will paw pass into history and practice as law remains to be seen there is a provision in that ancient document fast becoming obsolete aba ab olete solete among many so called americans called the constitution of the united states which forbids the enactment of any ex post facto law there is a judicial body expressly established to determine whether laws passed by the nation or by any state of the union is in accord with the supreme law of the land if this measure does not come before that tribunal to be teste dand if it shall stand the test we will lose two confident gue gneses ses if this law is not ex post poal facto it seems to us that there cannot be an enactment may be properly so designated it is not only a perron who is a member of an organization or society that does certain things who la Is to be as au an alien but one who has been since january lot 1888 a member of such a church and it is 19 not only such present or past membership that is to destroy all political privileges but present or past connection with or support of an organization which has done or aided in the doing of such thing no matter what may be its present acts or status or teachings our friends in idaho have this to console them they are areno no worse worm off than before the passage of this crystallization liza tion of bigotry and folly they may still occupy the soil and till it pay taxes aud and breathe the air till they die and they may have the he felicity of the prospect of being buried on idaho soil endeared to them by the memory of such eminently republican and liberty laden legislation as the measure lust enacted they lost any thing by it if the time does docs not soon come when decent people of all partie sare a re ashamed of such schemes as this it will argue very poorly for the progress of idaho we do not think thi the promoters of this plot plo t against the 1 2 Mor Alor expect it will stand the crucial test of the highest hinbest judicial opinion they rhey expect to crowd the mormons cormons Mor mons away from the polls and make them endure I 1 taxation without depre alent stion while the he contest as tor to its constitutionality got gois son on trusting trust irig that the laws delays will accomplish the desired purpose ee no matter what may be the final result one thing is sure the sectarian and other who hope by such measures as this to destroy the mor mon 11 church will utterly fall fail lt in their desire and purpose these uri jut and tricky schemes serve to fasten the con diction upon mormon minds that they are being persecuted for religions eake Stake and their religion is made thereby the reby all the more bright and beautiful and precious to their souls political fetters fetter no do better than iron gyves will serve the purpose of religious persecution |
