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Show . , i ? j ; Y'lil h DR. MILLER ON THE UTAH QUES- rn; jj . tion. ; ; u Elsewhere we publish a letter from j : j Dr. George L. Mille-to the Omaha i ! . !' f : i ' ; ! ' Herald, of which paper he is editor. In j.s j. j jj $ ! it he gives his views on the ever discussed ' . and never settled Utah question. Among j j i men of influence a'id reputation, Dr. I".- i ; j ' I ': ; . Miller has been pre-eminently the friend ' !j rj : of the Mormon people When others j ; .'? '. have spoken ill of them he has spoken ? '; i j H '" t well of them. When others have con-l con-l i , - demned their faults harshly he has ; ! ! : looked upon them witli leniency When ! : i j 1 others have stood the foe of the Mormon :: . j '. people Dr. Miller has stood their friend. 1 1 i j 'i ! Such has always been his attitude towards r f . ; : the Mormon people. Very recently he ; ' ; j r has been in this city, having left the city I ' ' i; a week ago this morning, looking on the j' 1 ' i t ; Utah question as it is. He is fully aware ,. U Ji ' of the feeling which exists throughoutthe r . -; j V' I : country in regard to polygamy, and he I 1 1 I fully realizes that that feeling is as intense j I j ! ' $ against pologamy as was the feeling of the I : ;'- ; ' North that slavery must be abolished and : 'I j ' i t the Rebellion crushed on the morning ; ;i ' I ; that Fort Sumpter was fired upon. Do ; , j j the people of Utah know what thatfeel- I !,;' f ingwas? It was the feeling that their ! : ft cause was the cause of humanity and free- i l , I dom ; that to further it they would sacri- i' j :-j 0' fice home, friends and life itself; and it i'l r . was the intensity of this feeling which I j ; carried them through to victory. It is I j this same feeling that Dr. Miller so fully j; ; j ; and keenly realizes as existing to-day ;j I "'. -1 throughout the North and the South, r, ;.; the East and the West on the s ' ; -j Utah question; and his great desire f ; ; is, if we mistake not, to have the I people of Utah realize and appreciate the S ! . '., existence of this feeling. What does he I l) , i say regarding the doctrine and practice '.). of polygamy? He says there is no place 1 j ; in the world outside of the Orient where I I i t it will be tolerated for a moment, if estab-1 estab-1 I J lished. Do the people of Utah think that I j ; : if they were to emigrate to the islands of I ; j ; : the South Pacific the Continental Powers I; I i which are striving for supremacy there I ; . j would permit the establishment of polyg- j ' ! ! amy upon any of the islands, that is, by ' the Caucasian race? They are mistaken m ; - . if they so think.. But it has been said i : ; that " the Mormon3 are looking toward . . . Mexico and that already they have pur- i ': ; chased considerable tracts of land in I ; Northern Mexico with the hope of estab- '. ' lishing a polygamic colony there. What : J i ' : is the latest news from that quarter? p i It is that the Mexicans have - ' , begun warfare against polygamy, ' ' and the telegram announcing this ! ; j says there is a well founded rumor afloat ! ; ; f i that a demand has been made upon , 1 1 1 President Diaz that he rescind the grant i i; of land in Northern Chihuahua to the t j ; Mormons. At the back of all this there ' ; i is the Roman Catholic church urging it ; ! all, and it should be remembered by the I ; I people of Utah that the Catholics are as j ; ) dominant and intolerant in Mexico as the i i I : ; I Mormons in Utah. If the establishment I : ! ; of a iKjlyeambus colony in Mexico is con-i con-i templated it would be well for those who r ; i ', i; " contemplate it to look at all these facts. I J ; ; . ; Dr. Miller gives them no hope in this di- J j j ', rection or anywhere this side Turkey and 5 the East. The Doctor thinks it would be i ;s ; j best for the Mormons and all parties i , ! concerned if the Mormons would put them- ' ' I selves in accord with the institutions and ! f t'; ' laws of the country, and he is right No j 'f ,i people can be forever breaking the law, ' T and defying the authority of a govern- ; i j, - ment without some day coming into I' , i i conflict with that government. The Gov- i ' f j ernment of the United States accords 1 1 ; j ; religious licerty to all, but the Govern- i'.' : : ment cannot allow that this shall mean I t j j liberty to set up a unit of the State en- 1 I tircly different from and repugnant to the J j i . ? Government as founded. Under no pre- f text nor conviction can the Government , allow any church to usurp and exercise the powers of sovereignity; and that is ; i exactly what the Mormon people in Utah j j , are endeavoring to do. The Government . ' of the United Siates was not established j j for the benefit and protection of those who i ; desire to override its laws and say what i I shall l)e and what shall not be constittt- j ; l' tionaL The Mormon people assume that If i it was established for this very purpose ; fir; but it was not. The psople ol Utah are ' ' j in a great dilemma, and they are anxi- j ; 1 - ously and eagerly enquiring to know how ; they shall extricate themselves therefrom. , ; " They can do it very easily by heeding It and taking advantage of Dr. Miller's j i comment upon the action of Bishop Sharp jit:'!- " in promising to obey the law. This is the ! '' ! comment, "The cecent brave act and ex- -! ! j- ' ample o: Bishop Sharp, in which he reg- I ? ; istered in his own heart first, and in the court afterward, the solemn vow that he ; i j would oley the law as his highest duty i j to his religion, believing still that his re- ! ' : ligion was right, pohili the nay to th-e only possible ending of this difficult and dan- ; ' ; gcrous controrerty." Dr. Miller, the ! 1 friend of the Mormon people, points the ' way, and the only way by which they ; ! can escajc their great dilemma, and we : sincerely and honestly hope they will I - I tread it. |
