Show THE ME UTAH commission submit their second secona annual report to the secretary of tha the interior expressing their belief in the efficiency chency of the edmunds bill but recommending commending Ee the passage of a marriage law an and endorsing tha the actions of governor muri murray ay by western asad press to the Ife herald raid 11 washington t oct 30 the board of utah commissioners have submitted their second annual report to the secretary odthe interior Aft after ermak making a statement of the former legislation of congress in relation to bigamy or r polygamy they say their duties as a C commission appertain only to matters of registration and election ti 0 n and to the eligibility to offices while the punishment for the crime of polygamy is left as under the former law to the courts of justice under tha the antipo anti po polygamy y gamy act the commission had bad goo good success at the general election in august 1883 in excluding pol from the polls and as far as advised very few ifancy if any illegal votes have been cast in utah utan since the commission took charge of the registration and elections in august 1883 the enforcement of the present law against polygamists who have been excluded from the polls shows that the act has been fully and sue suc cess fully executed it ia is thought that the discrimination between those mormons cormons who practise pol polygamy ag yg amy and those who do not while not likely to have much effect u upon elderly men who have already a po plurality lu bality ia lity of wives must have a great weight with the young men of the territory many of whom are ambitious and aspiring and would not like to voluntarily embrace political ostracism the very existence of the law disfranchising franchising dis poly polygamists gambits must tend to destroy their influence wherever it is under stood that it is to be a permanent discrimination the fact also that it will be necessary to the preservation of the peoples party aa as the mor mons style themselves to have a large body of their members who are not ista st must tend to weaken the practise of polygamy for every mormon who takes but one plural wife loses th tl ree votes for his party his own and those of his two wives woman suffrage being established by law in utah concerning the plurality of wives the report says that a doctrine and practices practice so odious throughout christendom should have been upheld fco bo many years against the lawa of congress and hie sentiments of the civilized world is one of the marvels of the nineteenth century and can be scarcely appreciated appreciate deven even by those familiar with the worlds history in relation to the difficulties of government M ent control or suppression of religious fanaticism certainly no government can permit brinit a violation of law under the guise of freedom and while congress may not legislate as to the mere matter of opinion yet it may denounce and punish as crimes those actions which are in violation of social duties or subversive of good order the right of congress kosup to suppress this great evil ia Is undoubted it is equally plain that the dignity and good name of th this Is great nation among the nations DAMS of the earth demand such congressional action as shall effects etl actu all ally eliminate this national disgrace the he commission review the recommendations ions contained in the report of november 17 issa I 1 notably the one regarding the enactment of a marriage law by dy congress declaring all future marriages in the territory null and void unless contracted and evidenced in the manner provided by the act if the next Leg legislature slature shall fail to adopt measures in conformity with the provisions of the act of 1882 for tho the suppression of polygamy the commission will be prepared to recommend and congress 9 ress certainly will not delay the adoption of the most stringent measures compatible with the limitations of the constitution that may be C considered onside red necessary for the suppression of this great evil the report refers to the various municipal elections and says the most imbor important tant election waa was that of august t 6 aw the total number of votes cast in this contest was against in last november election the principal falling off U was as on the part of the gentiles or liberal party in november the total tota 1 vote of the peoples or mormon party arty was the liberal in in august 1883 1893 the vote odthe of the peoples aels I 1 party was liberal 1453 from which it i t appears that th at larg 1 are numbers of the liberals refrained from voting a fact much to be regretted for tho the reason that itis it is believed that by a proper effort and good management one or more non gormong night have bave been elected to the legislature who would have had an opportunity I 1 port unity of putting the majority on r record ecord in conclusion the commission say that recent recently s some 0 me t ten en suits were in ini in ake the third district court of utah by the mormons cormons against members of this commission complaining that they have been tin unjustly justly deprived of the right to register and v vote ote these are understood to bo be test cases designed to contest the const constitutionality of the EAl edmunds munds act art as well as the legal construction which we put pat upon its provisions the suits are still undecided and are likely I 1 to be appealed to the supreme art court of states it has been asserted that le marria marri asea es have increased since the pass massazo asro of th the Edmunda eEdmunds act on the contrary we have the word of many aid antia anti that they have comparatively decreased since the passe of said act after diligent inquiry we e believe the latter conclusion ia is correct but the utah legislature will have an opp opportunity 0 of satisfying the country on oil t this h is particular subject su by passing such public marriage act as gs that which we have bugge suggested led toCo to congress agress by this and such other legislation as we haya have indicated they will give the government an assurance of their loyalty and patriotism a and d avert a contest that cannot but result in their discomfiture cecon wo consider it proper to commend the zeal of the governor of utah in his efforts to enforce the laws ALEX A LEX RAMSEY A 8 PADDOCK 0 L GODFREY A B CARLTON CARL TON J R rETTI GREW |