Congressman Willits And The Twin Relic

, "I see n a recent letter to the Courier Journal, written bv the United States dit"Ict, """"? f Utah, that he applauds the bilí you introducea ac ihc u..t ocasión to punish and prevent biganiy and polygainy in the territories. What is its oharacter?" I asked Representative WUlitt, of Michigan. " I have a series of several bilis on that subject, which I intend to push vijrorously in the forty-seventhcongress," replied Mr. W. ' One of these provides that it shall be sufficient cause of challenge and for the rejection of any juror, first, that he has more than one wife living, whether mawied to any of them by the ordinary rites and crremouies of marriage, or by the rite, ceremony or proceeding known as sealing, or any other ceremony or proceeding claimed or understood by bigamists or polygamists of said territory to créate either an ordinary, a nierely temporal, or a spiritual marriage, and by reason of which he may recognize her as either a temporal or spiritual wife, second, tbat he believea it morally or legally right for a man to have more than one living and undivorced wife at the same time, he knowing them tobe alive, orto cohabit habitually, as with a wife, with more than one woman. Any person chai lenged as a juror on either of the foregoing grounds may be questionetl upon bis oath as to the ezistence oí either of tbem ; but as to the first gtound he shall not bebound to answer if he shall say upon bis oath that he declines on the ground that he fears his answer might tend to crimínate himself ; and f he shall answer as to that ground, his answer shall not be given in evidencu in any criminal prosecution against him on a charge for matters about which he is so questioned ; but if he declines to answer on the round that he fears his answer might tend to crimínate himself, be shall be rejected as a juror. If by reason of tbe rejection of jurors upon either or both the grounds above metioned tho panel of jurors drawn ior the term shall be exhaustecl, the marshal or any deputy shall, by order of the court, proceed to summon talesmen to serve on such jury, until the requisite nunr ber of competent jurors shall be obtainedin the cause. " ín another bilí I próvida that no person shall be entitled to vote at any election in any territory of the United States who is a bigamist or polygamiat- whether mn or wniiiun ¦ and :iny pareon offci lig tO VOté shall solemnly swear and affirm tbat he is not a violator of the laws of the United States prohibiting bigatny or polygamy. Neither, of course, cao such violator bolJ offiice. The governor andchief justice of Utah and the associate justices are to be created a board to be known as the board of inspectora of registry and elections of the territory of Utah, to hold during their official terms, with succession to theirsuccessors. A ma jority shall constitute a quorum and the board is autborized to appoint and com mission such other persons as tliey may think proper, not exceeding tbree in each judicial district of said territory, to aid and aasist them in such way as said board may order and direct in the performance of the dutiea of said board under the provisión of thi.s act, and it shall be further competent for said board to remove any such persons so appointed and commissioned at any time, and to appoint and commission others in the place thereof. The members of said board shall each take and subscribe to an oath that they and each of them will Bupport the constitution and laws of the United States, and will faithfully and to the best of their ability perform th. rWins impnseH upo ibeui s auoh board, and a like oath shall be taken by each pereon appointed by said board as hereiobefore provided. " The territory of Utah is divided into three district termed registration districts. conforming to the three judicial districts of said territory ; in each of said registration districts thero shall be designated by said board a place or places where registration can be made, and it shall be the duty of any person who may delire to vote at any eleotion to be held in said district to go to such place and have his or her name registered and placed upon the poll-books of said district ; and such registration shall be bad and performed in the manner hereinafter prescribed. Said board shall cause to be published, in a newspaper having a general circulation within the registration district to which it is meant to apply, a notice designating the place or places a'. which, and the time when, said registration can be had ; and they shall cause like notices to be posted at not lesa than three public places witliin said d9trict." " I think," added Mr. Willits, " tbat the passage of these bilis and the strict en forcement of the law by men in sympathy witb its ezecution, like Gov. Murray is, will effectually rid us of this great evrtoi' polygamy." Gen. White will introduce a bilí practic ally re-enacting the ordinauce of 1787, debarring congressional representatioa to dolygamic communities, to be controlled by the United States government. "And what, Col. Ingersojl," I asked this afternoon of that distinguished heathen, "whatwould be your plan for abolishing 1 the twin relie ?' " I care nothing at all about it," replied that gentjenian, with the calm indifference of the philosopher. " It is simplyaquest on of intellectual development. The people of Utah must be cducated up to that point where a young man thcre would rather be the busband of one reBned lady than of fifty woinen. Ileligious fanaticism takes strange shapes most times," added the eulogist of Kdoz and Calvin, as he turned away to tackle some subject of more interest to himself.