Show i THE EDMUNDS ACT A good many persons are now discussing discuss-ing the question whether they bad not better obey the law the particular law I being the Edmunds act For general information in-formation we reprint it in full f AN ACT to amend section Jiftylhrce hundred hun-dred and fiftytwo of the Revised Statutes 1 I of the United States in reference to bigamy bi-gamy and for other jturposes I Be it enacted bT the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled That I section fiftythree hundred and fiftytwo of the Revised Statutes of the United States be and the same is hereby amended so as to read as follows namely Every person who has a husband or wife living who in a Territory or other place Over which the United States have l exclusive jurisdiction hereafter marries another whether married or single and any man who hercafte simultaneously or on the same day marries more than I one woman in a Territory or other place I over which the United States have exclusive I ex-clusive jurisdiction is guilty polygamy and shall be punished by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars and by imprisonment for a term of not more than I five years but this section shall not extend 4 ex-tend to any peison by reason of any former marriage whose husband or w ie r I I by such marriage shall have been absent I for five successive years and is not known to such person to be living and is believed be-lieved by such person to be dead nor to any person by reason of any former marriage mar-riage which shall have been dissolved by a valid decree of a competent court nor to any person by reason of any former i marriage which shall have been pro i need void by a valid decree of acorn ut court on the ground of nullity of the marriage contract Six 2 lhat the foregoing provisions S shall not jifieet the prosecution or pull if IlJlC of any offense already committed 1 alius the section amended by the first I crtioii f this act Sue 3 That if any male person in a Ttrrnr 1 other place over which the I Lu 11 I i have exclusive jurisdiction i her < iiiabits with more than one wounui U tlall be deemed guilty of a midemeit j UK on conviction thereof shall be l mishd by a fine of not more than JJ ft by imprisonment of not more than < y > nonths or by both said punishmer in the discretion of the court SEC 4 Tiul counts for any and all of the offeasiS named in sections one and three of this act may be joined in the same imormation or indictment SEC 5 That in any pioecution for bigamy 1 polygamy or unlawful cohabitation cohabita-tion under any statute of the United f States it shall be sufficient cause of challenge I I chal-lenge to any parson driwn or summoned I as a juryman or talesman first that he II i is or has been living in the practice of polygamy po-lygamy bigamy or unlawful cohabitation with more than one woman or that he is or has been guilt of an offense punishable punisha-ble by either of the foregoing sections or by section fiftythree hundred and fifty two of the Revised Statutes of the United States or the act of July first eighteen hundred and sixtytwo entitled An act to punish and prevent the practice of polygamy t po-lygamy in the Territories of the United I States and other places and disapproving and annulling certain acts of the legislative legisla-tive assembly of the Territory of Utah or second that he believes it right for a I man to have more than one living and I undivorced wife at the sal1le time or to I live in the practice or cohabiting with more than one woman and any person appearing or offered as a juror or tales I man and challenged on either of the foregoing 4 I fore-going grounds may be questioned on his oath as to the existence of any such cause of challenge and other evidence may be introduced bearing upon the question raised by such challenge and this question t ques-tion shall be tried by the court But as to the first ground of challenge as before mentioned the person challenged shall I not be bound to answer if he shall say upon his oath that he declines on the ground that his answer may tend to criminate I crim-inate himself and if he shall answer as to said first ground his answer shall not I be given in evidence in any criminal prosecution against him for any offense named in sections one two and three of this act but if he declines to answer on any ground he shall be rejected as incompetent J in-competent J 1 Sic G That the President is hereby authorized to grant amnesty to such 7 classes of offenders guilt of bigamy polygamy or unlawful cohabitation before i fr i be-fore the passage of this act on such conditions 12 1 con-ditions and under such limitations as he r shall think proper but no such amnesty tiW shall have effect unless the conditions if thereof shall be complied with lj SEC 7 That the issue of bigamous or 41 polygamous marriages known as Mormon Y Mor-mon marriages in cases in which such 1 marriaes have been solemnized according j accord-ing to the ceremonies the Mormon sect J in any Territory of the United States and such issue shall have been born before I the first day of January AD 1883 are hereby legitimated SEC 8 That no polygamist bigamist I or any person cohabiting With more than one woman and no woman cohabiting with any pf the persons described as aforesaid in this section in any Territory or other place over which the United States have exclusive jurisdiction shall be entitled to vote at any electioii held in any such Territory or other place or be eligible for election or appointment to or be entitled to hold any office or place of j public trust honor or emolument in under or for any such Territory or place t II I or under the United States t I SEC 9 That all the registration and election offices of every description in the t 11 Territory of Utah are hereby declared vacant and each anu every uuty relating j to the registration of voters the conduct I of elections the receiving or rejection of votes and the canvassing and returning of the same and the issuing of certificates I certifi-cates or other evidence of election in said Territory shall until other provisions be made by the legislative assembly of said I Territory as is hereinafter by this section 1 provided be performed under the existing exist-ing laws of the United States and said I Territory by proper persons who shall I I be appointed to execute such offices and t perform such duties by a board of five j persons to be appointed by the President II 1 by and with the advice and consent of the Senate not more than three of whom shall be members of one political party and a majority of whom shall be a quorum The members of said board so appointed by the President shall each receive re-ceive a salary at the rate of three thousand thou-sand dollars per annum and shall continue con-tinue in office until the legislative assembly 1 as-sembly of said Territory shall make provision 1 m pro-vision for filling said offices as herein authorized The secretary of the Territory 4 Terri-tory shall be the secretary of said board II and keep a journal of its proceedings pro-ceedings and attest the action of said board under this section The canvass and return of all the votes I at elections in said Territory for members of the Legislative Assembly thereof shall A also be returned to said board which j shall canvass all such returns and issuer issue-r certificates of election for those persons who being eligible for such election shall appear to haY boon lawfully elected i I z Ji IE i which certificates shall be the only evidence evi-dence of the right of such persons to sit I in such assembly Provided That said board of five persons shall not exclude any person otherwise eligible to vote from the polls on account of any opinion such person may entertain on the subject of bigamy of polygamy nor shall they refuse I re-fuse to count any such vote on account of the opinion of the person casting it on the I subject of bigamy or polygamy but each house of such assembly after its organization I organiz-ation shall have power to decide upon the elections and qualifications of its members And at or after the first meeting of said Legislative Assembly whose members shall have been elected and returned according to the provisions of this act said Legislative Assembly may make such laws conformable to the organic act of said Territory and not inconsistent in-consistent with the other laws of the United States as it shall deem proper concerning the filling of the offices in said Territory declared vacant in this act Approved March 22 1882 |