| Show PRESS COMMENT ON THE press of the country is still agitated on the utah statehood question comments are various vanous most efthem of them are mere echoes of the half digested contents of metropolitan editorials many of them insist upon a prohibition of samy in the new constitution and then as soon as the wires bring news of its the same papers condemn it as useless otner papers however give the matter some candid consideration and see that hatin in taking the steps indicated by the prohibitory hibi tory ry provisions the voting people of utah have done all that lies in their power la in that direction the new orleans states of july 2nd and says As appeared from a dispatch in ia the states last even evening tug the utah constitutional convention met thursday and yesterday at salt bait lake olty and occupied itself with the work of organization the president on his election addressed the convention on the nature of the work in which they were about to engage and on the mandate given them thein by the people who are the source of all political power powei to petition congress for statehood he impressed upon the delegates present the necessity of keeping the constitution they were about to frame clear from all sectionalism and crotchets crotchety crotch ets which might argue them not in harmony with the rest of the union it if that instrument were conceived and drawn up in a broad and liberal spirit with a distinct renunciation of all antagonism to the law of the land and offense to the moral sense of the community the territory of utah would soon BOOB of the states this speech of president Cal caines nels if it represents as we may mav expect it does the prevalent feeling of the convention ven ve tion ution has the anticipatory ring of a result that every one would be delighted to welcome there is absolutely no objection to admission to the union save her practice of polygamy the resources of the territory in population and wealth are far above the limit set for admission ana it her delegates in the convention will now but pronounce themselves in their constitution fairly and squarely against the odious practice tite which is at once a violation of the law an outrage of morality and a worldwide world wide reproach against the territory petition for statehood will not be kept long in abeyance the territory has the matter of her admission in her own hands bands it if her constitution be so framed as to glye give no toleration to polygamous practices within her borders her application will be granted ranted it will not be granted unless ter her so framed the omaha bee ot of july ath remarks the utah constitutional convention in sess session ton at salt lake city shows a disposition to deal in the st ernest mander with bigamy and polygamy on last tuesday an article was submitted the adoption of which is almost assured declaring each ol of these to be a misdemeanor and ancl pro viding that any person convicted thereof shall be punished by a fine not exceeding 1000 and by imprisonment for a term not less than six mouths months ner more than three years in the diacre tion of the court it is a iso also provided that the se section tion shall be operative without the aid of legislation and that offenses prohibited by it shall not be barred by any statute of limitation within three years alter after the commission af if the offense while the extension of pardon can only be made by the approval of the president of the united states before any amendment revision or change of this article can become operative it must have the approval and ratification of congress which must be duly proclaimed by the president debt if this clause is made a part of the constitution the probability of its being disturbed so long as there continues to be any reason for restraining it is extremely small the richmond va week of july ath 1 l after explain explaining ng the whole movement ent and the oba objections sections of the utah gentiles clobes a long editorial with these words the movement now in progress at salt lake is we believe a start in the direction of reform whether so intended or not let the latter day saints frame their constitution anu ana present it COL congress gress has proved sadly unequal to the task of managing revenue and taxation but when it grapples with the mormon question it will be more at home and almost any change it may inaugurate in this matter will be a change for the better we cliv clip the following from the omaha world of the ath last the constitutional convention in utah has concluded its labors and has drafted a constitution which provides for the separation of church and state and declares aies bigamy and polygamy to be unlawful the full text of the constitution has not yet been received but buttrom from the reports obtained it would seem that the mormons cormons have made important changes Ii anges in the relations bet weeti church and state reports from washington indicate that the administration is favorable to the admission ot utah which would be a democratic state slate and balance dakota which also asks for admission and is a republican state tile the constitution will be carefully scrutinized and unless it clearly separates church and state and proclaims bigamy and polygamy to be ermes crimes utah will not be admitted the american people of both parties will allow so iao state stale to enter the sisterhood which tolerates polygamy or a union of church and state however pleasing to the democratic party a new democratic state might be the best raen in that party would never consent to its admission unless mormonism was entirely deprived of its civil power so far as can be judged without seeing the new constitution the