Legation of
the United States,
Copenhagen, February 4, 1880.
(Received February 24.)
No. 573.]
[Inclosure in No.
573.—Translation.]
Baron Rosenörn-Lehn
to Mr. Cramer.
Copenhagen, January 31,
1880.
Sir: In the note which you had the goodness to
address to me on the 3d of September last, you observed, on the one
hand, that polygamy as practised by the Mormons at Salt Lake,
constitutes an offense against the laws of the United States; on the
other, that every year a considerable number of emigrants from Europe
proceed thither, under
[Page 347]
the
guidance of Morman emissaries and agents from Salt Lake, for the express
purpose of joining that community; and, notably, that four agents from
Utah Territory and twenty “elders” travel through this country for the
purpose of making proselytes for that sect. Under these circumstances
you have, at the request of your government, expressed the desire that
the government of the King take steps that will prevent the organizing
of like criminal enterprises by these agents whose aforesaid activity
falls beyond the reach of the laws of the United States, and will stop
the departure of bands already organized from here to America for the
purpose of violating the laws of the last-named country.
The minister of justice, to whom I have not failed to communicate your
note, sir, admits that an activity takes place in this country tending
to make proselytes for the Mormon community, and he does not ignore that
that community in Utah Territory shows itself disposed, in contempt of
the laws of the United States, to tolerate, nay, even to permit its
members to practice polygamy. Nevertheless it is not possible, according
to the principles generally admitted in penal law, to see in that
activity an attempt to incite to the violation of the laws of the United
States, seeing that the joining the Mormon community can in no wise be
likened to the resolution to contract polygamous alliances.
While greatly deploring the activity displayed here by these American
agents with a view to induce Danish subjects to expatriate themselves
for the purpose of joining the Mormon community in Utah Territory, the
Government of the King does not see itself empowered to interfere in
order to stop this abuse. It is, however, with great satisfaction that
we learn from your note, sir, that the Government of the United States
has resolved to adopt effective measures, of a repressive nature,
against the state of things which has up to the present time existed in
Utah, because the knowledge that polygamy will no longer be permitted to
be practised with impunity in a Territory of the United States will
doubtless not fail to deprive the Mormon sect of one of the conditions
for its propagation in other countries.
Receive, sir, &c.
