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Show 'Em mici mm . ; IBM 1 FEHMSYiMKL. . Representative Fljnn Of-c Of-c fcrs Resolution Asking 4 That Scat in Senate Be . Rented Him, as Was y Done in Roberts Case. HARRISBURG, Pa- Feb. 27. A reso- - lutlon .protesting against the seating of United States Senator-elect Reed Smoot of Utah was offered in the House today by Representative Flynn, but when Mr. McWhlnney moved that it be referred to the'Federal Relations committee the resolution was withdrawn ..by. Mr. Flynn, who said it would be again offered of-fered on Monday when there was a full y attendance. .The resolution, is as fol lows: "Whereas, It -has been published in the public press that Reed Smoot, the Senator-elect from Utah, is a disciple of the' Mormon church, and is guilty of the practice of . polygamy, or plural marriage, and ' " "Whereas, Such practice being con-, con-, trary to law and a disgrace to our civilization, civi-lization, and - "Whereas, Mr. Roberts, who was .- elected from the same State, was denied a seat in the Congress of the United States for this same reason, be it . ' V Resolved, That we, the representatives representa-tives of the people of Pennsylvania do 1 earnestly protest against the seating of the Senator-elect from Utah, and be it further ....... : "Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions reso-lutions be 'sent to the United States Senators from Pennsylvania and . that they be urged to use every honorable effort to prevent the seating of the said Reed Smoot in the United States Senate." Sen-ate." -. INVESTIGATION BY 1 V , SEN1TE COMMITTEE ' 7 . IS NOW FAVORED - '-The--newsTrOTa WahTilgtrfn7tEaT Sen-ator'-elect Reed Smoot is charged with being a polygamlst .by the-Rev. J.-.L' Jillch in a sworn statement,' has been .the talk of the town' since the announcement" an-nouncement" was - published yesterday afternoon. Groups of persons are gathered on street corners, in the business offices. In hotel lobbies and corridors, all discussing discuss-ing the startling accusation, its probable prob-able truth or falseness and speculating as to its effect upon the contest over Apostle Smoot's claim to his seat in the Senate. , Friends of Smoot Deny. - Mr. Smoot's friends and supporters are emphatic in denying that the charge can be substantiated by any evidence or even has a shadow of truth for Its foundation. Some of .them in their indignation in-dignation overlook for- the moment an Injunction embodied in one of the commandments com-mandments and incorporate their views in language too torrid to look well in ' print- In Provo, the apostle's, own town, the charge is denounced as utterly false and absurd. r '. The charge which Dr. Leilleh makes - against Reed Smoot does not specify the name of the woman who is alleged to be the apostle's plural wife, but explana- ; tlon is made that the protestant is advised ad-vised by counsel that it is inexpedient at this time to give the maiden name of the plural wife, the place and time at which the marriage ceremony was performed, per-formed, or further particulars concern-lng concern-lng such plural marriage. J The Alleged Plural Wife. 1 However, rumor connects two names V tPlth the story that Smoot has two f wives. One of these is a Miss Jones of . Provo, who report says is In Mexico. "In the home of former Mayor Jones In - Provo, the very thought that one of his daughters might be the Miss Jones referred re-ferred to Is regarded in the light of a joke, too absurd for seriour consideration. considera-tion. Three of Mr. Jones' daughters are marnea: Mrs. w. C. A. Smoot. Jr., wife of the apostle's nephew, and Mrs. Tenia Thomas live in Salt Lake. The third is Mra. Annie J. Adklns of Provo. Three of the daughters are unmarried. Two are young ladies, the third is only 12 years old. Confidence In Smoot. Mra D. -H. Eldredge, mother of Mrs. Heed Smoot, who by the way. is a fourth cousin of Abraham iincoln, re-. re-. tains unshaken confidence in her daughter's husband. She says: "1 know positively that Reed Smoot has no other wife. He has-been a con- slant caller at this house for eighteen years, and if he bad a second wife I would be very likely to know about it He has never been in Arizona or Mexico Mexi-co in his life. Do you knowMrs. Smoot? f Well, do you think she Is the kind of a woman to put up with another wife" In view of the fact. that the charge made by the Rev: Leilleh asserts in addition ad-dition to the accusation of polygamy made against Apostle Smoot. that President Pres-ident Joseph F. Smith, head of the Mormon church. Is now living in open polygamy and that the -late President . -of the Church Lorenzo Snow, lived and died in the practice of polygamy, many Mormons and non-Mormons, Indignant at these charges against the State, declare de-clare that a committee from the United State 6enate should, make a - personal Investigation of these alleged conditions in Utah. -" ' It is pointed out ' that Inasmuch as many are firmly convinced that the ' charges made by Dr. Leilleh are untrue, f the Senate before passing upon the charges made against Apostle Smoot and other prominent members of the iftiatlaued on Page . j ( rty'. J :t f pix-.: id th -nart- i.iie I Lisu-ict AUurre'v. ;'r. t -ot " then r.ryt counselor to It ij'-t i ar-trK!