Show A POLYGAMY A violent of alio llio cormons mormons thinks hie blundered MR EDITOR your correspondent be understood tliatha is thoroughly non mormon so far as concerns tho questions of polygamy of church divinity and celestial authority and priestly superiority over american law and any doctrine that places the mandates and practices of the mormon church or its officers on a ground higher in point of sanction or authority than the laws of the united states in by ita court of final res sort ho honestly believes that all those doctrines and practices are sinful treasonable and criminal and that every instance of their use and practice should be prosecuted and if clearly proven punished as severely as the law permits he regards any roan or woman who violates criminal laws of the united states as a criminal who should be punished according to those law he asks no considers con sidera tion actual or implied from the mormon people or the government of the united states that he does not give value received for either in obedience or other thing and he states these facts that this letter may not be misunderstood A gen the problem presented to the federal government purging BO biety of the infamy known as polygamy by divine authority was rapidly being solved by law and in a manner that commanded the approval of all citizens and the nas tion hailed this state of affairs with joy and congratulation your correspondent did so with a proud feeling of fidelity to his government and its principles that bright picture so full of promise and hope is sadly altered the action yesterday at salt lake City has in effect set back the policy of extirpating the avila of Mormonism at least two years much that was gained has been destroyed speaking on the broad plane of principle the very of projects has been cut by practical trial conviction and punishment of mormon citizens and refusing to apply even the ap the law to anti mor mons it gayes the cormons mormons Mor mons a a well founded and true argument it arms them with evidence that the laws are to be enforced against them for public good but are not to be enforced against gentiles accused of offense for the public good it gives then tho right to truly cry out and tell the world that pun for crime policy pursued in utah such a as that adopted yesterday eolice ids for the persecution of one class of malefactors and shields another class guilly or charged with being guilty of like breaches of similar laws the excuse that the prosecution of gentiles charged in a competent court with violations of laws is scandalous and injurious to society holds goodvich good equal force if the accused be a mormon it is like enough true that the witnesses who were ready to testify against the gentiles would have suggested colored and magnified that mony hut prescribes a mode to test their credibility and thata mode or test was shut the jury after hearing not a single official before the case was bieard was the proper and legal authority to decide upon tho relia ability or non reliability of witnesses no matter what the evidence before the grand jury might haye been the ee arching cross examination on trial would have eliminated the truth from falsehood to shut down all enquiry into alleged misconduct by gentiles ia to presuppose that gentilee Gen tilea cn committo com mitno wrong which is false to prosecute and try cormons mormons for that arc dismissed when charged against gentiles is to use the law to shield one class of accused and to punish another class this is contrary to the theory of republican institutions and is unjust and subversive of free principles it may be that there was so much truth in the charges that i would have been scandalized by their investigation if so the greater the need to purge that society it may bo that would strike too near home if so that inexorable justice that directs a search into mormon conduct directs equal searching of gentile conduct when an offense ia charged the principle that when men conspirer cop to cause othera to commit a crime the conspirator ire guilty 13 good wise and prudent but the guilt of alio conspirators who aro liable to punishment does NOT excuse the entrapped or victimized party who also committed a crime no such law over was laid down by a court of final resort at least to such an extent that the facci should not bo enquired into by tho jury who are judges of the credence to bo given to the witnesses in a word a gentile charged with crimo should bo tried like a mormon ia if guilty hc should be like amorton is and any policy that shields the one and punishes tho other is bad policy wicked policy and a policy that the loyal men ot this nation will reau ar ya diate v ogden dec 15 1885 |