Show I THE PROTEST The interesting letter which published in this issue from Washington from a gentleman well known in Utah and a gentleman who is of a most conservative disposition He is not easily alarmed and does not see a ghost in every darkness dark-ness but he sees in the condition of affairs in Utah a serious situation and a determination on the part of the President Presi-dent to enforce the law in Utah and not to be influenced by 1 petitions of protest In the interview of which he tells he says that the President expressed ex-pressed the hope that at the late conference held in Logan that something other than mere protesting would be done There was something else done there and that was to issue an epistle which will have but a sorry effect upon public opinion as represented in the President Pres-ident and Congress In that famous epistle thore was not one thing which jvould have a tendency to show that those who published it were very much better than those whom they malign while its argument was sophistry and its object of doubtful morality That epistle took no comprehensive dispassionate view of things as they arc here but was a tirade against monogamy is generally admitted This not being sufficient a committee was appointed to draw up a petition to be presented to the President but as yet they have not done anything What will they do Many of the gentlemen gentle-men of the committee know that such representations as the epistle contained would now but kill the cause which they would uphold Many also know that things in Utah are in a bad way and that they themselves are restless under the restraint to which they submit and that their fear to throw off this restraint is one of the great causes of our evils Will they have the temerity to say to the President that the courts are the instigators and aiders of raids and that businessis being prostrated pros-trated on account of them Or will they have the manhood to declare that the courts while they may be zealous and even at times ardent are trying to enforce I the laws of the United States against those who are breaking them and that the business is suffering on account of the absence of many from their business because they have broken the law and may fear its enforcement Will they loll how many have gone into polygamy since the passage of the Edmunds law and that these were not in ignorance of the existence of a law against their crimes and cannot claim that their relations were formed long before such actions were declared crimes Will they say We have broken the laws but we ask an honest and sincere pardon and pledge our word and our honor to be evidenced in whatsoever form the United States may deem best that we will do so no more This avowal of past errors and promise for future obedience to the law is the only petition that will be heeded and would it not be well to think of it The opportunity for coming within the law is now open but if not taken advantage advan-tage of soon will be lost forever The choice now is walk into obedience or be forced into obedience We ask all the people of Utah to walk into obedience to the law and in that obedience they will find the peace for which they seek |