Plural wives plead case

COLORADO CITY, Ariz. — Utah needs to change its "stupid, old-fashioned law" against polygamy, several hundred polygamists from Arizona told Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff.

"I just said I'd love for them to come to Utah and help me do it, and they asked if I wanted them to be like Rosa Parks," Shurtleff said Friday after attending an invitation-only, two-day session with polygamists from Centennial Park, a plural community on the outskirts of Colorado City and Hildale, Utah.

"We talked about making it (polygamy) a misdemeanor. But first they have to try to end the practice of child-bride marriages and they have to educate people and let them know what's going on in their community," he said.

Centennial Park women who attended Shurtleff's Aug. 22 polygamy summit in St. George initiated the meeting with Shurtleff and Terry Goddard, Arizona's attorney general.

The program, which featured a Power Point presentation on why the community members believe polygamy is a constitutional right, was a great success, said Shurtleff.

"I was amazed. It was very educational," he said. "I learned to try not to paint every polygamist with the same brush. They made it clear they practice the same religion as those living in Hildale and Colorado City, but they're worlds apart in many other ways."

Linda Chatwin and Mary Batchelor, both supporters of plural marriage, attended the gathering. None of the polygamists attending the session wanted to speak with the media.

"It was a private meeting, but I think it was a positive one," Chatwin said.

Among those attending were child protection agency representatives, attorneys from Utah and Arizona, and former Utah Rep. David L. Zolman, a Salt Lake Republican.

Zolman raised eyebrows in 1999 when he said the state should apologize for the polygamist raids of the 1940s and 1950s. At the time, Zolman also said it was his long-term goal to remove laws banning polygamy from the books because polygamists continue to practice their beliefs despite the law.

Shurtleff is hopeful the Centennial Park women will take their message to others.

"They need to come out and do the road show thing in St. George. People need to hear from women like them," said Shurtleff. "I keep hearing all the rumors about all the polygamous groups in the state, but those guys need to send their message that they condemn marrying minors, child abuse and fraud. I've been quietly urging them to speak up."

Colorado City Mayor Dan Barlow said while he attended an opening luncheon at the Mark Twain hotel and enjoyed hosting his old friend Goddard around town, he did not attend any of the sessions.

"I invited Mark to come to our community, but they didn't particularly want me to attend their meeting," said Barlow.

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