| Show A RELIGIOUS TEST I 1 during the last few days before the close of registration the applications for admission to citizenship in the third district far exceeded in number those of any other like period on june 4 there were thirty five person admitted by judge henderson Hend ereon and the record of next mornings session shows twenty six admitted with more than that number who were to come in the afternoon of those attendance in june f there were many who are der stood to be liberals therefore the liberal party managers judge powers commissioner Com missioner pierce A L williams and others were exceedingly cee dingy active using every endeavor to rush their men in As an instance while judge henderson Hend ereon was examining applicants H S laney came up in a rush and asked that a gentleman for whom he was to be a witness be given precedence over a number of others who had come before him rhe reason he gave for this request was that the man had left his work entirely ignoring the fact that those he was crowding back were in precisely the same predicament the adam adamantine alitine cheek thus displayed took the good natured judge so by surprise that he told him to go ahead it was dis covered however thattie that the applicant had left his first papers at home and he could not be sworn in without producing them thein shortly after the naturalization of citizens commenced that morning peter ellis a mormon wao WB called he passed judge hendersons examination as to his qualifications cat ions and was about to be sworn when one B R D winters interposed by asking if mr ellis was a mor mon I 1 to this the reply the affirmative do you yota believe the doctrines of mormonism to be truell true was the next question quest ion mr ellis replied that he did this was followed by do you believe polygamy to be morally wrong to this mr FAUs ellis reply was NO iso sir 11 and it wis was made the basis of the rejection of his application hup hugo peterson was next next in order jiter the asua usua questions and also lw ysl examination as to his present in polygamy the judge aided did you believe in it once mr peterson yes sir court then you now think that the great principle of plural marriage is not right A not under the law court Is it morally wrong independent of any law A that is my idea at this point winters again interposed ter posed with are you a member of the mormon church A I 1 am winters do you know of the revelation on celestial or plural marriage A yes sir winters do you believe that eliat to be of god le grand young who had been bean engaged by the applicant to act for him sald said I 1 object to questions regarding this applicants s belief he f has as answered questions bno regarding his allegiance to this government and has done so satisfactorily what this man may believe in has nothing to do with it but what his actions and the sincerity of his intentions are may be ascertained would there be anything wrong in a man saying lie he believed the law against polygamy wrong and that he would work for its repeal in a lawful manner but would otey obey it as long as it was a law I 1 think not they have asked if he belongs to the mormon church and I 1 he e says ays he does the supreme court of the united states says a man may believe as he pleases but the law governs his actions why are you treating his citizenship on the ground of his membership in a church such an outrage should not be tolerated by any court to ask him all his beliefs to get him to say that he bel believes leVes joseph smith to be a prophet and then try to confuse him is not right I 1 submit it is not fair for any lawyer to come and do as is being done in this case court could you admit a nihilist mr young if he believed in nihilism against the jaw no if only in the abstract and would obey the laws of the land yes this man says he does not believe in polygamy in violation of the law jaw court well to believe in joseph smith is no cause of challenge and I 1 shall permit the questions winters do you believe the revelation on celestial marriage to be from god peterson I 1 believe that for me it is not right against the law winters do you believe there are some men who may if they believe it to be a command of god A that is their business it is against the law I 1 can only answer for myself winters do you think man should obey god rather than man A 1 I do winters dont you think you should take two wives if god commands it A no not under the law winters suppose a man has two them wives hashe a right to live W T A not under the law winters if god gave you a reve j lation what would you do A I 1 would obey god winters then you would obey the revelation on cele celestial attal marriage A not to take two wives because that is against the law winters I 1 ant it a law of the mormon church for all to obey plural marriage A 1 I dont think so winters suppose aman bellev believed ed it is right do you think he would be ju justified stifled A not under the law judge powers would you convict a man of unlawful cohabitation A yes if he was proven guilty powers suppose the church was to command you to take another wife which would you obey the law of the land or the church A the law of the lind hind the church would never give such a command to any of its ito members mr young counsel seems to take the stand that this revelation commands polygamy I 1 am a mormon and never so understood it mr peterson was ordered admitted peter beck came next and was submitted to an examination similar to that of mr peterson and was admitted A number of other mormons cormons Mor mons among the abo applicants one was asked in addition to questions like the above you think the church has been wrong in its teachings his reply re y was 1 I would not say that I 1 am not its judge it was a notable fact that when the first non no mormon 11 mr thomas came winters ana and powers had bad no questions to ask when a mormon mr levander came again however the inquisition was resumed the following being among the interrogatories who is the bishop of dourward your ward suppose the bishop should tell bouto you to vote a certain way would you do it do you believe in part of the doctrines of the mormon church and disbelieve others when an answer was given to the effect that the applicant did not believe polygamy right under the law he would be met with such remarks remark 8 as you youre ire note not a very good mor bonare youre not much of a saint etc on june 7 judge anderson was waa engaged in hearing applicants for admission to citizenship when judge henderson was in this line his inquiries were uniform to all now however there was a change after the usual questions as to the age residence etc the court would ask are you a member of the mormon church if the reply was in the negative two or three more questions would close the examina exa minar i tion if an affirmative answer was given the judge would put a list of inquiries such as did you ever shield anyone in the practice of polygamy did you ever hide away one accused of unlawful I 1 cohabitation or polygamy for whom the officers were looking if the church were to call you on a mission would you go would you preach poly polygamy gainy if the church commanded you to do you consider the commands of the church above the laws of the land etc with these questions answered satisfactorily facto rily the applicant was t turned u ned over to attorney winters for such examination as he be desired to make |
