Show THE MOMENTOUS 1 QUESTION THE fear that enough cormons mormons Mor mons sll will exercise the franchise to carry elections in spite ot of the newly framed test oath should hould the bill be signed by the president sent makes the conspirators of both factions fiel feel as though they were seasick they are halting between two opinions and are suffering the pangs of perplexing suspense with one breath they declare that the cormons mormons Mor mons are so false and perjured ared that they will be sure to take say any oath that may be necessary to voting with the neat next they declare it impossible for the mor mons on to take the oath prescribed JP in the new bill without giving up the very part of their religion to which they cling with such wonderful tepa ep a city aney acknowledge one day that if the mormons cormons Mor mons vote the bill is almost almont a nullity the next day they laud the bill as nearly what was wanted the be test oath being its brownin crow crowning nin feature requiring the cormons mormons Mor mons si to or submit to defeat at the I 1 to ro vote or not to vote that is the question which the hungry clique imagine the mormons cormons Mor mons are as much exercised about as themselves they pretend to despise the idea of doing anything politic for the sake of some secular ro offices ces 11 and yet some secular offices are all the rascals are after and for them they have lied and toiled and ad bled the half balf dollar leaguers and nd the probability that those offices will slip blip from their grasp af after ter all is suca a momentous question with them that they confess everything depends upon it now the mormons cormons Mor mons are not wor maium gover ver this matter just yet wolen when abe 6 bill 1 to Is actually a law atad an election arnew reg registration brution to is at hand hadd probably il they w will begin to think seriously 0 sofol of the ques question ti on whether or not net they can take t abe e oath and exercise the franchise in all probability some mormons cormons Mor mons I 1 will wiil not take the eath indeed it JS almost sure that a portion of we tife people will decline to do so those who gle nave ve more wives than one living and will most likely refrain from so swearing and voting but that will not affect the result much for they have abstained from voting for nearly mearly five years past if there are any mormons cormons Mor mons who contemplate or intend taking plural wives or who mean to advise others to do so they would probably forego the pleasure of wallowing swallowing the pill prescribed by congress this might lessen the number of mormon votes in some small degree but there are many mormons cormons Mor mons who have not formed plural family rela tlona noy nor manifested any intention of doing so eo nor of aiding or advising others ethers to take that step and if they are in the same mind and condition when the question of taking the test oath comes forcibly to their attention teAt lou they will no doubt cons consider laer it carefully and decide for themselves as to whether or not they will register and vote and whatever decision they the may arrive at we are inclined to think it will not be materially affected by the views of their unscrupulous ene enemies inies as to their consistency or depravity or anything else that may be said about them ve we are afraid that the schemers who have staked their all upon the question of some secular offices will have to remain ing suspense about what the mor muns mons I 1 will do until the time comes when they do something in that direction but bat we think it well enough to consider here the ground on which it is predicated that the mormons cormons Mor mons cannot apte vote without abandoning the position tion the they have taken before the courts chere there are none so blind as those who will not see any one who uses his bis mental eyes can discern the radical difference between the question that confronts a mormon defendant in court and that which will come up for a mormon decision when registration is at hand band the conditions are diverse the individuals are not in the same came position the questions are dissimilar in court 1 I the defendant is a polygamous GM mormon or we use the popular term the person to register is ih a monogamous mormon here is an essential difference of conditions one is asked to give u up something ol 01 1 bething that he has covenanted to k keep beep forever tor ever theother the other has not taken upon himself any such obligation the mormon under sentence is required to obey the laws as construed oy by the courts I 1 the mormon about to register simply amply idrees agrees to obey the laws as they are the courts make a demand that no honorable man can comply with pe f be test oath is one that a great many honorable men can take we are profoundly affected by toe the solicitude of those hungry hypocrites hypocrite 4 lusting for place who are so a at the thought that any mormon will violate his conscience tor for the sake of voting it is very kind of them to be so tender on that point we can imagine the crocodile tears they shed while canting on this question upon they say everything depends their nice appreciation of honor is truly moving and if them would only state the fosi position tion fairly or with an approach to correctness how much more striking their attitude and exhortations would be but we cannot consent even to comfort them a little in their pendulous anti harassing condition that our friends should be bamboozler bamboozled into the idea that there is anything in common between the disgraceful pledge de amaded of 0 a married mormon defendant in court and a bachelor or at one dived I 1 mormon I 1 before the registrar A husband of two or more wives bhora he has vowed before god to hold and cherish as his for time and eternity would be breaking faith with them and with deity it if he agreed to do what the courts require in order to escape imprisonment but a single man or the husband of one wife who has no 0 present intention ot of entering into plural marriage I 1 might take the oath prescribed as a condition to registration without doing violence to his bis faith or his integrity inte rity it is a question quest ioa tor for him to decide dec decide ide for himself anauo and no other person can fully decide for him the courts demand a great deal more than the law what they require is ia cruel inhuman and far beyond either the spirit or the letter of any enactment the test oath embraces none of these features it is bad legislation framed with the view of excluding it possible the majority of our citizens irom the polls for the benefit of the h e minority but the constitution stood 0 to od in the way of making it entirely excle sive give so as not d directly infringe upon a man muus V a aelier the expression of that belief annat affects a different class of citizens from those affected by the pledge demanded by the courts there is no tair air comparison to be made between the two troia any shape form principle or effect the effort to confound the twain or make them one is worse than sophistry it is direct misrepresentation it shows that the inventors are as weak as tibey they imagine their readers to be i the question then providing the bill is signed by the president must become an individual one it comes to the citizen himself as a matter for personal determination if he is in any doubt as to what he be can do honorably and consistently he must muse examine his bis own intentions ami compare them with the oath if he is still in doubt he will most likely ask advice from his friends unless lie he is a dolt and an imbecile he certainly will not seek counsel from the scheming rascals who expect ato to profit by his big re linquish ment of the right of suffrage we expect to be maligned VY we I 1 e have no reason to anticipate anything like fairness or honor in the discussion that is likely to arise on this question so 80 it will make no difference whatever how much the mendacious scribes and lying leaguers falsify our position and circulate calumnies calum nies nied as to our motives and our acts whatever ver is do newill done will be accomplished without reference to their opinions but baffin iia t the e light of their agonizing anxiety about some secular offic offices esit it looks as though what they fear the most is the ahe very thing that should be brought about providing it can bs be done without infringing upon right duty and the dictates of honor and conscience |