-e of of Utah stak. 1 n 1 irnier of '"" r.g"v.''i v as i: 1 i f lininsf marrifj a jiurai w;ie afcer tV 1 uanca of the nnBnlftto. Upon Invest anon, ws were unatle to tain proof ft tne marriage mar-riage but had Mt tcient j-tcki to warrant a prosecution of bishop liar trier upon, the charsre of adultery. After he was arrested, ar-rested, the matter was Investigated by the stake presidency, composed of president Partridge. David John and Reed Smoot. I know that in the course of thin Investigation Investiga-tion Reed Smoot took Bishop Harmer severely se-verely to task, telling him that If it were true It was a violation of the manifesto and that the church woid not be held responsible for his act. "When arraigned In court. Bishop Hamer pleaded guilty to the charge of adultery and was sentenced sen-tenced to one year In the penitentiary and he was thereupon removed from his bishopric bish-opric by the stake authorities,' Including , Reed Smoot, who was insistent upon the removal With respect to the charge preferred pre-ferred et Washington, I believe firmly that this charge is now made for the purpose pur-pose of creating public sentiment against him, but upon investigation the charge will utterly fall and the result will be beneficial to Mr. Smoot. For a time it will overshadow the charge of church Interference In-terference and when the polygamy charge falls the other will pass away with it, Mr. Smoot ought to be seated. " Protest Against Smoot (Continued from Page 1.) Mormon church, should send to Utah a special committee whose duty it should be to determine by personal observation the truth or falsity of the charges. What Smoot'a Friends Say. The opinions of some of the State officials, offi-cials, Senators, Representatives and other prominent citizens when Interrogated Interro-gated relative to the charges made against Apostle Smoot follow: Charles De Moisey, State Statistician, a neighbor of Senator Smoot's at Provo I know every polygamlst in Provo, and I know positively that Mr. Smoot Is not a polygamlst. I heard about this supposed marriage with Miss Jones long ago and her reputed removal to Mexico, but I know the two were not married. Gov. Heber M. Wells I don't believe Smoot Is a polygamlst. MaJ. M. A. Breeden Of course. I don't know whether there Is any truth in the thing or not, but I don't believe Smoot is guilty, and won't believe it until it Is proved. J. U. Eldredge. Jr. I know absolutely that Smoot is not a polygamlst. The charge can't be substantiated. He Doubts the Story. Senator Harden Bennlon I doubt the story. Of course. I know nothing of Senator Sen-ator Smoot's family relations, but I know and believe the man. If it should prove true, 1 think the Senate should reject him. Senator S.'H. Love There's nothing In it I heard Mr. Smoot say In the most solemn manner, in reply to a direct question, ques-tion, that he was not a polygamlst, and I believe he told the truth. Senator David McKay I don't believe a word of It. You might Just as well say that Bishop McKay of Huntsvilie was a polygamlst. Senator H. 8. Larsen I heard Mr. Smoot tell Senator Sherman that he bad but one wife, and 1 believe he told the truth. Senator Willis Johnson If this man Lellich had proof that Mr. Smoot had more than one wife he should have prosecuted prose-cuted him here in the courts; then he could have confronted Mr. Smoot with the verdict and the evidence at the door of the Senate. We seem destined to be in a turmoil here In Utah all the time, anyhow. any-how. It helps build up the State and so I guess, we better stand it. Knows It Is False. Representative Austin of Lehl. said: "I believe it is false. I have known Snoot for twenty years and have been intimately intimate-ly acquainted with him for twelve years. He-ilved next to me at Lehl for much of the time. I never heard such a thing hinted at and I do not believe It Is true." Representative 8tone of Salem, Utah county, said regarding the matter." "I have known Mr. Smoot for a number of years and I never heard such a thing Intimated. Of course I do not know about his family relations, but I never heard it even hinted that he was a polygamlst." Representative Tietjen of Santaquln, the other Utah county House member, said: .. "I never beard that he had two wives and I' don't believe It. either. I have known Reed Smoot since 1877. In fact, I went to school with him when we were boys and I know there is nothing to this charge." What Sam Xing Says. S. A King of Provo said: "I do not believe it. I do not believe Reed Smoot is a polygamlst or has ever been a polygamlst. On the contrary, I believe be-lieve that Reed Smoot. above all men In the Mormon church, has lived strictly up to the provisions of the manifesto. I have known htm for years, we have been close friends and business associates; and I esteem him highly. X have reason to know that he has insisted upon others - . .- |