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Show 9 Page 4 SALT FIAT NEWS, JUNE, 1975 There are other-pol- y gamuts in Utah, but none as outspoken as Alex Joseph, 39, of Glen Canyon City. Recently Mr. Joseph came to national attention by publicly admitting that he is the proud , husband of. a dozen women. Then, in a televised ceremony, he married a thirteenth. Since, polygamy is against the law in Utah, only his tie with his first plural wife is d legally, binding, but that doesn't matter to the patriarch, since the law is a subject about which he holds his own views. Defining himself as a "strict constitutionalist" Joseph is now in the process of defending his position as a homesteader on federal land in Kane County administered by the Bureau of Land Management Should due process availeth not, Joseph. says it won't make muchdij 'ference.to him, because he has no plans to vacate his happy homestead in southern Utah in any event. An and former cop, the happy homesteader usually keeps a firearm within reach as an implied deterrent to would-b- e invaders. . Once a convert to the Mormon faith, Joseph has since been excommunicated, aswifeJoni tells it, for "immoderate enthusiasm.' Now the head of a loosely Organized sect he calls the Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly Joseph says he intends to pursue his ; goals with untempered enthusiasm; whatever the c6nsequences.Al---At. his restaurant in Glen Canyon City, over a cup of coffee and a 9 mm pistol; Mr. Joseph discussed some of his views on marriage with the Salt Flat News: ' . self-style- ex-Mari- ne , Where do you want to start? so we Just mutually agreed that SALT FLAT NEWS: But legally, she should probably pursue her youi 'marriages aren't binding. polyg-amh- t, you're a ri';;-'v?". interests somewhere else. whole see? Iguess we could begin by ItY My licensing, most was You know, it the asking how many wives do jou divorce that a person attitude .toward licensing is that pleasant really havet could imagine. Just like my mar- it's immoral. Because ifs a n strict! on of agency. See, if I had Yeah,.' and I keep gettin' in riages are the most pleasant martoothache, I'd like to go to a trouble;' you know, because riages one could imagine. Be- aman that I had some confidence people don't believe that lieally cause it's real adult, and ifs real fix it And the fact that he could don't know. But unless" you mature, and ifs real honest Our has license doesn't mean he a numbered 'em, how would you communication, you know. If a can fix my toothache. The fact know? Each one of 'em has a girl isn't getting from the marthai he has a license doesn't necname, and when I see 'em, I ad- riage relationship what she anticdress them by that name, and I ipated,, why, then, there's no essarily mean he could cure me of my laryngitis. The fact that don't know. But my. wives tell reason to pursue it : he has a license doesn't neces me there's somewhere between SALT FLAT NEWS: So she just sarily mean that he can extract thirteen and fourteen. up and walked out? me from my legal problems. You SALT FLAT NEWS: you see?, If people developed ; skills She left with the explanation haven t bothered to add them that she was leaving me for the and promoted those skills on the up, then?- same reason that she married buyer beware policy that started this country years ago, then . No. I know I've been married, me. She was looking for someyou'd have two or three people' I think, seventeen times. I had thing. That made sense to me. who'd purport to cure tooth--; two marriages that didn't work SALT FLAT NEWS: Has then aches. And it wouldn't take ' you out. been a formal , wedding cans very which one out long to find " SALT FLAT NEWS: And you're . many with" each of your wives? ; w.a actually did. legally separated from them? V; ; Tm a You see? And a license isn't Oh, yeah. very religious I'm legally divorced from the individual in my marriage rela- going to give him that ability. It one I was legally married to. But tionship. You know, we get mar- might indicate that he's qualithe other girl was married to me ried in an everlasting covenant of fied, that he's been to school, in a religious ceremony without marriage, and I always marry my but that doesn't ' give him the benefit' of civil license. And she wives with a real conscientious ability. It's like preachers go to a decided that she wasn't getting awareness of what kind of a cov- seminary, but. that doesn't ghre from the plural marriage arrange- enant that we're taking upon them the ability to get you into heaven. And licensing of all ment' what she' anticipated,' and ourselves. SALT FLAT NEWS: Well, since self-proclaim- ed . : : . ' 2 kinds, you know, just really irritates me. But the curious thing, and contradictorily, I'm preparing a lawsuit now against the government to get some licenses, because of the structure of our society, for my wives. You see, to legitimatize my children and to give the girls the property rights and the protection under the taw .that the law says they're not getting by being married to me. Well, that's not my fault. I, offer it to 'em. I give them property rights. I give 'em due process of law. And I give 'em children, and I give my children inheritance rights, and I acknowledge the children. They're not bastards. To me they're not; but " they are to the Uw. See, the law comes along and they say, "We want to protect your wives.' And I say, 'Fine, ghre them the same rights that you ghre everybody else and ridiculed or exposed, and we'll ask them how many there, in their entire life, confined their sexual activity to one person. And then well find out how. many monogamists there' are, Now if s my contention there aren't any. There might be some monogamist women, because that's more their nature. But there are no monogamist men. Where would they be? : ' : . SALT ; FLAT NEWS: But you soy you've tried monogamy? r I was a faithful husband, you know, In the U.S. more. I was married ten years to a girl. I wasn't .very happy .and she wasn't very happy , and the was repressive. And my appetites were different than her appetites, and my desires were different than her desires, and my. energies were different than there's no problem. You're tel- her energies, and my aspirations ling me that you can't do it were" different than her aspiraThere's no reason why you cant tions. But we bore down on one do it' There's no reason in the another, and I kept her from world why a person shouldn't be being what 'she wanted to be, allowed to marry whomever he and she was doing her very best or she pleases, insofar as hes not to keep me from being . what I ' infringing upon the rights of wanted to be. y,'.. And so we got along for another, person. Why should there be? Where's the civil intel- about ten years that way, and I lect that says, you know, you really take my marriage vows can marry this person but not no . matter what, no matter that person? It's ridiculous. Now where they're made, no matter as a matter of fact, -- I can get a on what terms--- 1, take 'em very marriage license to marry twenty-seriously. While I was in that " five before but women, committment, I kept It they'll give me the license to FLAT NEWS: And was marry the second one, I've got SALT also an amiable separation? that to throw the first one back out Or. did you, as your father-in-laon the street:.' tells it, run out on a wife and -SALT FLAT NEWS: That's three children? what they call serial polygamy t Well, my father-in-law- 's got a Or monogamy? ; And I think good imagination. Tandem polygamy. Monogthat was a Freudian slip on his amy suggests, you see; that a part, you know, because my first man- or a woman is confining wife lived ' with me for three their sexual activities to one per-so- years in plural marriage. She proOkay, let's go into a geriatposed to my second wife. She ric ward somewhereLncTtake ah proposed to my third wife, initianonymous survey. We'll guaran ally. The more successful we rela-Uonsh- ip - w ' yX - n. o NEWS photo by R. Umim NfcWS photo by W.Mtnilw I like to tell 'em, pie first thing you do, if you want to think that if you had been in Brigham Young's home, So, thought I was happily married. I had three kids, be married to. fifteen girls,' you had better try, or at least you would have found that he was married to the more you know. I had a wife and three kids, andl had everystart to, learn how to respect women. Because if you attractive, more classic, more cultural women of his thing everyone eke had. I had a home to live in, a aar to don't respect them, how in the world do you ever expect time , . ; . And it seems; that I have a lot of respect for drme. had a good job, I had a little prestige in the to' enjoy living with fifteen of Mem? And if you're not Brigham. If I met him on the street, Fd be glad to meet community. used to be a seminary, teacher at the church and people thought I was all him, Td be interested in exchanging stories with hint. going to enjoy it, why doit? right . 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