| Show GOOD FEELING increasing tim THE feeling towards utah is ia gradually becoming more rational and friendly throughout most parts of the united states this to is indicated bythe by the utterances of he press we have published quite a number of these in relation to the bills before congress and ana to the application for amnesty we give today a few more which are straws that show how bow the popular wind is ia blow ing the springfield mass man republican say probably not much good can be accomplished complis hed by continuing to punish the mormons cormons who have been convicted of violating the anti polygamy laws and they might as well be pardoned a as a the they y ask to be there are fa few still in prison but more who are franchised disfranchised dis and they all join in asking amnesty on the ground that the taw jaw which th they na violated has fulfilled its purpose and the practice of polygamy in utah is ia at an end there is little use in continuing a 9 penalty after the reason for that penalty has ceased to exist of course the law would remain to be enforced in case the ottense should be repeated repeat ed these peti affirm m most om solemnly 1 that they will obey I 1 he law and hold its ais authority superior r r to that of their church in the matter r of f toural plural marriage wipe out the old score then and take a a fresh start the antoo penn free press has this editorial paragraph I 1 there is no valid reason for not admitting utah to sta atae abood bood it is more populous I 1 than ban some of the states in the union it has thriving towns of commercial importance the people are law abiding much more so than might be expected in view of the fact that it is ruled by what have been termed the worst kind of carpet polygamy la is no longer practiced there is no reason for keeping her out the opposition assails democratic government when it antagonizes just claims 9 this is arm the atchison kau kan 1 I 1 the demand of utah for the admission to the union an a state is much too earnest and pressing to be ignored it must be considered and decided by the present congress I 1 by the census of 1890 utah had bad a po population haft of this is nearl nearly y half as much again as the population or of delaware more than half as an much again as that ai of montana one third more than that of north dakota two and a half times that of idaho nearly four times time that of wyoming and nearly five times time that of ne nevada vada population is a rapidly increasing one too and is founded upon enduring industry chiefly agricultural it is in a population of strong men and women who have conquered unusual difficulties in converting a desert wilderness into a populous and productive commonwealth the denver col republican has a ong article on home rule Rul efrom from which WO we make these extracts utah will have to wait for statehood for several years longer this will not hurt it much but it is questionable if it is right admitting for the arguments sake that the mormons cormons have really abandoned polygamy poly gomy it is unjust to deny them the rights of local self government A man should not be deprived of any of the rights of an american citizen because he is a mormon the denial of citizen rights to members of the mormon church is in justified only on the ground that they are guilty of poll polygamy agamy polygamy being out of athaway the of a mox mm won mon should be as aa sacredly guarded ded as the rights of a member of any other church As ad for statehood in utah it will bat come sooner or later the best t way for its ita advocates to bring it about is to submit to the laws in all things even though some of thora them may seem oppressive if the mor mons really have abandoned polygamy the obligation of obeying the anti poly gamy act will be more burdensome upon them than it is upon the gentiles TIMO will demonstrate their sincerity if they are sincere in the meanwhile they cast am do a great deal under their present government to develop the resources of tbt th territory and prepare the way for tho the future state the same paper has baa an editorial on the amnesty question of which the all annexed is a small part the polygamous were dis franchised because of their polygamy if they have abandoned plural marriage the occasion for disfranchisement is then removed they stand now upon the level of other american citizens and ought to be given the same privileges which pertain to such citizenship it should not be said mid that because of their practice of poli polygamy in the past they should be forever dis franchised this might be done but it would not be good policy apart from the question of polygamy the mormon church is as much entitled entin W to the protection of the law as any religious body mormons cormons are as a rut rate law abiding men except it may be I 1 in connection with the subject of polygamy they are industrious and although not as enterprising as most western am ameri eriv cans they are goon good citizens nothing is ij to be gained by continuing their dis franf chin ement after they have abandoned polygamy e and therefore they ought to be ke restored res restored torea to the full rights of americium Ameri ciu citizen fis is their reform is genuine af |
