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Show CHURCH CONTROL IN POLITICS APTLY : DESCRIBED BY ATTORNEY CRITCHLO W t p - v.:. . 4- 4- ' 4- - "4- 4- ' APOSTLE BUDQEB CLAW SOS. 4. ' Discipline Is Applied to f Hoses Thatcher; His-f. His-f. tory of Prosecutions I Under the Edmunds-; Edmunds-; 'Tucker Law. "WASHINGTON. March 11. At the afternoon session of tbe committee Investigating' In-vestigating' the case of Senator Reed Smoot of Utah, Attorney Tayler for the - prosecution called io the stand B. B. Crltchlow, formerly United Btatea District Dis-trict Attorney In Utah. He la one of the protestants against Senator Smoot. In 1885 he was ap-pointed ap-pointed Assistant District Attorney, and In -1290 aln took a similar position posi-tion at Salt Lake City. He ha served aa School trustee and in the Legislature . for one term. He apoke of the passage of the Edmunds act in 1882. the first law jnakinff polygramous cohabitation W crime and providing for the disfranchisement disfran-chisement of those found guilty of violations. vio-lations. In 1887 there waa added a provision pro-vision relating to adultery and another pro vision for the disestablishment of j the Mormon church and for the dlspo-' dlspo-' sltion o the property of the church. First Polygamy Prosecution. The first prosecution was that of Rudger Clawson. now an apostle of the church, -who waa sentenced to serve four years In prison for unlawful cohabitation. co-habitation. Another conviction on a similar charge was had in 1885 of Angus M. Cannon, president of the Salt Lake stake. "Then." said Mr. Crltchlow. "prosecutions were Inaugurated with vigor, and many men and women went into hiding. Over 1000 men were convicted con-victed and sentenced, if I remember rightly." Went to Jaiil as Martyrs. Mr. Crttchlow said an opportunity f iras given by the courts to the persons convicted to escape Jail service by promising that in future they would obey the law, but the chance of escaping escap-ing punishment was not accepted generally, gen-erally, only three persons complying with the ruling of the court. Continuing he said: "Among these was Bishop Sharp, a director of the Union Pacific railroad, and an old man, who accepted the terms and was promptly removed that being understood under-stood to be the policy of the church wher the doctrine of the church waa not upheld by members." The witness told of a visit to the prisons by Caleb W. West and his offer of-fer to intercede for pardons for the prisoners. The offer was refused. The history of the church between , 1885 and 1900 was given by Mr. Crttchlow. Crttch-low. including the circulation of a story that plural marriages had been given up entirely and that unlawful cohabitation . was on the wane. Ha . .covered 'the passage of all act affect-. ' lng polygamy or Mormonlsm, includ-, includ-, lng the : representations made to Con-' Con-' i gressional committees which visited the Territory prior to the admission of Utah as a State. " Hoodwinked Inquisitors., The purpose of hia statement was to v show that the Mormons continued to create the sentiment that the laws are being obeyed, but In secret had practiced prac-ticed polygamy, and that the church was Irreconcilable to new conditions and its members were conspiring to evade the law. Mr. Critchlow was Interrupted very little, and told his story concisely. He said that in the first State Legislature in 1896, when he sat aa a member tnere was a disposition to send all legislation legisla-tion to the Mormon church to see If It -were proper to enact it. In relation to the Moses Thatcher incident. in-cident. Mr. Critchlow said a letter had ; been sent out which had the purpose of dividing the people as equally as possible pos-sible between Republicans and Democrats Demo-crats so as to maintain a reserve which could be swung either way in the interest inter-est of the church. Church Denied Letter. ' The church afterward denied this letter, let-ter, said Mr. Critchlow, iut Moses Thatcher continued working in the interest in-terest of the Democratic party, and in the autumn of 1896 carried, on an active c&napalgn for election to the United Stjes Senate by the succeeding Legis- latTre. I This campaign was in conflict with the -wishes of the members of his quorum of apostle, and he was finally dropped. It was taken up as a church matter and, said Mr. Critchlow, the ed-' ed-' ltorials in the Deseret Newa declared that the church had a right to interest itself in the elections for the United States Senate. The popular sympathy was with Mr. Thatcher, because it was understood that he stood for absolute liberty in political affairs. Church Fought Thatcher. Mr. Thatcher continued in the field up to the final result of the contest, which ended in the election of Joseph Lu Rawlins as Senator. He said it was well known that the apostles were working against Thatcher, their object being to prevent a direct blow at the principle that the quorum of apostles could control the action of one of their members. The Mormons, he said, were responsible for the election of Mr. Rawlins. Raw-lins. "Thatcher's effort to secure the r-lectlon against the wishes of the church," said Mr. Critchlow, "was the subject of sermons in the church in which Thatcher was charged with being be-ing put of harmony with his quorum and not obeying the will of the presl-s presl-s dent and apostles in regard to teaching politics." Ic answer to a question as to what happened to Mr. Thatcher as a result of his disobedience, Mr. Crttchlow said a declaration of principles was submitted, sub-mitted, to Mr. Thatcher for his signature, signa-ture, but he refused to sign. In the succeeding year he war summoned sum-moned before a council and. tried and acknowledged that he had been wrong and he retained his good fellowship, but is not now an apostle and has not - been since that episode. i Thatcher's Spirit Broken. I Mri Thatcher was compelled to sub-fribe sub-fribe to a statement that he was yioily In the wrong, and, in fact, said -we witness, his spirit was broken completely com-pletely fey his conflict with the church. ' In response to an inquiry in regard to Mr. Thatcher running for the Senate on a platform not In harmony with the church, Mr. Critchlow spoke of the influence in-fluence of the apostles, giving as an 11- lustration that the apostles gave out the instruction that "It is the wish of the Lord that you vote the Republican ticket this time." Mr. Critchlow said the Democrats jrotested against the interference by the church in such manner. Senator McComas anked Mr. Critchlow Critch-low if he would be able to complete the history to the time of the election of Mr. Smoot to the- Senate. The witness said he might give some salient features, fea-tures, but that he was not engaged in politics. The committee adjourned until 10:30 tomorrow without concluding the testimony tes-timony of Mr. Crttchlow. |