In consonance with this “Christian” spirit, the Rev. J. H. Peters, at Dayton, in October, 1881, said to his congregation: “I would that the guns of Fort Douglas were turned upon them [the “Mormons”] and they made loyal by this means if by no other.” Falsehoods of the deepest hue were also uttered. The notorious T. De Witt Talmage, for instance, circulated the false report that the assassin of President Garfield was a “Mormon,” and the Latter-day Saints were wickedly accused by this reverend, and others, of holding meetings and rejoicing because of the President’s death.
The Edmunds Bill
The result of all this agitation was the passing of a law in March, 1882, by Congress, amending the law of 1862. It was known as the Edmunds Law, because it was introduced into the senate by George F. Edmunds of Vermont. This measure not only made punishable the contracting of plural marriage, but also polygamous living, which was designated as “unlawful cohabitation.” The punishment for contracting a plural marriage remained the same as in the law of 1862—a fine of five hundred dollars or imprisonment for five years, or both, in the discretion of the court.
The President of the United States was authorized to grant amnesty to those who had entered into plural marriage before the passage of this bill, under certain conditions and limitations, and their children born before January 1, 1883, were legitimated.
“No polygamist, bigamist, or any person cohabiting with more than one woman, and no woman cohabiting with any of the persons described as aforesaid . . . shall be entitled to vote at any election . . . hold any office or place of public trust, honor or emolument, in, under, or for any such Territory or place, or under the United States,” was declared in this bill. Of course this was not intended to apply to “Gentiles” who “cohabited” with more than one woman, outside of the marriage relation, and such—and Utah had them—were shielded by the officers of the law. Moreover, the mere belief in the doctrine of plural marriage was sufficient to bar a person from jury service.
All registration and election offices were declared vacant, and provision was made for a commission of five persons to be appointed by the President, and with the consent of the senate, to attend to the duty of registration of voters, canvassing the returns of elections for members of the territorial legislature, and issue certificates, or other evidence of election, until otherwise provided by law. They were to be paid three thousand dollars a year, and to continue in office until the legislature, elected and qualified under the Edmunds Law, should provide for filling the offices as authorized by the statute.
Self Government Denied
By this law, local self-government was annihilated in Utah, contrary to all the guarantees granted to free people since the days of the framing of the government of the United States, if not since the days of King John. Following in the wake of this legislation there was conducted a crusade against the “Mormon” people without a parallel in the history of the United States.
The Utah Commission
The five commissioners appointed through the Edmunds Law, arrived in Utah, August 18, 1882. They were: Alexander Ramsy, of Minnesota, chairman; Algernon S. Paddock, of Nebraska; George L. Godfrey, of Iowa; Ambrose B. Carlton, of Indiana; and James R. Pettigrew, of Arkansas; with Arthur L. Thomas, secretary. They immediately set to work on the duties assigned them, and appointed registrars for the November election, in a manner most unjust to the “Mormon” people. Eight of the registrars, out of twenty-four, were members of the Church, yet the “Mormon” population was in excess of 120,000, and the “Gentile” population —including apostates and others classed as “doubtful” was approximately 23,000. The commissioners also published rules for the guidance of the registrars and the government of election judges, which were manifestly unfair and beyond the scope of the law, which was done to disfranchise a large portion of the “Mormon” population.