Show bmw NORMON 1 immigration AND POLYGAMY IT la Is pretty well known that there is a statute of the united states designed to prevent the landing in this country of foreign haupers paupers pan pau pers idiots convicts and persons likely to become a public charge and it is notorious that tha this law is not usually enforced enforce dl only a spasmodic effort being OccasiOn occasionally illY put forth to show that the emigration officers are not always asleep but every now and then some far fanatic atle starts up and attracts attention to himself by demanding the application of the statute to the mormon immigration every such attempt has hitherto arc proved wed a failure and the small brained person raising the rumpus has only succeeded in showing his own lack of sense the latest cranky movement in this direction was made by one edmund stephenson a member of the board of commissioners of emigration Emie ration at new york he has repeatedly endeavored to obstruct the landing of mormon immigrants at that port but has been invariably voted down by the rest of the board beard who seem to te have common sense as well as an understanding of the law to regulate immigration thwarted before the board he addressed ou on the gifth of july a letter published august 1st ast to acting g sec detary fairchild Fairch iid of the U y S treasury in ia refe reference rence to the nevada company the gist of which will be found in the following extract and all these persons were allowed to land as in the opinion of the majority of the board ot of commissioners said persons were not likely to become a public charge and they were under the care of and homes would be provided for by the church and society society reprise represented anted by the mormon elders I 1 and I 1 submit thattie that the only evidence before the commission commissioners rs irs that said persons would not become a public charge was the guar guarantee autee of a lawless community and the statements of its elders 11 I 1 am this day informed at castle garden that there are aide now on their way to this port two steam steamships skips with over sheilar mormon immigrants on boards board and that there are still more to follow and I 1 desire most earnestly to protest against their being I 1 allowed to land and respectfully uge u nige ge upon you the importance of this matter atter and request from you instructions in time either to prevent or al allow low their landing I 1 claim and submit that the act of congress was intended to and does prevent ther landing ot of any and all persons to this country tor for the purpose and with the intent of aiding and abetting tin in the violation of the law of god angot and of tile the statutes of these united State sand more especially esmia lly where such persons as in the casi case of those landed from the nevada have no means of support save as they derive the same byor through the church of the lat ter day saints stephenson Step heuson asked for definite in zions up to the present date none have been imparted so far as known tae probability is that the matter will be left where it belongs that is with the board of emigration of which stephenson is an obstructive member I 1 on this subject the new york times has the following edit editorial erial the problem presented by mormon emigration is a vary difficult one in the first place how dan can it be proved that the mormon immigrant intends to violate the law he intends to 0 go to and to become an adherent of the mormon church but only a small percentage of the mormons cormons in utah practice polygamy very few of the converts who have come from europe jn in the last five years have broken the law that forbids plural marriage but even if it could be shown that every mormon immigrant who arrives at thisdore thiS Dort port intends to become a polygamist under what law could they be shut out ifa if a convert unable to take lake care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge should arrive that convert could be excluded under tinder the existing law but the church sees to it that no converts come in that condition and it must be admitted that the history of those who have come does not show that those who are now coming will become public charges the imported don converts Verts of the last two years have become thrifty and self supporting citizens of utah and elsewhere the church brings them n to utah and puts them on their feet they do not burden the almshouses there they do not burden the almshouses in the east still it if they have little or no money when they come into port are the commissioners obliged to accept the promises of the mormon church that they will not become public charges thence immigrants are arc unde because they iDe increase rease the power ot of an organization that violates the marriage law but it seems to us that violations of this law should uc tic dealt with when and where they are committed vve ve believe that it is possible to 10 suppress up press polygamy I 1 in utah and elsewhere by persistent and unrelenting prosecutions under und erthe the edmunds act we do not see how iu ic can be suppressed is by excluding at this port immigrants who have not become polygamists sis and may never practice polygamy pa these immigrants should be treated as other immigrants are treated it they are convicts lunatics idiots or haupers paupers pau pers Pets they should be sent baek back but it will not do to return them for the sole role reason that they have embraced i heso he so called religion ot of joe smith I 1 the tines takes a common sense view of tile the matter as it is affected by the emi emigration ration law the church of jesus clorist christ of latter day saints however is not au ail organization that violates the marriage law if any marriage law is violated that is done by individuals not by an organization the church breaks no liw law we do not know ot of any violation ot of