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Show Senatorial Investigation Reopens I TESTIFY FOR I SENATOR SMOOT I Witness Pays Tribute I to Hermans. Former Senator WcConnell of Idaho on the Stand. Explains Why Saints Boycotted ths Democrats in Last Election. Elec-tion. WASHINGTON. Jan. 11. -Testimony tM Intended to prove that the Mormon morale is of the highest type and to refute the word of witnesses who have declared the contrary to be true, was offered by counsel for Senator Smoot today W. J. McCnnnell. formerly a United States Senator from Idaho, and tM kWlOO Ceovernor of his State, and Rep- resentatlve Burton L. French, a mem- LLw ber of the present f 'ongreas, and re- elected for another term, were the day's It was the opening s-sslon of the de-fense de-fense in the Smoot Investigation. Sen-ator Sen-ator Knox, a new member of the committee, attended for the first time. There Is it sentiment In the corn-mlttce corn-mlttce In favor of pron&lng tho Invest!-gallon Invest!-gallon to a conclusion, and with that end In view. It mmm announced that be-ginning be-ginning tomorrow longer sessions Both witnesses today denied many statements directed against the Mm-mon Mm-mon church and Its alleged Interfer-ence Interfer-ence In political affairs. Former trov MCnnnell Hnld thnt the Gentile mem-bers mem-bers of the Idaho Legislature have not as high morals as the Mormon mem-bers. mem-bers. und that If It were not for .pies tlons of geography and knowledge of legislative needs the Interests of the State would be better served by an en- tire Mormon Leirlalal ill e IsBBBsl WlllUwn J McConBOl of northern IdeUkO was the first w Knees tailed The MMM examination was conducted by Wai-ie-mar Van Cott of Salt Lake, who Is as-Ot as-Ot lated with A. S. Worthlngton of Washington aa counsel for Senator Smoot. Mr. McConnell described his occupation as former merchant, half politician and lawyer for his friends. lis was a Senator of the Fifty-first KMM Congress and was Governor of Idaho J from 1393 to l&S inclusive, serving two MMM successive terms. He Is a member of the Presbyterian church. Mormons Didn't Gamble. mMM The witness was oaked to describe the political conditions and took up early day a, when, he said, he had lobbied be-fore be-fore the Legislature when the first ef-fort ef-fort was made to disfranchise the Mor-mons. Mor-mons. He declared that he was pre-Judlced pre-Judlced against Mormons, bat that he found that most of the QoBtllM were practicing "the science, which In our country Is taJled poker " He said he had never known Mormons to gamble and drink. He followed this testimony with a ie view of his acquaintance with Mormons during the agitation against the rellg- Ion In Idaho. He assisted In bringing about the repeal of the test oath of citizenship and afterward went among the Mormons on a lecture tour. He bad observed the people, he said, and their morals were of a high, praiseworthy character Senator Knox asked counsel to In-form In-form him as to what parr of the case the examination of McConnell was rele-vant rele-vant Mr. Worthlngton said he was unabls to answer that lonnndnim, but that a great mass of Irrelevant teati-mony teati-mony was admitted for the protectants to whl .'i obj don had been made and overruled. He said ths testimony of IfoOoBSOll was In reply to this and particularly to that of Charles H. Jack-son. Jack-son. chairman of the Idaho Democratic committee, who testified that no candl- LLW date for oBeo, Demo -.tt' i ite(,.t.! . M Cam could stand against the Mormon jm church. Dubois ou Mormons. The witness was asked concerning moi being .act AU tor Gooding In his ranvui for the Gov- H - urpfiosaj sH thst sny Mormon should vots the H Dei ratio tl koL He gave as one rea- H I son tbat hs had halienei Senator J I Dubois to a public debate and received sn answer de lining the invitation on the ground that DvjbOSl OOSjld not afford tlrne to debate with anyone who was not s andldate for office in the party wbl n was 'defending criminal, as he Wm beltexed tic to be" He sub- mltted a lithographed reproduction of '. as ttinf IsttSI j-rsonal to fgsjf