Show THE MORMONS AND IDAHO POLI fOS THIS republicans of idaho and some of their associates in utah appear to be dreadfully afraid that the mor mons ot of that terri territory korv are going to vote thy year and that they will vote the democratic ticket and the advice vice is if repeatedly given and breed uton the registration and election edro mormon shall be a al lowed to register or cast a ballot it IS is claimed that the laws authorize the exclusion of cormons mormons Mor mens mons we do not know what the idaho mormons cormons Mor mons intend to do ir ic this mat ter we cannot say whether they will vote or not or er if they do vote what ticket they will support chev organized some time ago as an independent pe adent party for the reason that the democratic party of idaho stupidly and treacherously two years ago I 1 p played into the hands bands of the li cansby causby repudiating regularly elected delegates to the I 1 democratic onvey tion because they were mormons Mor MoT mons the independent party was then formed and is now alive and active but whether the he mormon ci ot of idaho will endeavor to exercise the right of suffrage rage or not there are some points relating to this matter on which we have not any doubt first it is very clear that there is no law either of congress or of the legislature of idaho forbidding a mormon to vote if there islet is let the law be cited such a law would be void on its face the plotters who passed the test oath act and the renegade republican P executive who signed ledew very well that a law franchising disfranchising dis any citizen simply because he be was a mormon would be unconstitutional they therefore invented the oath eath which has now to be taken by every person ae desiring siring to be registered that does not require ul re h him I 1 m to s wear swear he is not a I 1 I 1 normon mormon there is no such thing in the law therefore a registration officer who refuses to register a citizen aim ply because be is a mormon violates bis oath of office and can be prosecuted for his offense second it if a citizen is and offers to take the registration oath the registrar has no right or authority under thelah the law to refuse to administer it and to register the applicant he Is not a judicial of officer fiser he may seethaa pee that the applicant is made acquainted with the provisions of the law tn in regard to registration and then if he be demands to he be registered the responsibility rests upon him bim and d not upon the registrar third the applicant cannot be re quiren under the law to w answer any questions except as to the matters ex pressed in terms in the text of election law he need not pay whether or not be is a A mormon formon or a methodist a jew or an infidel a member or not a member of ROY any particular church claunch or society by name fourth it if a polygamist cr era a bigamist or person cohabiting cohabit ine with morri than one woman should register he can be prose prosecuted for perjury it Is ip not dot likely that any such person will attempt to reg ster fifth it if a person who is a monogamist in the full sense of the term find and who is a member of a church or organization which teaches or practices plural marriage this is to in the present tense as a duty arising from such membership registers and attempts to vote he also can be prose prosecuted cutee for pie perjury sixth I 1 la any prosecution for perjury of a polygamist or a monogamist falsely swearing the burden of proof would be on the prosecution who would have to show by evidence that the accused is a polygamist poly gamie or that the church of which he to is a member teaches or practices bigamy etc as a duty arising from church mem member bersh sho 0 there is the th e situation there Theren annot be anything clearer than that 1 the law does does not say atiat a mormon shall not register and vote 2 no registrar can decide t that hat a citizen who offers to take the oath shall not do so 8 an any registrar who ref refuses uses to perform h bis 11 a duty can be required to do 6 so 0 by mandamus and can be prosecuted and sued for damages by the injured party 4 the X gaedy to in case of false swearing is by the prosecution of the offen derand net by the assumption of judicial powers on the part of a purely executive officer bjorne some people eople appear to think that all is R fair air in politics we have heard beard the atrocious sentiment from mentho men who ought to kow know better we do not believe in the doctrine it comes from a dishonest heart and 13 carried into practice by political blacklegs the advice to prevent the idaho mormons cormons Mor mons from voting simply because they are mormons cormons Mor mons is prompted by a dishonest spirit for dishonest purposes and the intimation that the law justifies just fles fies it is wilfully and corruptly untrue I 1 if any man commits perjury let him bim be punished as the law provides and let the same course be pursued toward an any official who attempts to deprive a ott citizen ien of his lawful rights and rob him of the ballot by which only he be can effectually assert them any party which supports or condones or becomes associated with the contemptible tricka by which law abiding citizens are cheated out of the elective franchise deserves and will certainly arrive at political damnation |