marriage laws in utah the times probably means the jaws of 1862 and 1882 but neither of them is a marriage law and there is no such a thin thing upon alpo tile the statute books of the united states the marriage law of the church of course only affects its members me nabers and the majority of them only have one wife the polygamy bugbear which frightens fanatics of the stephenson stamp has nothing to do with tile the immigration matter and the mor mons who come to this country irom from abroad do not emigrate tor for the purpose of breaking any law ot of god or man and they are not paupers haupers pau pers neither do they become a public charge but on the contrary by their industry coupled with their order and sobriety as a rule they become a public benefit the new york diun aun ot of august ad taking up the same subject has the following very sensible article oin a letter to the acting secretary of the treasury mr edward son soni of our emigration commission takes the ground that the commissioners are authorized by law to prevent the landing of the hordes of mormon converts who come to this port the law to which he refers is that of aug d 1882 and shuts out from our shores any person unable to take care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge it seems that on the ath of last mouth month the steamship nevada arrived at new york from liverpool with such converts who were allowed to land because in the oi opinion ot of tile the majority of the emigration commissioners they were not likely to become a cha charge rge since they were iu in the care of marmon E elders iders who had I 1 undertaken to provide homes hoines tor for ahm mr Stephen sun holds that this decision was wion giong inasmuch as tue only evidence before the commissioners ners that said persons persona would rot not become a public charge was the guarantee ot of a lawless comm community unit and the statements oi of its elders two other stear steamers aers bringing brindl ig more than one thousand additional cormon mormon converts were daily expected at the date ot of his letter july 15 and he therefore prot protests esis to the acting secretary against the course adopted by the commission with respect to stich immigrants it is very plain that the majority of the commissioners are supported by a common sense interpretation of the law and that mr stephenson is all wrong as to his head however right he be may oe be as to his heart everybody Every boly knows that the imported cormons mormons will not become a public charge but will speedily be put pus in me luc way ot of supporting themselves and furnishing tribute to ane mormon church no matter how poor in purse they may be on their arrival they are nut not pau pers and they do not cowe come here tor for the purpose of subsisting at the public expense but we shall not undertake uner taKe to argue that point for it seems to us quite evident that such immigrants do not come within the proscription of the act which applies to paupers haupers and so called assisted omi migrants mi granta grants who are sent over to occupy our poor houses what we wish to refer to is a further remark of mr stephenson when he speaks of or more specifically fi polygamy as being in violation ot of the law of god and of the statutes of these united states now polygamy is undoubtedly forbidden by our law but when mr stephenson Step benson declares that it is contrary axy to ane law of god what does he mean it was not in violation of the mosaic law and was commonly practised practiced by the old testament patriarchs there are no positive injunctions against the practice in the bible jesus says nothing on the subject and yet still existed among the tha jews ot of his day though it had fallen in pretty general disuse yc paul in ii his first epistle to timothy seems by implication to countenance polygamy when he be says A bishop then must be blameless the husband or of one wife vigilant sober ot of good behavior given to hospitality apt to teach the christian converts over whom the apostle exercised sue such h careful supervision were often as we well know taken from among people who practised practiced polygamy and in recert recent times bishop Ool colenso in africa and missionaries of different protestant denominations in india have deemed it expedient to allow heathen mists to retain their wives after baptism they may keep those they have but the converts must take no more wives and the exception is defended del ended on the ground that it would be cruel to break up family relations ioas already established it is plain therefore that these missionaries do not look upon polygamy amy as in violation of the law of to god d else it would be their duty to absolutely sol forbid the practice at any cost but 0 outside of heathendom and a few exceptional cases there the christian church has adhered to the custom of ancient rome kome and from the time of the early fathers has required that a man shall be the husband ot of one wile wife only the law en enforcing forging monogamy mono amy seems rather to be a church law than tean a direct BiD Bio lical command it is a good law and as such is the law of god but it is not laid down in scripture we do not agree with the sun that the law enforcing monogamy it is a good law because we know that its effects in a large number of instances are evil and we believe that the day will come when the world freed from the bondage of restrictions occasioned by an excess of masculine population will cast off the yoke of a cruel and vice alce breeding law and adopt a more liberal policy suited to we the diverse conditions oi of different localities mid and the varied capacities and requirements of different individual and will adopt rules and customs in keeping with natural and divine laws which embrace both the and ious principles promoting the greatest good to the greatest number ane world is moving and truth will prevail |