| Show THE AMNESTY PETITION thim THE amnesty petition is ia still etall in the hands banda of president harrison Harr many inquiries are made in rela relation tiou to it the duties of the president of the united states are many and onerous it takes time to accomplish anything of an official character the amnesty matter is one of importance and will be duly and carefully considered before action is taken concerning it the probability is that it will be decided favorably as the general sentiment of thoughtful people is that the petition should be granted among other pa pers pere the washington post pod express an opinion on the subject which to la as follows A many amany reasons may be given for relieving of their disabilities such citizen of utah as have been franchised disfranchised dis be cause of their former polygamous practices one of which is that polygamy has practically ceased to exist as a tenet of t the b e mormon church and the chief of which is that it is wholly contrary to the theory of our institutions to lo keep any class or body of the people under the ban of political disfranchisement after 1 they have once abandoned the offense that provoked the curtailment of their rights with the undoing of the causes should come a suspension of the consequences quen ces and there is ample warrant for the belief that in this case the mormons cormons are fully entitled to the aanes v for which they ask and that their petition is presented in entire good faith it may require time to obliterate all of the prejudices in favor of their peculiar religious system entertained by the older members of the mormon church chuich but 1 enough is known of the changed condi tion of affairs in utah or if not known to 1 the presidency may easily be as ascertain certaine el I 1 by y investigation to justify him in exercise ing c clemency e ency toward towar the petitioners petition ers they he y are no longer polygamists they give ve i the most ost solemn assurances that they no i longer place the a authority 1 ut bority of the hier archy above that of the united states that they have abandoned in theory ana and fact certain dol which they were taught to regard as permissible and right but which the government has condemned as criminal that they ft are thoroughly loyal to the lawful authorities and in all afi respects entitled to the full prerogatives of other citizens why then may not the period of their probation be safely terminated what is to bo be gained by perpetuating petua ting their disabilities in view of the fact that the mormons cormons are in a general way industrious orderly and prosperous they hey have haa had a pretty rough deal at the bands band of the government and have gone through a severe disciplinary ordeal but the end has come at last the government has succeeded in all that it undertook to do and having gained its points beyond the peradventure of a relapse or reaction it can now afford to be magnanimous P |
