OCR Text |
Show I SEARCHLIGHT OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE REVEALS . I Head of the Church of ! Latter Day Saints Takes a Mental I Census of Polyga- mous Families and ; Tells the Senate Committee That They Number at ' Present About 800. BY A. P. PHIIiIPS. ' Tribune Bureau, - ,, ' National Hotel, V I ,1 "WASHINGTON, D. C March 5. J j H- Tho Church of Jesus Christ oC 4- Hi 4- Latter-Day Saints has, during- tho 4- H ' 4" past fivo days, been under an X-rny 4- I 4- of public opinion. Tonight tho sltuo- 4- fAWljm " t,on la decidedly agxinst the jH -f- church, due to tho testimony of its 4- C'&QHL head. Joseph F. Smith. Ills open -j- fSjaBBi deQ that he has set aside tho laws Sfll I f Utal1 and tno manifesto of cx- 4- jHBj -f- President Woodruff aro the causes. 4- 'lUFl ' ' Senator Smoot Is not beinp: lost -f Hp' ' 4- slcht of, but when the president of nHr J' church In which ho Is an apostle -f nRtfj i tells a commltteo of Congress that 4- Jfi fi 11 hns no rlsnt to ,ntorfcrc In tho 4- family affairs of an apostlo In 4- ktKnH n f Utah, and declares that tho courts 4- inlBB "4" f tho Stato aro amplo to deal 4- ifi3H 4- with 9uch mattors, the country- Is 4- kSB 4- aroused. 4- WB I 1'no announcement that Gov. 4- BjMHj I 4- "Wells of Utali has appointed Hobcr 4- KfHi f J- Grant, a fugitivo from Justice, as 4- WB tAu e'csate to tho International 4-HaJHV 4-HaJHV " xJygleno congress, lntenslllos the 4- HmRha 4. feeding of tho people. 4- t , 4- Opejvoman ppectator today, when 4- fl ' 4- president Smith repeated his dell- 4- ! 4. nnce of tho law. said: "I wish I 4- ' 4- could tear his whiskers out." Sena- 4- ffiv 4- tor Smoot does not figure oa It, but -j- m& j v(l 4. the indications aro that his seat in 4- mB ' jl 4- the Senate will be vacated- 4- tlw Said a prominent Eastern Senator 4- fli to Tn0 Trlbuno tonight: "Tho blow 4- mi it t 4- dealt to Utah by President Smith's 4- IjB fji 4- testimony of his own violation of 4- S 4- the law, and also violations by tho 4- :S Ml I' 4- aposUes. shows conclusively a 4- a) rl brealc 'n the compact which gavo 4- ymJjE 4- Utah-Statehood." , 4- BjiS 4- Ills statement that all the people 4- ftJ 4- in tho State condone his crime Is 4- HKt '4- regarded as a direct Insult to tho 4 HH 4- Gentiles of the State, and tho wou- 4- pVi 4- dcr is that they don't rebel. 4- HB I 4- President Smith v.' Ill probably bo 4- fH 4- on tho stand two or threo days 4- fljH : 4- longer. He will be asked to request 4- liB 4- Apostles Taylor and Cowley to rc- 4- EVi 1 '4- turn to tho United States, also J. 4- BV.. '-H- M. Tanner. 4- RHL' 4- Senator Smoot is to be put in tho 4- Ulr Jf " trttness box and pointed questions 4- 1 t 4- T''1U t2 asked him. 4- IH';n H-4-4-4-4-44 4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4- Vp ; PROCEEDINGS OP THE Hj 7V j TBIAIi IN DETAIL. LrJ 1 WASHINGTON, March 5 Callins Hfr' President Joseph F. Smith of the Mor- IjKTf I jnon church to the stand today, Attor- JjlBy ? ney A. S. "Worthington resumed cross- IvH' l examination for the defense In the ln- ffil ji vestbjatlon before the Senate Commlt- WH A U-.Q on Privileges and Elections lu the J9 case of Beed Smoot of Utah- He asked IA Mr. Smith If he had any statistics show- Rl d Ing tho proportion of polygami3ts in the PUE A formon population. 1-wm lJl Smith said his recollection is that ifli n S'hen the Utah commission -was created W, jn 1B82 and undertook to administer tho S' m laws of the Territory, 12,000 polygamlsts H, M vere excluded from voting. Ml j ' "As tho women vote In Utah," he k AN UNEASY SEAT IN THE SENATE. $ 1 1 . 1 I 1 1 I 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 J I 1 1 1 1 lllllllillllllilll.Ll. T ,TTTTT-?TTTTnTT 1 T 1 t T1 T T 1 sal,d, "and as it requires two women to one man to form polygamy In the State, probably the number of males excluded as polygamlsts would not be more than 4000." Senator Dubois exercised his right to question the witness at this point and said the population then was about 220,000, and of that number there were TTTTTTTTl I T T T T T T TTTTTTTTITI about 50,000 Gentiles. Ho wanted excluded ex-cluded from consideration the number not in condition to enter a state of polygamy. PERCENTAGE IN POLYGAMY. lie said President Smith's statement of the percentage in polygamy included suckling babes and