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Show AFOSILE SMOOT EVADES THE ISSUE, , DECLARES MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION Gage Thrown Down on Several Lines for the Senatorial Candidate to Take Up in the Pending Pend-ing Discussion. The statements of Apostle Reed Bmbot regarding his candidacy for the United States Senate, which appeared exclusively In TheTelegram yesterday, have excited much comment among the memhers of the Ministerial association - here. A member of the association who has been most , active In the fight against the apostle's Senatorial candidacy, candi-dacy, made the following statement to The Telegram this morning: Claims Evasion. "I have carefully read Apostle Reed Bmoot's statement In The Telegram, and would say that he absolutely evades the questions we have set forth in our contention. "He Is safe in making the statement, If I am a polygamist, I ought to be in prison.' That statement is In Itself an evasion. "To prove a man a polygamist is an extremely difficult task. It must be proven that he Is actually married to two persons. A man might be proven an adulterer, when it can be shown that he is married to 'one and lives with another .as though they, too, were married. A Gage Thrown Down. "The Ministerial association "would be glad to hear Apostle Smoot say, 'If I am guilty of the practice of polygamy, polyga-my, or polygamous cohabitation, I ought to be in prison." "The Ministerial association Is glad to hear Apostle Smoot agree with It in . that if he be guilty of polygamy he ought to be In the penitentiary. I doubt, hewever, whether Apostle Smoot would ogree with the. contention of the protest, which was that If he or any "Vither of his fellow apostles were guilty f" of polygamy or polygamous cohabita-' cohabita-' tlon, they were lawbreakers and ought to be Imprisoned. Another TToposition.r "Will Apostle Smoot say: If myself or any others of the twelve apostles are guilty of polygamyvor polygamous' po-lygamous' cohabitation, as defined in articles 4208 and 4203 of the. State statutes, stat-utes, we are covenant-breakers and lawbreakers, and ought to be In prison or In the penitentiary.' ' Smoot Owns Prove. "That the people of Provo are almost a unit In supporting Apostle Smoot, regardless re-gardless of their political or religious convictions, cannot be gainsaid. It Is perfectly natural, as he owns the town and it. would be unwise and Impolitic for anyone to go on record by even re-' re-' fusing to sign the petition. . The Gentile people are In a position where they cannot help signing the petition and are deserving of the greatest commiseration commisera-tion and pity because they dare not fearlessly stand out and express their own opinions. To do so would be so exceedingly impolitic as to approach business and professional suicide. They cannot be blamed only pitied. Opens Discussion. . "Apostle Smoot's statement that he, tLS an apostle, has taken no oath that puts his allegiance to the church above his duty to his country opens a line of discussion not laid down in our protest. His oath as an apostle is not the question ques-tion in the protest. The emphasis Is Hot put on the 'apostle.' "Apostle Smoot is all right in Bug-resting Bug-resting that the Ministerial association or the United States Government do not know what goes on in the Inner Tem-Dle Tem-Dle It is not in the nature of things -'C tor this association, or any others not 1 V -rly' 10 know what 18 atne Quotes the HymnaL ' "Let me quote a stanza from the Ighty-second hymn of the Latter-day Bents' hymnal as a proof that there Is Smethink there that we do not know WHERE THE PRIESTHOOD'S POWER AliTHATHUVKN. OR EARTH CAN "NAMH." -Something, however, is known of certain endowment oaths, but this Is al-Wgether al-Wgether another story and Is a matter f oubllc record, but which was not enUoneo! In the protest of the Minis-terlal Minis-terlal association. The Real Question. "The real questfon is: Will Apostle Bmoot take up the protest, article by article, and meet it. In the letter of the protest? He has never given it a fair review, and has never met a specific contention embodied in the protest. "The Ministerial association has asserted as-serted that the question is not merely that the majority of the apostles are po-lygamlsts. po-lygamlsts. but that they are 'poly-co-habs ' The question was thus laid open for discussion, but It has not been met. Smoot's Challenge. "Apostle" Smoot says that he would p perfectly willing to discuss publicly the question of polygamy. If It were of any public Interest. The Ministerial association as-sociation has not raised a question as to Ms belief in polygamy, taking that for Granted. He has a perfect right to believe be-lieve in -the righteousness of the system sys-tem that gave him birth. But since he has raised the question flnd has suggested that he would be y billing to discuss publicly his belief on ' the subject, if such discussion would be rt public interest, we can state that v " Midi an outspoken statement of his be-'ll,r be-'ll,r as Hrlgham H. Roberts published ' . . i (Continued on page 8.) j Apostle Smoot (Continued from Page 1.)' ' in the Improvement : Era would be of great public Interest. Roberts's Bold Stand. "Jn evidence of this we would recall the fact that the article by Mr. Roberts on the lines suggested was probably more widely read than any other article which ever appeared in the Improvement Improve-ment Era, and Mr. Smoot could probably proba-bly not now get a copy of that issue of the paper, outside the bound files. Mr. Roberts believed in the rights of polygamy polyg-amy And dared to say'so and give his reasons. Smoot a Manly Man. "We admire Mr. Smoofs straightforward straightfor-ward manner, and say that as a man he is manly. The association would give much to have him meet the protest, article ar-ticle by article. He is a man of courage cour-age and many of the members of the association have said .that were he not an apostle the greater portion of the objection to his candidacy would have been removed." Speaking of the statement of Owen Prentiss, who-said. "I do not know that there is any polygamy in Utah now," the speaker said: "The idea of that man speaking in authority of a subject of which he admits ad-mits he knows nothing! It is preposterous. preposter-ous. He would better keep quiet until he can speak intelligently upon the subject" Apostle Needed in Utah. Returning to a discussion of Apostle Smoot the representative of the Ministerial Minis-terial association said: "I will admit that Apostle Smoot is an especially able man. particularly in a business way. In his interviews he shows apostolic ability in avoiding the real questions at issue. No one, however, how-ever, can discount his straightforward business ability. "Apostle Smoofs independence of character will make him a man greatly needed in Utah. If it be true that he can maintain his independence of character, char-acter, he is certainly an exceptional apostle. We hope it is true, and we would like to believe that Apostle Smoot will maintain an absolute independence. It is a point greatly in his favor. It was news to me, however, to learn that he hid revolted from the domination of the People's party. "I hope he will not follow the example exam-ple of his illustrious co-religionlst, Moses Thatcher, who after making a noble fight for the privilege of independent inde-pendent thought, was finally crushed by the power of the priesthood." |