H Mkod Wen st or Dubois mm "It waa an answer to my challenge. It was not marked personal." IToll all right' the Senator started si tp i abrupt!) .itsmisa- H Senator McComas obiecl to polltlral H dla-ussloiis anl whn tte witness di-greased di-greased to say that Democrats left their party following ths election of H President Clevelsnd. tbe Senator asked the witness to confine himself to ths question of whether the Mormons Intsr- H ferrd In politics. Mr. McConnell re-peated re-peated a number of reasons why tbs M ratlc parly was boycotted by the H Jiurou church, saying Lhat one of the BbbSbbbI BaTsral iMmmWrvftm aSBra - principal causes wu that Senator Dubois Du-bois called the Mormons criminals Not Due to Church. An abstract showing the result of tho vnto in Mormon and non-Mormon coun-iles coun-iles during th- last .six v -ars was presented present-ed by tho nltn.i This abn tract showed , i-eneral Increase in the Republican vote in both the Mormon and antl-M. rt,, m counties, indicating tho witness ald. that tho Ropubllcn Increase bad not been due to the InflUSnes of the Mormon churc h. Mr McConr.ell xald the Mormons are In th minority In each of the political par- ties and In the Legislature, .and that Ul Mormons In Idaho 'do not get everything I hey want." On this subject he read an .pinion, which he accepted as his own view, declaring? that th-re Is no ecclesiastic ecclesi-astic supi"'t invoked by the church for the control of political affair Tho opinion opin-ion was a long political argument In deft de-ft nae f the church against the charge-ih.it charge-ih.it the Mormon church leaders would seek to control political affairs The opinion dealt also with blmetallsm, ,. St.. nor M. Comas -topped the reading read-ing to Inquire if tin. wltm s Indoiii.d ihe pinion given on the euhjed of silver Mr McConnell replied that he Old not You have been asked to give your own . pinion on the Mormon question." said ;1 the Senator. Mr Worthlngton said that the two uej-lion uej-lion wen Intermingled and witness aaa-1 aaa-1 ed that he subscribed only to the opinion I on the Mormon question. I Senator Ptlus asked who had written . the opinion. Quoted nn Interview. n "It Is an Interview with Senator Dubois pubtlahed In The Bait Lake Tribune In j Mav, 18SS " aald tho witness. A speech of Senator Dubois made to the Senate on February 4. 1908. on the sut.J.. t i oi Mormonlsm. was orelered Incorporated 4 In the record, after some controversy The Senator said ho would like to have j it go in because garbled accounts of tnis peech had been used In the campaign. The defense closed its examination with a statement from the witness t'.iat he did not know of any polygamous marriages among the Mormons sine. th- manifesto W Mr Taylor, attorney for the protestants drew from the witness thut he lived dlS-4 dlS-4 t.'.nce from the Mormon settb nient eiiu.il In time from Washington. D. C. to Oma- ha. Neb On cross-examination the wlt- 1 i ess corrected his statement in regard to HI tho "poker-playlng Gentiles," saying that It was confined to the numbers of the Legislature, and not to the people In r" Bponee to questions, the witness said that except for the matter of geo graph and knowledge of leglslatlwe needs, he would Vla he willing that the whole Legislature should be composed of Mormons. In defense of the Mormons Mr Mc-Hsiij Mc-Hsiij Connell said he considered the man who 2 took a plural wife and cared for her and her children far letter than one who sustained sus-tained Illicit relatlbns with a woman and abandoned her and her children to the scorn of the world Catches the Witness. ftS Mr. Tnvler questioned the witness closely In r-gnr.i to th.- political distinction distinc-tion he drew, but he declared that po-Kfl po-Kfl lvgamlst were not allowed to hold of- Do you know William Budge? air Tayler asked. Bffl "Yes. sir." is he a polygamist?" wOL The witness said he was satlrned that Budge wae B polygamist, and added thai hi bad held office, and. as Governor of I Idaho. Mr McConnell said, he hail ap pointed Budge a regent of th Bta'te uni- LVil verslty At the request of Senator Dubois, the Witness read the Mormon plank In the , Idaho Democratic platform. He WSS I, asked If that plank had not been respon sible for the ) ss of . v crv Mormon vote; ! hut the witnew asserted the influence of this plank had not been as potent as J the statement of Senator Dubois that li ail Mormons w.