OCR Text |
Show SMOOT AS A LECTURER. Apostle Smool may have no intention to add to the gaiety of Nations, but if the report, concerning his desire to become be-come a lecturer before the country be truO, the levered serr is likely 10 discover dis-cover that the Yankee can sometimes I urn his mind from the serious problems prob-lems of. life and will therefore be charmed to give to the revchitor a delightful de-lightful and delighted hearing There is no man in L'tah who would attempt lo dissuade (ho Senator from his lecturing purpose, provided he has it, except, possibly, his own private secretary. That, brighl young gentleman gentle-man knows the cost of the apostolic efforl to reach up into the oratorical heavens anil pluck therefrom large sections sec-tions of the azure of brilliant speeoh. lie also realizes the nerve racking nature na-ture of the work of "holding copy" on the distinguished Embassador of .Joseph p. But thesi objections having been crowded into the rear, let us imagine In what manner the v.'isi and opprCB Bive Smoot silence will be split wide open. Hear him: I. ,-nlies and gentlemen, you are highly honored td see before you the nrodigy of the Rockies. For. personal purity I have no equal on the face of the earth, and none of you can ever hope to come up to my level. I was born of polygamous parentage; but in the most solemn manner I can assure you that the moment f entered this world T kicked. My prattle as an infant, as it is today, was in denunciation of polygamy. po-lygamy. In my capacity as an apostle, one called of Qo6 I have roared in the tabernacle against polygamy until the walls of that historic building have rattled to the point of danger, and my polygamous coadjutors have trembled in fear of my w rath. In Utah we have a man who calls himself a prophel. lie is no such thing, and 1 have told him so. He has five wives and forty-three children. I have many times complained to him that he was living an immoral life, and he has fairly quailed before my presence. pres-ence. But that was not all. It came to my ears that a number of men had taken plural wives Bince we promised the country that we would stop the practice immediately I ailed these men by telephone and told them lo skip the country, or I would resign my position. po-sition. They went, and I think that they are still going that is, ihose who arc going into polygamy at tho present time. I am determined that men who thus break the law shall not remain In my State. I huo expressed myself to 1 ho effect that if I had a religious conviction which was opposed to the law of my country, I would leave tin country and where I could practice prac-tice niv belief. These new polygamies know this, and they are proceeding in that way That is the reason why we have established refuges for them in ana. la and Mexico. So. you sec W6 have m. more polygamy in Utah, because be-cause we send the men who go into that practice out of the State. My per- i BOnal purity must be respected, and you sen the result. have been accused of collecting two millions of dollars annually from the members of our church. No such thing. It main- three million- I: is also said of us that wc give to the Mormon people nothing in return for this money. The falsity of this state-ment state-ment must be perfectly apparent to you when you sec me. Thev get from me a sage advice and counsel that are invaluable. That ought to be enough to satisfy the most exacting Again, it is told of us that we are a j commercial bie'v. It any of you would a. company me to our mountain home I could show him a pennnt stnnd in my home town that is owned by a rank outsider. Everybody hns a show among us but tin- show Hint we delight iul handing to "the enemy" (and! all not "of us" are our enemies), ia the show to leave the State Then there is this matter of political interference that our enemies have been making so much fuss-over. Now, that charge is untrue, because 1 won't have-any have-any Intorferenci it's all got to go my wav. 1. as an apostle of the Mormon Church, agree. I with my good friend, Joseph F. Smith, that I would tak" I ho Setial orship. so that thero could be no quarrel over that office Then I constructed a neat little machine, one of my own invention, which automatically automati-cally prevents any interference in politics pol-itics by meddling citizens. And all of these things have done in tho inter esls of peace and harmony. If either of the political partus gets SUffloiently gay to ignore my wisdom, I ho other get" thr- votes. -so there you are. If. ladies and gentlemen, there is, in this broad laud of ours, a man of honor, a man of purity, a loyal citizen, it's listen to my peroration, ladies and gentlemen it 's me. |