| Show were convicted and served time in the territorial penitentiary The common law rule thatwife may not testify against her husband was declared inoperative in the case of polygamous wives Many went to jail for contempt when they refused to give evidence against their husbands In 1887 Congress struck the final legislative blow with the Bimunds-Tucker Act That law --Disincorporated the Mormon Church and the perpetual Bnigration Company --Declared all church property in excess of 50 000 forfeit to the government and gave the courts power to ferret out actual holdings of the church setting aside devices such as the trustee in trust --Abolished woman suffrage in Utah disinherited children of polygamous marriages and required all narriages be certified by the courts --Required an expurgatory oath of all prospective voters swearing they did not belong to or support an organization which advocated polygamy Thus any Mornon would have to forswear himself to vote After passage of this Act the Mormons surrendered over Million in property to the federal government to facilitatecourt test of the constitutionality of the legislation Temple Square in Salt Lake City was one of those forfeited properties The church continued to occupy the Hlock but paid rent to the government The Bimunds-Tucker Act was morally wrong when it took the franchise from women Unjust as it was the provisions of the Constitutional Convention defining the qualifications for voting could not go into effect until Utah becamestate This legislation was violently in opposition to the Constitution of the United States This act illegally confiscated the real estate property belonging to the church Nine years passed before the enormity of the crime was realized Resolved that all of the real estate now in the hands of the receiver of the late Corporation of the Church of sus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and all the rents issues and profits arising therefrom are hereby granted and conveyedthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints This resolution was approved by the House March 24 1896 and by President Cleveland March 28 1896For 42 years had been called wicked Now they were vindicated L3 |