-ie criminals." I When questioned further on this sub- J (T-t. he admitted ho had heard the "tl rent of Mormons" that If the plank were adopted there would not bt 1 Mor mon vote oast for the l-mocvatlc ticket Mr. Borah's Challenge. KLI At the afternoon session Mr McConnell K'l again was called to the stand and Mr Worthlngton asked concerning a challenge chal-lenge that had been made by Mr Borah, ,.n attorney of Boise City Ha . to S.-nn- 1 tor Dubois The witness had obtained this challenge by telegraph today In ord r to get it in Us correct form lie t.-ad the I challenge, which was that If Senator Du- 1 bois would point out a single Mormon I j who had tag n a plural wife BlnCS the manifesto he iMr Borah) would prosecute prose-cute such a case Mr. Borah said he was . I still waiting to hear ftom Senator Dubois The witness said thai When Idaho was I admitted as a State it was "tac itly under- I stood" that polvgamists would be per- Hftj muted to continue to live with plural H Wives and Increase their families. Ho i said it was not the understanding that H the political rights of polygumlsts should .o abridged, but that he did not know of BFj agy polygamlsts holding office. At the T.nie he appointed Mr. Budge a regent of the University he did not know his an-I an-I polntce was a polygamist. H List Surprised Him. Hff ! Mr Tavler read a list of alleged polygamlsts, submitted to Mr Borah by i i' it. Owen In response to a hail.-ngo to I Senator Dubois, and Mr McConnell said he had seen the list and knew most of I I the men and was surprised at the list of H names. I . Mr McConnell had no knowledge of the I I arrest of Mr Budge Representative Bur- I ton L. Fronch of Idaho, a mefflbi r of the present Congress, declared that the H charge that former Gov. Morrison failed I I of renomlnatlon because of Mormon ' I .hurch opposition was "grossly Incor- . I Ho denied that the Mormon church used undue Influence in Idaho political affairs, I and said the issue never wus raised in Idaho until 1901 "Then.' said the witness, "I believe It I was raised because the Democrats knew that Idaho believed In the administration , of Roosevelt and the State- could not bo j i.irrled on National Issues The witness declared that many Demo- H crats nnd nearly all of the Democratic ni wspapers of Idaho refused to support the State ticket In 19CM because of the j plank In tho platform against church In- yij t.-rference In politics. Only One Mormon Elected. Mr. French said he knew of only one Mormon Republican elected to office. He . I was the Attorney-General, who had sorvc-1 I during the last two years and was not re- nominated. Polvgamy was said by the witness to be - decreasing He asserted that Gov Good- I lotr v.-as a tientlle, and said no one in the H State had charged seriously that tho Gov- Ki i ernor was a Mormon. H Mi Tayler called Mr. French's attcn- I tlon to the case of William Budge, one of U Whose sons Is n Judge and another a DIs- Hh trlct Attorne. and asked if Gentiles did Bl J i".t refTalh from prosecuting him for fear o bell Oetrn.clsel The witness thought I' 3 that t.rosi'cuilons would not remove tho evil and thai U must die out with those I who are now living In polygamy, j S Mr. French said that In his political ij 3 canvass of the State he had not taken ac- 1 i count of the Mormon church na a church. yck,i what would be the effect on his political fortunes If he should be the Instrument In-strument In the prosecution Of polyga-; polyga-; a mists, witness replied: "It Is my Judgment that the Mormons would resent It Then It Is rather necessary in politics to kep clear of Mormon prosecutions?' observed the chairman. WltnSSS admitted thai Centlles n i,,,. ho had resented the Injection of Mormon prosecution Into the Democratic platform. The committee adjourned until tomor-hM tomor-hM row' |