Show LEGISLATION AGAINST BELIEF j THE people of the United States State 4 have been greatly agitated over the imagined horrors of polygamy in Utah and special legislation has z been been obtained looking to its suppression sup- sup suppression suppression The Utah Commission report that it is not no now openly j practiced and that they do not k know now of any new cases of polygamy themselves however they give pub pub- publicity publicity public lic to rumors of which they ad- ad admit admit f ad-f mit they have nd proofs but theseY these Y amount to very little even if they are true which we do not admit t tSo t So much for the practice which the people of the United States seem so anxious to destroy The Commis Commission ion are not satisfied with Zt this nor with the eradication of the custom of plural yar- yar mar mar-A They wan wants want people who are members oJ of ofa a Church which the Commis Commission ion claims still teaches this form of marriage to be pursued by the law and deprived of i the right of ff suffrage simply because they belong to that Church This is carrying animosity a against the fear Mormons a little too far for reasonable rea- rea reasonable people and we do not be- be believe believe be believe lieve it will have the desired effect L We have quoted remarks from several leading papers on this sub sub- sub t jeet j ct We now take the following from the San Ban Francisco miner Eva ft a aY Y h paper that has never been favorable to the Mormon Church or iti its tenets The members of the Utah Con Con- mission have kept their eyes fixed IOn Pon the Mormon problem until they are unable to see anything else In their just jot published report they say While we forbid immigration of ol the non non- non peace-loving peace docile Chinaman because we fear the future danger of his coming there is far greater reason for closing our doors dours as 88 a nation and forbidding ding citizenship to hordes who are brought tt re to tc swell swen the ranks of an organized body which teaches them in advance to hate our government denominates its executive lawmakers judges and prosecutors as 88 persecutors and into every mind the constant teaching that their pretended revelations revelations revelations are more binding than the highest and best laws of the land and that resistance to such auch laws is a virtue and the rendering of obedi obedi- obedience obedience obedience ence to God That is the sort of caricature of the truth that we used to see while we were discussing the first Restriction Restriction Restriction tion Act The Mormons are bad bd enough but it is simply extravagance extravagance gance ance to say that they are worse than the Chinese The non Hoon- non Chinaman is not to be sure a drummer for religious novel novel- novelties novelties novelties ties But he is a missionary of vice and counts his converts by the thousands in the human driftwood of our the streets streets the wreckage of once promising lives The peace loving Chinaman Is at thi m ment beginning an inter inter- internecine internecine internecine war in which the Won s and Lees will slaughter each other men women and children be- be because because be because cause they could not agree- agree about some burying grounds He rose In Bangkok the other day in a quarrel between two high-binder high societies and coolies fought with spears s and tridents impaling their enemies and carrying their bodies bodice e eon on the points of their weapons He fought pitched battles in the streets of Eureka until the people put him out gut and kept him out He main main- maintains maintains rains stand standing ag armies of professional assassins in San Francisco open to engagement for any undertaking of riot flot or murder on a fixed scale of roes rees The docile Chinaman is the most unruly and impudent worker in n the world He is the terror of the he kitchen an and when he works in ina ina a factory he demands and obtains which the white opera opera- operatives operatives tives beside him go without He reduced the boycott to an exact science and an employer or land land- landlord landlord lord ord who is dependent upon him must nuat humor his caprices or go into bankruptcy There are two objections to the they Mormons they believe believe in poly poly- polygamy polygamy gamy amy and they have a government within a government That is sufficient to j justify your our opposition to their heir increase but the Chinese have lave both these faults and innumerable others The Mor Mor- Mormons Mormons mons have taken the dregs of Europe 4 Europe and aud turned them into what would be but for its religious dra t backs a comparatively desirable po pop pop w Their towns are neat t tem temperate and moral To say that sum h immigrants rants are worse worst than the Chinese is to discredit the whole whale argument in which the opinion opinion- appears appears Th The foregoing is addressed chiefly to the proposal of ot the L not an original one by the bi gyp by-gyp by- by prevent people who belong long to the ron Mormon from landing landing landing- on our shores The annexed its Is clipped from the N New w York World Wor a paper that has been very pio- pio against w s sometimes being very unfair in it its it criticisms but it cannot endor this proposition to legislate agal belief Under the heading of and the Law it Mormons says sayer It appears from the report of the Utah Commissioners that under the stringent laws now in existence for the suppression of polygamy the ire practice of that crime has alb entirely ceased but that as aa the t commissioners believe the Mormon 1 Ch Church still secretly teach teaches the tb- doctrine that polygamy is a savi saving savina grace wherefore they some additional legislation We have no particle of sy thy t thy with Mormon Ideas and o only loathing for polygamy as a practice or as an institution and we have haft h re steadfastly steadfastly urged not only the ens coi ct- ct ment ment ment but the relentless enforcement of of stringent laws for the punish a aY ament Y ment and suppression of the a as s stem tern tem But we may be permitted i te suggest to the commissioners that k is none of their business what doc dog doctrines trines of saving grace the Mor- Mor Mormon Ol mon or any other church teach teach With that the law in this free couri- couri try has nothing whatever to d do Ua lk a function being to deal with of criminal conduct and and- an not not with the su suppression of speculative speculative doctrines Polygamy as a practice is neW neW-I now now- I in- in effect suppressed The laws again gat F if it it are rigorously enforced and i- i juf aid of the laws changed es ces have rendered the system pro impossible ible Mr Dixon when he saw Harper 2 aJIa B 1 zar ar for sale on Salt Lake news news- newsstands new stands declared that polygamy polygamy- polygamy WIlli w loomed doomed Whatever might ha haws h e been een been possible in an isolate isolated common I where women dressed in OBi Aco co and sun bonnets plural maul marri could could not exist in company W wash VL ion journals which wives dressing against each other i If there is any point in which t tha fk laws Jaws for the punishment of bl bi in in Utah can i be B Ai-B strengthened ma im by 67 means let them be amended and w ei forced fored until the stain shall be r Iy y wiped out but there could be b n a more more serious mistake than for fw government government to assume an de deif of if surveillance and dictation in the matter of doctrinal nal teaching Th lies danger way 3 f- No matter how ouch ouch- the inid bd may may be disguised by words It i out ut clear cle and u-and and distinct as aa ad r t tr l on against belief People join churches because El f y believe in the doctrines t therein therein At any rate it is n for granted that this is their L If therefore any citizen is ir moved lB wd ed of political rights or F because only of his member- member r h B in In a Church it is legislation f legislation J t H belief and any pretense to ho- ho contrary is if and and 1 WT- WT 1 To this ibis length we do not believe Congress is prepared to go and and and- de 0 we think the of the Utah Commission andI th hopes and plans of the Liber here who prompted that body nr Wu U mi fall to the ground and provoke l disfavor and disgust in theM the M 4 be of minded fair-minded Americans Americans l er they hp lp Democrats or Re- Re Republicans Re-g Re publicans |