children and that ' r -r-i- i 1 v 1 t I I T Ttt7 T t I f I M he objected to having Mr. Smith's statement state-ment go before tho country unchallenged. unchal-lenged. After a further statement of the number num-ber of polygamlsts In Utah Mr Smith read from an interview he guve to a representative of the Associated Press In 1902 showing tho following. . In 1S90, at the time of the late Presl- j Inquisitors In Smoot ! Case Strike Another I Rich Lead in Their ! Search for Light i Regarding Prevail-! Prevail-! ing Conditions in I the Mormon Hier-: Hier-: archy More About ' Revelations dent Woodruff's manifesto, there were 2451 such families. In October, 1899. it was found that this number had been reduced, as follows: By death, 750; by removals beyond the confines of the republlc63; by divorce. 95. leaving at that time 1543. It is now ascertained that the original number has been reduced by 1554 or 63 per cent, leaving only SOT still living and the great majority of them are at an advanced age. Mr. Worthington asked regarding Mr. Smith's son, llyrum Smith, and was told that he is 32 years old and has a wife and children, but Is not a polygamist. polyga-mist. He Is one of the twelve apostles. The first counsellor now is John R. Winder. He and his fellow counsellor and two apostles have been appointed since Mr. Smith became president. Ho said he could not say whether thc3o men are cohabltating with more than one wife, but that "they are reputed to be the husband of more than one-wife." one-wife." In regard to John Henry Smith, a cousin, Mr. Smith said that their families fami-lies are intimate and "I am strongly Inclined to believe that he is cohabiting cohabit-ing with plural wlve3." Referring to Senator Bailey's questions ques-tions yesterday in regard to the manifesto, mani-festo, Mr. Worthington read from a sermon of President Woodruff, delivered deliv-ered a year after the manifesto against plural marriages, In which President Woodruff declared that he was moved and 10,000 Latter-day Saints wero moved by the spirit of God, to abandon the practice of polygamy. Senator Bailey contended that it waa in obedience to the demands of the law or fear of tho consequences of the law that provoked the revelation. Continuing Continu-ing he said: "For my part I don't have much faith in a doctrine that does not get a revelation reve-lation commanding the change of conduct con-duct until there Is a statute compelling It." "All that, of course, Is a matter of opinion," said Senator Foraker. "I don't think it is a matter of opinion opin-ion either," said Senator Bailey. "I myself have been compelled to submit to certain rules because It was the law, and vicious law at that. Just how far I would have submitted if I had received re-ceived a revelation from God to do something else I nm not prepared to say. I think the whole thing was more a matter of law than of revelation." "When the laws were passed which wore not In harmony with the teachings teach-ings of our church," said Mr. Smith, "we held that they were unconstitutional. unconstitu-tional. Of course our own rules commanded com-manded thut we obey the Constitution and the law, but we fought the validity of the new laws from the lowest to tho highest court and when it was settled by the Supremo court of the United States that plural marriages could no longer be indulged in, of course we were Inclined to obey." "But we had a revelation on our own statute books in regard to plural marriages mar-riages and it was necessary to obey that in order to obtain certain blessings bless-ings that could not bo received without with-out obeying it. Whether we should obey the law of the land or continue-to continue-to practice the law of the church was a serious question. "We hold that tho president of tho church is entitled to receive revelations Inspired by the Almighty God. President Presi-dent Woodruff sought guidance In tho (Continued on Pago 16.) SEARCHLIGHT OF SENATE I REVEALS MORMON FACTS (Continued Prom Pago 1.) Lord and the Lord mado it manifest to him that It was his duty to stop plural marriages. He proclaimed that revelation and It was submitted to the entire church und accepted by tho entire en-tire church and thus became binding nnd from that day to this the law of the land has been kept go far an plural marriages aro