OCR Text |
Show CHANGE OF FEDERAL OFFICIALS. The people of Utah are anxious for a change of Federal officials. In this desire de-sire we join them to a certain extent. It is desirable to retain some of the present Federal officialsand it is desirable desir-able thaf . some should be chansed. The people of Utah desire a change because they are of the opinion that with a change of officers there will be a cessation of prosecutions under the Edmunds law, or, at least, a far less rigid enforcement of that law. In this opinion they are mistaken. mis-taken. -The Edmunds law is a valid law; a law that was enacted for a special purpose; pur-pose; a law that has to a very considerable consider-able extent accomplished that purpose. But this is not all. The Edmunds law was passed by the Congress of the United States to meet the demands of the people of the United States, and that people will anxiously watch all workings of that law, j and will not permit that it remain a dead letter upon the statute book. If the sentiments sen-timents of the people of the United States were indifferent to the enforcement of manaw, and likewise indifferent 'to the Utah question, a change of ofiicialrmTght bring the relief desired by the people of j Utah. The Edmunds law is the legal expression of a sentiment, and tliat sen-I sen-I timent comes from the people of this Government That law is not merely the sentiment of one political party; it is tne sentiment of all political parties, except ex-cept the People's party of Utah Territory. It is this unanimity of all political parties j which is the guaranty for the enforce-j enforce-j ment of the Edmunds law ; and this same j unanimity precludes all realization of the hopes indulged by the people of Utah. This fact cannot "be too soon nor too thoroughly realized by the people of this Territory. The people of Utah do not fully realize the force of a united sentiment, although it is the united sentiment of the people of Utah against the Edmunds law and the object that it seeks to accomplish, which makes the Utah question so hard to solve, and furnishes that moral support to the , men convicted of violating the Edmunds law which causes them to bear imprisonment imprison-ment with fortitude, and to look upon themselves as heroes and martyrs. Withdraw With-draw the moral support of the united sentiment of the people of this Territory from these same men, and there is not one in a thousand but that would avail himself of the chance to avoid imprisonment imprison-ment by promising obedience to the law in future. The sentiment of the people of the United States is as strongly united in favor of the Edmunds law as the sentiment senti-ment of the people of Utah is united against it. This being the case, and neither party proposing to yield, the Utah question resolves itself into a question of force, and having resolved itself into a question of force, it is easy to solve the question ac-cordine ac-cordine to the laws of natural ohilosoDhv. Will the laws of natural philosophy teach us anything but this, that where two forces of the same nature are opposed to each other the greater force will overcome the lesser force? It is far better to settle the Utah question ques-tion on some other plan than that of attrition, but if the people of 1 Utah will insist in trying this plan and will listen to no other, well and good ; but they, must bear in mind that the laws of the United States will be enforced in the United States, and that American institutions as based upon the monogamic system of the family will be preserved, cost what it may. - |