Show THE MORMON complication the springfield republican la laae es ea the loyal league and the tribune with facts and logic many of the non mormons cormons of utah express great irritation over a recent editorial of the republican publican Be in which the policy of the utah commission was defended the present unfortunate complications at salt lake city grew out of the test oath for voters prepared by the commission under the edmunds tucker anti polygamy bill lauy gentiles claim that it is not strong enough and the utah loyal loya league have drawn up an amended oath for the consideration of the commission the refusal of the latter to accept the amendments of the league was endorsed by the republican both on legal and public grounds and in inconsequence conse the gentile papers notably the salt bait lake tribune have been pouring out columns of billingsgate while private communications have supplemented the intensity of this irritation in another column will be found what judge A B carlton chairman ox 0 the utah commission has to say in J A explanation of the course of the board as well as a letter from john whitbeck deputy registrar lor foi the nepal precinct mr WhIt whitbeck beek falls fails to say that he is registrar no longer and that he was not holding holdine that position when he wrote his letter he had flung out his nag flag of defiance to the commission COmmissi and had prescribed an additional oath given him by the citizens comal committee attee he was at once removed from office and the local braach of the loyal league held a meeting and applauded his bis course in set resolutions which contained this passage 1 I the league does not indorse his action simply because he be failed to follow the instructions Instruction la of the commission but because we relieve believe that it is absolutely necessary that there should he as stringent construction put upon the oath as the law will alow evou we e also extend our sympathies to all deputy registrars that have been or that may be removed for the same offense the utah loyal league thus engage in obstructing the workings of the tae anti polygamy law ji a composed of 61 some of the most influential gentiles in the territory the situation is so serious and unfortunate that we are ara justified in going gobig soine somewhat what frilly into the case brout our standpoint stand point it if would seem that 00 the monaco church could afford to pay the running expanses of the league papers like ike the salt lake tribune aid the work of culpable obstruction by remarks like this we think the experience of the next few mouths months will be sufficient to convince even senator edmunds that if he expects to see the laws enforced here and accepted according to his plan it will only be through his spiritual eyes as he way may ook look down or up as the case may be after he gets through a h with this sphere I 1 this question must be looked at from a legal and a political standpoint before proper conclusions can be reached according to the taw law ot of congress every male person as a condition precedent to his right to register as a voter is required to take au an oath that ho he will support the constitution of the united states and especially the anti polygamy law of 1882 and that he will not directly or indirectly aid or abet counsel or advise any other person to commit any of said crimes and it is enacted that no person who shall have been convicted of any crime under this act or under the act of congress aforesaid approved march or who shall be a polygamist or who shall associate or cohabit with persons of the other ather bex shall be entitled to vote in any ele election cLion in said territory the commission thereupon drew up an eth for the information of the registrars following very closely this phraseology the would be voter swears that he will obey the acts of congress prohibiting polygamy bigamy unlawful cohabitation etc that he will not cohabit with more than one wife or directly or indirectly aid or abet counsel or advise any person to have or take more wives than one and that he is not a bigamist or on polygamist now the point raised by the utah loyal league is that a mormon may mak take this oath and yet after voting may become a polygamist lyga mist without violating his oath all that need be said is that thai the league does not understand the english language but that is not all of the leagues pro gramme the amendments proposed by the to the commissions oath contained the passage 1 I will not hereafter in any territory 91 ot the united states at any time in obedience to any alleged revelation or to any counsel advice or command from any source whatever or under any circumstances enter into polygamy or polygamous marriage here is a clear invasion of the field of doubt as it unnecessarily drags into an oath a reference to religious belief alleged revelation I 1 is the language of colem polemics acs ics and not law and moreover congress has said explicitly that no person otherwise eligible shall be excluded from the polls on account of any opinion such person may entertain on the subject of bigamy or polygamy here then is a question wh this oath of the loyal league new legislation is not attempted suppose the commission had accepted the I 1 alleged revelation clause and the issue had been joined in the federal courts the door would be opened to three year sor more litigation a responsibility which officers holding a public trust would not care to assume but there is something more back of the Loyal League than this the spectre of statehood walks on the utah horizon mormon and gentile alike see it and it is not far off either A defender of the loyal league recently quoted a mormon woman as saying in reference to her testimony in a polygamy case 1 I only lied to the gentile god I 1 did not nat lie to the mormon god andar and mr whitbeck admits that the mormons cormons would swallow a mule then why do these men make their fight on the phraseology of a test oath if the mor are ready to swallow anything in order to retain their political power perhaps the following letter from kate field to the republican publican Be may best reflect the sentiment of the honest fighters nt f immorality in atad the commission ihas formulated an oath that every mormon can take so long as he be is not in poly polygamy gamy at the moment of taking it the saints will vote as usual and the commission today composed of three democrats and two republicans is doing absolute harm barm to 0 the cause hardly a gentile here her salt balt loe latre city but openly denounces it the two republicans ik c cannot undo the decisions oath of the e majority moreover the commission has always misrepresented the condition here in i order to keep in office A change has come oter oer mr cleveland the mormons cormons have the inside track at washington they are playing for statehood and just as as sureau sure as statehood is obtained there will be bloodshed able officials are removed in spite or of civil service reform and the mormons cormons declare that judge jude zane the best judge ever sent fiere here will vill be the next to go all this is shameful anol and should be exposed ll 11 one will pardon much in miss field whose championship of pure homes for utah has been so valiantly carried on but she has here given unwittingly the ake proportions ro portions of the struggle from aj a political ol 01 I 1 it ca a standpoint an point the e loval league M has its plan of campaign well veil matured t and it would not be difficult to name its candidate for senator from the state of utah but to succeed the mormon as well as as the polygamist must I 1 be driven back from the polls this howe however vCr con gross gress is not willing to 60 do it would be strange it if a registrars test wajih formed in a salt lake city c club 1 i room could ald will of can 0 greas re as moreover dan damman a mr clever land ud or what bw bis poli political ticla opponents |