concerned. "But thero Is a great difference between be-tween taking a plural wlfo contrary to law and In taking care of the wives taken ta-ken before It was a violation of the law I would not desert my wives. I would not abandon my children. I will run my risks before the law." President Smith's voice showed his emotion. He showed more feeling than he hnd nt any previous tlmo exhibited as he loaned forward and said: "But It la to the laws of Utah that 1 am answerable and It Is tho law of my State that has the right to punish me. Tho courts of Utah are of competent compe-tent jurisdiction. Congress has no business bus-iness to interfere with my prlvato affairs. af-fairs. "If the courts of my State do not seo fit to call mo to account for my conduct I cannot help It. No Congress has the right to Interfere It has no right to pry into my marriage relatione and call me to account." WTVES LIKE OTHER WOMEN. Chairman Burrows at this point questioned ques-tioned the witness. He asked: "You say you would not abandon your wives or your children. Why do you consider It necessary to havo Issue, by your plural wives, In order to clothe and caro for your children that had been born before unlawful cohabitation became a crime?" "Because my wives aro llko all other women. It Ir necessary to maintain peace, harmony and good will between myself and my good wives. That Is the kernel In thp nut. That Is why I havo chosen not to obey the laws of my Stato prohibiting polygamous cohabitation. "The church gave me my wives and I do not think the church could be consistent con-sistent in taking them awhy," (Kild Mr. Smith In answer to a question as to why he did not agrco to the Woodruff manifesto. "The Lord givelh. and the Lord ta-eth," ta-eth," quoth Senator Bailey from tho Scriptures. Continuing, the Senator said it appeared that polygamous cohabitation co-habitation is forbidden by both the law of the land and the law of the church as laid down In the Woodruff manifesto, and addressing tho witness he asked: "Then as head of the church you are violating the laws of tho land and tho ordinances of your church as well?" "Not tho ordinances," said Mr. Smith. "Well, tho law, then." "No, the rule," said the witness. "The rule, after all, Is the law for conduct," said Mr. Bailey. "I was only trying to emphasize what the revelations revela-tions are. I don't know as much about the nice distinctions in religion aa I hope I do about the law, but it appears that both the rule of the church and the ' law of the land forbade polygamous cohabitation, co-habitation, nnd you as the head of the church violated both." "I will not quarrel with the Senator about that," the witness replied. Later he said that Senator Bailey's assumption assump-tion was correct. In answer to Senator Overman, Mr. Smith said that the revelation of the manifesto of 1890 had not been published pub-lished In the latest edition of Doctrine I and Covenants, but thnt this was an 1 overnight, and would be corrected. Replying to Chairman Burrows, Mr. Smith paid thatne does not teach polygamy po-lygamy and added: "I am not openly and obnoxiously practicing polygamous cohabitation." NOT PRACTICING POLYGAMY. "How could you bettor teach polygamy polyga-my than by practicing It?" Mr. Burrows continued. The reply was: "I am not practicing polygamy. I am practicing polygamous cohabitation, which lo not polygamy. Polygamy Is plural marriage and I havo taken no plural wives since tho manifesto of isyo." Roplylng to a question from Senator Overman, Mr. Smith said that the pamphlet containing the manifesto did not state that it was a revelation from God, but that the statement waB mado that It was published by authority of the church, which was sufficient. It then appeared that tho manifesto had not been ptit in a8 evidence and Mr. Tuyler then Introduced it with other documents. A few minutes beforo tho time for adjournment arrived a photographer appeared and was about to focus his camera upon the committee and its distinguished witness, but Senator Dillingham made a strenuous objection Chairman Burrows stated thnt no photograph pho-tograph of tho committee or of the room would bo taken without the consent con-sent of the committee. The photographer photograph-er then folded up his apparatus. The committee thon adjourned until Monday. |