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Show -f QI GOV. M'COll ; "TELLS OF CONDITIONS IN XiffiSfifP ;iOTEERB0S;-CKOWBSMMliI(i Witness Declares Mormons ; Were Justified in Boycotting Boycot-ting Democratic Ticket Last Year; Knox at Hearing- due to the influence ' of the Mormon 1 church. , - Do Not "Oet EWythlnjr.'' Mr. McConnell said the Mormons are la the minority in each of the political parties par-ties and In the Legislature, and that the Mormons in Idaho "do not get everything they want"' On this subject he read an opinion, which he accepted as his own View, declaring that there is no ecclesiastic ecclesi-astic support Invoked by the church for the control of political affairs. The opinion opin-ion was a long political argument In defense de-fense of the church against the charge thst the Mormon church leaders would seek to control political affairs. Not a Silver Man. ,y The opinion dealt also with blme'tallsm, and Senator McComas stopped the reading read-ing to inquire If the witness indorsed the I opinion given on the subject of silver. Mr. McConnell replied that he did not - "You have been asked to give your own opinion on the Mormon Question," said the Senator. Mr. Worthlngton said thst the two questions ques-tions were Intermingled and witness added add-ed that he subscribed only, to the opinion on the Mormon question.' -' Senator Pettus sked who had written the opinion. Quoted an Interview. .. . . . ,i "It Is an Interview with Sens tor Dubois published in The Salt Lake Tribune In Slay, 1898," said the witness. A speech of Senator Dubois made to the Senate on February 4, 1903, on the subject oi Mormonlsm. was ordered Incorporated WASHDfQTON, Jan. 1L The defense jbi the Senator Reed, Smoot Investigation .- ,wae begun today. The room of the . -Senate Commit tee . on Privileges and I i Elections was as crowded as during the progress of the Inquiry into the secrets of the Mormon church, which was conducted con-ducted by the attorney for the Protestants Pro-testants against Senator Smoot retaining retain-ing his seat Most of the spectators " were women. Senator Knox, recently appointed a member of the committee, attended the hearing today for the first time. ' ' . ' Former Senator Called. William .J. -McConnell of northern Idaho was the first witness called. The examination was"ponducted by "W aide-roar aide-roar Van Cott of Salt Lake, who is associated as-sociated with A. S. Worthlngton of ' Washington . as counsel for Senator Smoot Mr. . McConnell described his occupation as former merchant half politician and lawyer for his friends. He was a' Senator of the Fifty-first Congress 'and wa-3overnor "ot Idaho from 1883 to 1S9 inclusive, serving two - successive terms. He Is a member of the Presbyterian church. - Mormons Didn't' Gamble, In the record, after some controversy. The Senator said he would like to have it go In, because garbled aocounts of this speech had been used in the Campaign. The defense closed its examination with a statement from the witness that he did not know-of any polygamous marriages among the Mormons since the manifesto. Legislators Played Poker. . Mr. Tayler. attorney for the protestants. drew from the witness that he lived a distance dis-tance from the Mormon settlement equal In time from Washington, D. C, to Omaha, Oma-ha, Neb. On cross-examination the witness wit-ness corrected his statement in regard to the "poker-playing Gentiles," saying that it was confined to the members of the Legislature, and not to the people. In response re-sponse to questions, the witness said thst ekcept for the matter of geography and knowledge of legislative needs, he would be willing that the whole Legislature should be composed of Mormons. The witness was asked to aescrioe tne political conditions and took up early days, when, he said, he had lobbied before be-fore the Legislature when, the first effort ef-fort was made to disfranchise the Mormons. Mor-mons. He declared that he was prejudiced pre-judiced against -Mormons, but that he found that most of the Gentiles were i - practicing "the science, which In our country is called poker." He said he had never known Mormons to gamble and drink. Repeal of Tst Oath. . He followed this testimony with a review re-view of his acquaintance with Mormons during the agitation against the religion relig-ion in Idaho. He assisted in bringing about the repeal of the test oath of cltlxenahip and afterward went among the Mormons on a lecture tour. He had observed the people, he said, and their morals were of a high, praiseworthy character. Xnox Questions Relevancy. Senator Knox asked counsel to in- form him as to what part of the case the examination of McConnell was relevant rele-vant , Mr. Worthlngton said he wss unable to answer that conundrum, but " that a great mass of irrelevant testi-mony testi-mony was admitted for the protestants to which objection had been made and . overruled. He said the testimony of McConnell was ' In repiy to this and particularly to that of Charles H. Jack-. Jack-. son, chairman of the Idaho Democratic . committee, who testified that no candidate candi-date for office, Democratic or Republl-' Republl-' can, could stand against the Mormon . church. - ; Dubois on Mormons. " The witness was asked concerning causes of the Mormon vote being oast for Gooding In his canvass for the Gov- - - ernorship and said he was surprised that any Mormon should vote the ' Democratic ticket He gave as one rea- - eon that he bad challenged Senator Dubois to a public debate and received an answer declining the invitation on the ground that Dubois could not afford time to debate with anyone who was not a candidate for office in the party which was "defending criminals, as he believed the Mormons to be." He submitted sub-mitted a HthorraDhed reproduction of i Senator Dubois' letter. , If ot a Personal Letter. "Was that letter personal to you?" . asked Senator Dtbols. . "It was an ans ver to my 'challenge. It was not marked personal." , "Well, all lght," the Senator started to reply, and stopped abruptly dismissing dismiss-ing the subject Boycotted the Democrats. - Senator McComas objected to political discussions and when the witness digressed di-gressed to say that Democrats left their party following the election of ; President Cleveland, the Senator asked - the witness to confine himself to the question of whether the Mormon-, inter- . fered in - politics. Mr. McOvmell repeated re-peated a number of reasons whjr the Democratic party was boycotted by the ' Mormon church, saying that one of the , principal causes was that Senator Du-bois Du-bois called the Mormons criminals. Mot Pus to Chnrdi. ' -f An abstract showing the result of ths : vote In Mormon and non-Mormon coun-, coun-, ties during the last six years was presented present-ed by the witness. This abstract showed a general Increase In the Republican vote In both the Mormon . and anti-Mormon -' - counties, indicating, the witness said, . that the Republican incrsass had not been , A ' . |