Show HARSH TREATMENT PROPOSED the denver news refers to the proposal arbitrary exercise of power by congress in order io rid that body of the utah congressman as a dangerous precedent and we believe that any well thinking person will quite agree with us that such unusual and drastic conduct on the part of the majority endangers all minorities in the future if by admitting roberts and allowing him to retain a seat in the house plural marriages would sweep like an plague from one end of the country to the other and engulf the of our land in ruin the proposed conduct of congress would be justifiable but with no such motive prompting and only a desire to lay on a heavy hand being in evidence we tall to discover the justice of the gagging methods resorted to or the summary conduct to be invoked the denver news is well posted on the mormon question and therefore the following editorial on the roberts case will be read with much interest the telegrams assert that both democratic and republican leaders in the house are seeking some method of dealing with the roberts case which will take it wholly out of partisan politics this Is creditable ito both parties and indicates a desire to deal the matter from a legal and constitutional standpoint the only basis on which it Is proper and sate to act in expelling or refusing a seat to a member elected by the people of a sovereign state it seems to be admitted that mr roberts will be sworn in and that he will participate in the election of the speaker A resolution to expel ahlm because he Is a polygamist is certain to follow the organization of the house and then the battle will begin to pass such a resolution will require a two thirds vote and it Is doubtful it such a majority can be obtained the reiterates the opinion that it has heretofore expressed that while no polygamist ought to be allowed to eit in dither hoose of congress there la no legal or constitutional grounds on which he can refused a scat only by an arbitrary exercise of power can he be expelled and such an act would create a precedent tai more dangerous than the seating of the utah member elect to avoid future contingencies of jhb nature a law should be passed pa by congress to the effect that no person shall be eligible to sit in either house or senate who Is a polygamist with such an act on the statute books no future case of this kind would arise the fact seems to be overlooked that under the national constitution as it stands it Is possible tor any state except utah under the compact by which it entered the union to enact a statute permitting and there Is nothing on the national statute books that could prevent its representatives and senators from taking their seats in congress this statement a shock a good many people but it remains a fact that cannot be contro averted and rates the necessity for a law on the the anaconda standard is another paper opposed to expelling roberts unless the expulsion is on constitutional grounds the standard says in the case of representative elect roberts ot utah eminent legal talent has been retained on each sid and a battle royal Is assured in a strictly legal sense roberts has by far the best of it to mako out u legal case against him his opponents have to resort to farfetched far fetched assumptions and extravagant allegations they claim to have discovered two grounds upon which they claim hs can be refused a scat first tho state of utah has forfeited its right to representation because it has violated the solemn compact into which it entered when it was admitted as a state admission and her right to representation were secured through her agreement to abolish polygamy second roberta himself is ineligible because he has been found guilty of a violation of the edmunds act which carries with such violation a forfeiture of the voting franchise and the right to bold office the first of these propositions ii simply the opinion of certain people there can be no predence pretence pre tence that it ie a demonstrated fact the second pro position Is not in accord with the exact truth it the end justifies tho means it does not matter much upon what ground will do in contested seat cases the flimsiest flims iest pretext Is sometimes made to answer somi som i times indeed as when the montan x state senate last winter turned over whitesides Whites ldes seat to gelger not so much as an excuse Is offered such a course however I 1 reprehensible hen sible to the last degree A law malting body that violates the first principles of justice may not hope to retain the confidence of the people it roberts is to be deprived 0 his scat in the house of it is to be hoped on all accounts that it can be done without twisting tin facts and perverting the truth |