mormons cormons have so clearly defined the subordinate position of the priesthood riest hood and so emphatically condemned polygamy as to satis fy the people of the country the te only remaining question Is as to whether they act in good faith and would not seek to revive the present state of affairs by an men and treed freed from federal control 11 the pittsburg post of the same date has this editorial the convention fra minga state constitution ution for utah atsatt at sail lake city has attracted little notice a as s it is a mormon gathering under the influence ot the mormon priesthood and the conclusion general its proceedings amount to little aud and that its constitution will certainly not be accepted by congress but its very decided action on we tue subject of polygamy changes this aspect of the cabe and gives a more serious color to the utah convention and add constitution the article of the proposed constitution now under decu sion on the subject of polygamy seems to be as sweeping and permanent pro prohibition hibi tion as tile the wit of man can devise it shows either a radical revolution on oll the question amo among the saints or a deep lai laid 9 scheme schema under auder cover of prohibition to get into the union and then establish polygamy as a state light there is nothing in the federal V constitution prohibiting polygamy and congressional jurisdiction over the subject only extends to the territories and the district of columbia pennsylvania if so disposed could legalize poly polygamy gana y today to day but the mormon prohibition to be embodied in the proposed constitution s conclusive against the future legal ol of the abominable evil it no not only prohibits bigamy and polygamy under severe penalties but provides that the pardoning power of the i governor shall not extend to these offenses except as its exercise is a proved approved by the president of the united united states that the constitutional section shall be operative without legislation and that the offense of polygamy shall not be barred by any statute of limitation within three years after the offense off ense but this is not all A provision is also added that the anti polygamy section shall not be amended revised nor in any way changed until any amendment revl or as shall in addition to the requirements ot of the provisions of this article be reported to the congress of the united states and shall be by congress approved and ratified and such approval and ratification be proclaimed by the president of the united states and if not so ratified and proclaimed said section shall remain perpetual we do not see how abote amote a more effective or permanent could be put 1 in a constitution or statute than this it if it indicates that the mormon leaders have grown weary of thelong the long tight fight for their peculiar po culiar institutions aua at last are resigned to accept the inevitable abandon polygamy and aid in its expulsion the result is most gratifying nor do wesee wee that any trick or device devic e is concealed in these sections the they are sweeping direct and co the point poin t the washington teon tenn american of july alth discusses the question in this way the people ot of utah have framed a constitution under which they propose to ask admission into the union and to meet the demands of the people of the united states they have not only provided against polygamy but iney have stipulated that this provision of the proposed state constitution shall never be changed without the consent of congress of course coarse they saw thata that a mere provision in the constitution against polygamy might be chan changed ed at ac any time by the people of the state because the subject of marriage belongs to the state and not to the federal government and therefore the state after the admission might go back to poleg polygamy amy but bu t to s satisfy tl afy congress angress they have put I 1 in the C constitution titu tiou the me provision above referred to this Thi will swill bring up for discussion when congress meets one of the most interesting constitutional questions ever discussed in that body or before the courts can an any y of the reserved rights of the state be surrendered by the people who framed the state cen can in other words will the coming generations erat ions of utah have the same bame rights under the federal constitution that the people of af the other states have can caa congress in giving the people of a territory a state government limit the peoples rights as given ana and fixed by the federal constitution the question is one of deepest interest because oe cause it if no restrictions can be put p u t upon these the se people it will take ta ke them a long ti time me to get in the union congress will have thi this other difficulty culty confronting them when they make a state ol of it the laws must be construed and executed by judges of the peoples choo choosing slug nothing since the vexed questions which arose between the federal government and the state of virginia as to when the judgment of a state court was final and who was to determine that question has presented more perplexing questions than does this mormon controversy at every turn it present a new phase and it it be true the people are axed in their notions of polygamy it is indeed difficult to see how they can be admitted with safety the better opinion among lawyers is that there is no constitutional itu inhibition on a state s or making polygamy lawful and aad i if f this is so then can one state come into the union with less rights than any of the other states enjoy we shall be glad to have the opinion of some lawyer who has the time and the inclination to investigate it sp |
