OCR Text |
Show ATTACKS YOMG ARGIIC CAHM!, T: : -TOLD OF COUSIN'S KOMGE if I 1396 . . .... Smoot Witness Says Young Mormons Want Polygamy Done Away With; H. M. Dougall Testifies. . i .. -. .... . BuiXExnr. ' . v WASHINGTON, Jan. 14. At tod ay's session of the Senate Mr. Dubois introduced an amendment to the Joint Statehood bill prohibiting the practice prac-tice of polygamy in the proposed States of Oklahoma and Arizona. The provision Is In the language of the Idaho test oath. ' avenge the blood of prophets "on this Nation.", - . ' V No Hostility to Government. Witness said be-was perfectly clear ! that nothirrg in the obligation taken expressed hostility to the Nation or to this Government. He said it was taken ta-ken from the scriptures. Revelations, chapter 6, verses 9 and 10. There waa nothing in It, he said, of disloyalty to the United States. He said it bad been forty years since he took the endowment, endow-ment, and he could not remember the exact language, as It did not particularly particu-larly Impress him. Doesn't Snow Polygamists. - On cross-examination Mr. Noon said he did not concern himself with polygamy, polyg-amy, and was unable to state who were polygamists in Provo. . Many names were read to him, and he identified them by common repute as living in polygamy. Chairman Burrows asked Mr. Noon also in regard to the endowment ceremony, cere-mony, arid he declined to state its na-ture. na-ture. He would not say whether there was - a change in wearing apparel, whether there was a severe penalty attached at-tached to revealing what had taken place or anything connected with the obligations. - ... "What would you say as to whether the penalty was : to- have the tongue torn-out -the vitals' cut ouf of the body?, asked Chariman Burrows. "1 do not feel that I could answer," Mr. Noon replied. ' Dougall Is Recalled. Mr. Dougall was recalled and asked whether there was anything in his endowment en-dowment oath incompatible with his allegiance to his State and the Nation. He replied that there was nothing. Mr. Noon was recalled and answered the same question in the negative. Chairman Chair-man Burrows again recalled Mr. Dougall, Dou-gall, and several Senators wanted to know why he would state a part of the ceremony and would not state It all. He said he could not remember the exact wording of the obligation of vengeance, ven-geance, but was sure it was not hostile to the Government, and that it was exclusively ex-clusively religious and not related in any manner to civil or governmental affairs. Hatfield on Stand. William Hatfield of Salt Lake City was sworn. He was a Mormon until he was 22 years of age, and then drifted away from the church. He testified that polygamy was decreasing, and that he had known of no plural marriages mar-riages since 1890. . Mr. Hatfield took the endowments at the time he was married. He was 21 years old then, and left the church about a year later. Soon after he was sworn the committee took a recess. t , essssssessaesssi WASHINGTON, Jan. 14.-James E. . Lynch of Salt Lake was the first witness wit-ness today in the Smoot Investigation. He Is a Democrat and a non-Mormon.. Attorney Van Cott, for Senator Smoot. examined the witness concern- lng the statement that Angus M. Cannon, Can-non, his brother-in-law, . had said he , r witnessed the marriage of Abram Can-JT Can-JT iaon T3 Lillian Hamlin in 1896. Mr. Lynch said he investigated the statement state-ment by Angus Cannon at the request of K. B. Critchlow and found that Angus An-gus Cannon was not in California In 1896. but the witness admitted that his brother-in-law had made the statement. state-ment. -He declared, however, that Cannon Can-non was drunk when he said it. reeling of Toons Mormons. Chairman Burrows asked Mr. Lynch ' concerning the feeling of young Mor- 1 mons oh the question of polygamy. Wlt- ness said they, felt that the practice must be "done away with," but that he had heard nothing of the "young Mormons T""fr'"g a protest to the heads , of the church.'' H.. M. Dougall of Springvllle, Utah, who explained that he was "fired" from the Mormon church, waa cr"-rt to the - stand. He is postmaster of & town of 8500 inhabitants. - Duly Five Polygamists. ..He could' think of only five iciyga-mists iciyga-mists in Springvllle and said thc-reliad been no polygamous marriages bince 1890. His expulsion from the church in 1874. he said, had not made a particle of difference in - his business, even though a majority of his business came from Mormons. Hot on "This Nation." ' As a Mormon he took the endowments endow-ments in 1862. He was about 25 years old then and was married at that time, 'which, he said, was the only time he had been married. About 150 went through with him. Mr. Worthlngton read the oath of vengeance, given by certain witnesses, and Mr. Dougall said ,. the oath was to avenge the blood of the prophets or martyrs on "this generation" genera-tion" and not on "this nation" as had been testified. Mr. Dougall said he had served in the Legislature and was elected In a Mormon Mor-mon eounty. As to his expulsion from the church he had nothing to say. Chairman Burrows asked the witness to state the nature of the ceremony performed per-formed when be was married in the endowment en-dowment house and Mr. Dougall replied: re-plied: . Declines to Answer. "I do not believe X care to tell that, Senator." "Was there a penalty attached If you revealed what took place?" "Yes, sir." 4 W "What was that penalty T' ' Y "I decline to state." "Was it severer' Penalty Severe. "Am I remember, it was.", "Was It death V "I do not believe I care to answer any t more questions on that subject." . "You have stated a part of your rec- ollectlons, and yet you decline to state .' the whole 7' - "Yes." ?"You were married when you took the endowments?" "On that day 'yes, sir." Must Take Endowments. Continuing, he said that one could not be married in the temple until he had taken the endowments, .but that other legal marriage ceremonies were performed per-formed outside. Plural marriages, be said, could not be performed outside of the temple of the church. "You were expelled years ago, you say?" asked the chairman. "Yes. sir." ' "And you feel that after these years separated from the church your obligations obliga-tions are still binding on your "Yes, slr;'I have considerable scruples against divulging anything that I swore not to reveal." On direct examination the witness told Mr. Worthlngton that he had taken ta-ken obligations in a secret society and - he had the same scruples against divulging di-vulging such obligations. Justice Noon Testifies. . A. A. Noon of Provo, a Republican Justice of Peace and former Mormon, who voluntarily withdrew from the " church in 1870, .testified' that young .Mormons are opposed to polygamy, . and also that Mormons are not taking - ' any Interest in politics as a church. He has been a candidate for office biennially bien-nially since 1890, and with the excep-tlon excep-tlon of 1896 has defeated Mormon can- '" . dldates. - He Indorsed Senator Smoot ' highly, and waa not surprised, he said. at his election as Senator. - . After his marriage Mr. Noon said he '..took the endowments. Mr. Worth In g-J g-J ton asked him if b took an oath- to |