1899-01-25-New York Tribune-Protests Against Roberts

New York Tribune, January 25, 1899, p. 9.

Protests Against Roberts

An Anti-Polygamy Mass-Meeting Addressed by the Rev. W. R. Campbell

The Re. William R. Campbell, of Salt Lake City, for many years a Presbyterian missionary among the Mormons, was the principal speaker last evening at the anti-polygamy and anti-Roberts mass meeting in the Washington Avenue Baptist Church. He said that Mr. Roberts should be expelled from the House of Representatives because of his own record. He had married three wives since the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy law of 1882, and since the Congressional Anti-Polygamy law of 1862. The speaker said that another reason why Roberts should be expelled was because his election is a violation of a solemn covenant which the Mormon Church made with this Government in order to obtain Statehood. He said that this contract was a positive and solemn pledge on the part of the Mormon people in which they made a promise that the Mormon priesthood should not attempt to control the politics of the State; that the rightfulness of the practice of polygamy should not be inculcated; that the people of Utah would live up to the requirements of the Anti-Polygamy laws; that in the new State polygamous marriages should be forever prohibited. Mr. Campbell said that the Mormon priests were unceasingly active in politics, and two years ago had defeated Roberts for Congress and Thatcher for the Senate because they had dared to accept a nomination without the consent of the priests.

At the Throop Avenue Presbyterian Church there were only about thirty people. Mrs. Emma F. Pettingill, president of the Kings County Women's Christian Temperance Union, presided, and the Rev. Dr. L. R. Foote made an address.