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Show : fil'CONB ELL'S TESTIMONY J IN THE SAlOOT INQUifiY -Former Gov. William J. MoConneH was on the witness stand nearly all of ' Wednesday in the Bmoot Inquiry . at Washington. . : ' In continuation of bis testimony . an abstract showing-, the result of the . vote in Mormon and non-Mormon coun-.- ties during the last six years was present-ed 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 increase had not been due to the Influence, of the Mormon church. Mr. McConnell said the Mormons are In the minority in each of the political par ties and In the Legislature, and that the Mormons in Idaho "do not get everything I bey want." On this subject he read an opinion, which he accepted a his own view, declaring that- there it no eccleai- j astlc 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 that the Mormon church leaders would J seek to control political affairs. The opinion dealt also with bimetallsm, . and Senator McComas stopped the reading read-ing to Inquire if the witness Indorsed the opinion given on the subject of silver. Mr. McConnell replied that he did not. , - "Tou have been asked to give your own - opinion on the Mormon question, said the Senator. - J4r. Worthington said that the two questions ques-tions were intermingled and witness add-. add-. ed that he subscribed only to the opinion on the Mormon question. eenator Pettus asked who had written . the opinion. . , "It is an interview with Senator Dubois ublished in The Salt Lake ITribune in lay. 1898," said the witness. -" A speech of Senator Dubois made to ins Senate on February 4. 1903, on the subject ' of MormOnism, was ordered incorporated, In the record, after some controversy. ' The Senator said he would like to have it go in. because garbled accounts- ft..ls speech had been used in the campaign. The defense closed Its examination with a statement from the witness that be did not know of any polygamous marriages among the Mormons since the manifesto. Mr. Tayler. attorney for the protectants, . drew from the witness that he lived a distance dis-tance from the Mormon settlement equal In time from Washington. D. to Oma? ha. Neb. On cross-examination the witness wit-ness corrected his statement In regard to the "poker-playing Gentiles," ssying that it was confined to the members of the Legislature, and not to the people. In response re-sponse to questions, .the witness said that except for the matter of geography and knowledge of legislative needs, he would be willing that the whole Legislature should be composed of Mormons. In defense of the Mormons Mr. Me Connell said, he considered the man who took a plural wife and cared for her and her children far better than one who sustained sus-tained illicit relations with a woman and abandoned her and her children to the scorn of the world. Mr. Tayler questioned the witness closely In .regard to the political distinction distinc-tion he drew, but be declared that po-lygamista po-lygamista were not allowed to bold office. of-fice. - "Do yon know 'William Budge V , Mr. Tayler asked. "Yes, sir." ' ' "Is he a polTgamlstr The witness said he was satisfied that Budge was a polygamlst, and added that he had held office, and. as Governor of Idaho, Mr. McConnell ssid, hs had appointed ap-pointed Budgs a regent of the State, university. uni-versity. At the request of Senator Dubois, the witness read the Mormon plank in the Idaho Democratic platform. He was asked If that plank had not been responsible respon-sible for the loss of every Mormon vote; tut the witness asserted the Influence of this plank had not been as potent -as the statement of Senator Dubois that "all Mormons were criminals." When questioned further on this sub. jeci, ne aamuieo. ne naa nearo iuo "threat of Mormons" that If the plank were adopted there would not be a Mormon Mor-mon vote cast for the Democratic ticket. At the afternoon session Mr. McConnell again was called to the stand, and Mr. Worthington asked 'concerning a challenge chal-lenge that had been made -by Mr. Borah, an attorney ofBotse City, Ida., to Senator Sena-tor Dubois. The witness had obtained this challenge by telegraph today In order to get it in its correct form. He read the challenge, which was that if 8eoator Dubois Du-bois would point out a single Mormon who had taken a plural wife since the manifesto he Mr. Borah) would prosecute prose-cute such a case. Mr. Borah said he was still waiting to hear from Senator Dubois. The witness said that when Idaho was admitted as a State It was "tacitly understood" under-stood" that polygamists would be permitted per-mitted to continue to live with plural wives and Increase their families. He said it was not the understanding that the political rights or polygamists should be abridged, but thst he did not know of any polygamists holding office. At the time he appointed Mr. Budge a regent of the University he did not know his appointee ap-pointee was a polygamlst Mr. - Tayler read a list of alleged polygamists, submitted to Mr. Borah by C. M. Owen In response to a challenge to Senator Dubois, and Mr. McConnell said ha hadr seen the list and knew moet of the men, and wassurprlsed at the list of names. Mr. McConnell had no knowledge of the arrest of Mr. Budge, Representative Burton L. French of Idaho, member of the present Congress, declared that the charge that former Gov. Morrison failed of renomlnatlon because of Mormon church opposition, was "grossly "gross-ly incorrect" He denied that the Mormon church used, undue influence In Idaho political affaire, and said the issue never was raised in Idaho until 1904. "Then," said the witness, "I believe It was laised because the Democrats knew thst Idaho believed tn the administration of Roosevelt and the State could not be carried on National issues." The witness declared that many Democrats Demo-crats and nearly all of the Democratic newspapers of Idaho refused to support the State ticket in 1804 because of the plank in the platform against church Interference In-terference In politics. ? . Mr. French said he knew of only one Mormon Republican elected to offloe. He was ths Attorney-General, who hsd served during the last two years and was not renominated. re-nominated. Polygamy was said by the witness to be decreasing. He asserted that Gov. Gooding Good-ing was a Gentile, and said no one In the State hsd charred seriously that ths Governor Gov-ernor wss a Mormon. - Mr. Tayler called Mr. French's attention atten-tion to the case of William Budge, one of whose sons is a Judge and another a District Dis-trict Attorney, and asked if Gentiles did not refrain from proeecuting him for fear of being ostracised. The witness thought that prosecutions would not remove the evil, snd that It must dls out with those who are now living in polygamy. Mr. French said that In his 'political canvass ef the State he hsd not taken account ac-count of the Mormon church as a church. Asked what would be the effect on his political fortunes if he should be the instrument in-strument in the prosecution of polygamists, polyga-mists, witness replied: "It Is my judgment that the Mormons would resent it" "Then it Is rather necessary In politics to keep clear of Mrmon prosecutions T" observed the chairman. Witness admitted (thst Gentiles In Ida-bo Ida-bo had resented the Injection of Mormon prosecution Into the Democratic platform. |