Show A H CANNON SENTENCED he maws maizes a manly speech the chief justice gives an angry washy reply the fall penalty imposed this morning mor nina was the time set lor passing judgment upon president abram 11 cannon who was convicted of the offense of living with and acknowledging his wives as interpreted by the courts couri the court ra room was densely packed with people anif and when his name was called the defendant stepped forward to the clerks desk throughout the entire proceedings brother cannon who Is just twenty seven years ot age stood calmly lacing facing the judge the expression of his countenance indicating iudica tins that mat he be felt a perfect consciousness of do doing ID his bis duty aud and was not disturbed in tee the least the court commenced by saying you are aware mr cannon that you were indicted and con vie led of the crime of unlawful al cohabitation this morning was appointed for sentence against I 1 na you Is it your intentions mr cannon w hereafter to obey the law against t polygamy and unlawful al cohabitation mr kr cannon may I 1 be permitted tp define my position sir court I 1 dont care about a speech you might make a few remarks mr cannon then spoke as follows in a clear distinct tone of voice i 1 would like to state your honor that I 1 have always endeavored to aee keep p the laws of the united states because I 1 have been taught by my parents that the constitution was a sacred in i it ment that I 1 have failed in this thi respect and now stand evicted of the crime of unlawful ul cohabitation habl tation I 1 is s due to fiket fact that il 1 ac acknowledge knowle dg a higher row GOA manchich man which is the law of that law being a part of my religion air mave tobb to bb bojt at when hen F I 1 embraced this Tell religion gion 1 I promised r to place all that I 1 bad even life f welt itself upon the altar and I 1 expect to abide by that covenant i I 1 made and sir I 1 hope the day wilt will never come when I 1 must sacrifice pria 4 ciple even to procure life or liberty honor gnot sir P to me is higher than anything th ing else upon the earth and my r t I 1 won is dearer to me than any thing elbe e t that hat I 1 have yet seen I 1 am prepared sir tor for judgment toe the of the court the court then spoke as follows fellows at first quietly then growing more more vehement until he e finally got into his usual angry mood and thumped the desk with his fist alst in this class of cases where the offense is a continuing one I 1 usually give the defendant the liberty of stating any fact that might seem to tb mitigate punishment the discretion of the court is id quite extensive in these cases it may be imprisonment simply it may be flue fine simply or both for that leaion reason I 1 gave douthe 0 u afie liberty to state it it was your var mention intention hereafter ter to be a law abiding citizen this you de decline clibe upon toe the ground you state that you ou acknowledge 17 a higher law than tie the laws ot of the united states this of cobrae cannot be considered in your favor it would scorn arena rather to aggravate the offense off eose the government Hovern ment ot of the states exists in her laws and in thedr enforcement those laws are vindicated the source of political and municipal power is in the people and they determine in the mode pointed out by the constitution what rules of conduct shall be laid down for the govern government m e t of the citi citizens citizen zeb with respect to so society el ety and to each othey other and t that hat ao man or any set of men professing to believe in another law from some unseen un on known source they say these laws must be determined by the conscience the reason and the intelligence ot of the people and this is what is termed the he sovereignty of the people and aad no man ha has a 3 light ight to set up his opinion his belief and act contrary to the laws law a of his bis country if he does doas he must I 1 take the consequences if every roan man had a right to say that he would not obey any law because he believed there was some higher law because some other authority some atme church autho authority ricy church organization had laid down dowd rules the government would amount to nothing no thias one sect might say bay that one class ol of crimes was religion another class might say another class was one sed sect might say human sacrifice was right as they do claim in many countries and hence all manner of crimes could be enacted and perpetrated rated under the guise of 0 religion hence it wont do this religion that you believe in is one of the barbarisms barbari sms that have ave been cast away by fiu humanity maulty cherev has bleen been adopted 4 and il practiced it as as dragged woman down to the condition I 1 a of a slave in all ages and all tanas an where it has been practiced to for any ally considerable at t time lit it tit this Is mr cannon shack hid hedd head in atlea the negative 1 I 1 it is 14 said that I 1 in n ril ralo almea I 1 it t was not so but t practices ir act lees then were indulged ra in that aki experiences of mankind hayo haw thrown away y even bye n abfal abraham we wb ate we in info hla his bond woman bad kd children childr by tier her and d then drove herand her and her 0 child d out 1 into the wilderness to sharye he took ais I 1 little ittle boy with ianire bonlie gai aad d a pile a id bound him and laid him op on the pile spile I 1 0 burn bum him in the nam name ept gf religion lie he practiced this ano and there was no law against it at t that t time the patriarchal system apte m woi t do dg here it has b been e I 1 I 1 abro rn a away in the these days we beven are told tt at jacob earned his wife by seven y ye s labor and then the wan man with whom n w a the bargain palmed ito off another woman on wm him w without rr tho his consent or without hers bers ahn a gg he e labored libere evan years more so it was in ancient times even in that women captured in wat war wera W treated as slaves pared their nails and did penance for a ume time that their ca captors might goan go in unto the them w and bo a there as their wives but it if they did not suit them they would drive them ih M ou ont into the wilderness and drive them m away these practices might h have 1 been proper in a Dar barbarous barous and primi time time tn in crude times but they wont donow do now civilization has thrown them way it wont do to torather gather up these thes eold old customs and arao practices cices tices out of the rubbish of bygone by gone barbarism and bygone by gone ages and aid attempt to palm them upon a free and and civilized people in chef e days humanity has traveled across thousands of years and aid it must not retrace its steps to 40 adopt haopt in an institution now chat haf doaks drai woman down dowd vhf ehrp this people ascended upon the declaim 44 F tion of independence man and wo went there hand in hand and there they will stand orver or vcr as we believe she cannot ba t d dragged a down by any seq sect or brot brought arv tahe cond condition LUOM ani 0 of a slave que Is mabs equal an every respect physical evea con conditions irions the two sexes if te true that allam au men aca women are not equal lif in thear phy h 1 aleal I strength or physical p I 1 power UX and batel 1 act U I 1 C but u t a 89 9 fp aa AA uma law arle are concern con A cerr U L f uhl weyat aH arin cual 14 and wa ica n jo i w A equal of WA those respects kopec i 9 she hill continue to be the equi equal afta a ge sect ct Q rd in march adli ot ovi acu icu M no not 21 arr h wo 0 hu bumaat and al P ap it 0 e irble W a reacted we a amot it I 1 cannot be retarded it cannot be 8 stopped ped and turned ed back b thesdom p amp alon of bf a barbrow bar brou institution which w was as thrown away in the march maeth of diliz I 1 iza atlon tion this system Is practiced in some countries it is true at this time but they are barbarous or semi seminar bar barons people wherever it Is I 1 do not regard your reasons s entitling you to the least leat leniency inci in this regard it seems you love have wilfully as you state violated the law know knowful tul that it was a violation af pf the lw law aud you wont agre enot to violate tt in the future the constitution dont don t protect overt acts against the laws of the country it relates elates to belte to mans spirl spiritual nature and to worship whenever the acts are contrary to the lassof the country the law does not protect them this was wa the belief of jefferson adams and madison men man who framed ution the supreme court courton of the united states has so Inter interpreted iland it stands as the law of the laid today to day and is as well settled as any other and ana it any man undertakes jelset it at defiance and violate its law heiens be liast suffer atter the consequences you are sentenced acid to nt in the penitentiary tor for the terra term of six nix mouths months to pay a tine fine ot of aad costs of the prosecution and to stand committed until the terra terni of your imp imps ire 0 and the fine and thid the costs are paid mr Cann you |