Show SHORT ADDRESS AnDRESS BY REED SMOOT Ji SEAT IN UPPER HOUSE 1 1 Senat Senators rs Give Close Attention to Remarks of Utah Member f I Stating His Position on Local Local Questions I r I and Church Matters Maters 1 l ii STRONG ARGUMENT LEVELED AT A POLYGAMY c 1 4 1 Provo Prove Man Declares That He Has Constantly Talked Against t I Practice Practice Owes Owes First Allegiance to to v l 71 t the he U United States C I Republican Special Service I Washington F Feb b 19 19 Senator Senator Reed nce Sm Smoot ot tora today made his fr first t statement In the senate regarding his hla case be beGinning beginning beginning be- be ginning his speech Immediately af after r morning moi hour lie le had proceeded el for to only a moment when he itt had hal attention of or every senator In th the chamber and pages were e hurried to committee rooms to log bring In nil all al the senators When he had hat proceeded for Cor or about minutes every char chast- chaston on tho ho Hoot floor was filled fled an and a n veteran senator told The n Republican representative c tonight that Senator Smoot received i the clo closest cst attention accorded to any senator senator sen sea ator In rec recent nt years Ho lit lu his speech throughout In iii II a conversational COI tone making no effort at rhetorical effect reading fr from Crom m a which he lie held In his hH hand I erOt he lie had har the crowded word hav hay iress galer gallery was I ipg been sent over to the house side I o ilS I that Senator Smoot was as about to make the first public statement In regard to his own case Statement Brings Pra Praise c During the afternoon and nud tonight t Senator Smoot Is 15 being con congratulated on Ott his straightforward sla statement of or his hf cre case cose He Uc was followed by r who f cP hd d ln 1 Smoot mot Hopkins 1 aker 1 aRid and rime Tho 1 revolution of ot the thc committee on privileges and alc elections will wi be tal taken en entil U til ip Immediately after tho the morning hour hoU lour tomorrow and the lie following following- o ha asked for fOl om time to speak foi fOl or Smoot moot S Senators Sutherland Spooner Hopkins Dev Foraker her hOl cr and amid Heyburn ti Against Mr Mm h Smoot 1 hii be Senators s Burro Burrows Burros s Dubois and Ua Conservative estimate tonight places Smoot's Smoots vote ole tomorrow at live fly f c ten moro moru than luau a n majority of tho the entire e which numbers ninety nely members s. This Is tine the estimate made lade b 1 by tho the Republican 1 d ve in June Junc last and early curly this ses ses- sion Certain to 1 Retain Scat Voting will wi begin tomorrow nt at 4 o'clock Thu Tho first vote ote that will wJ bo bu taken will be on a re resolution which will 1 be he offered by Senator Hopkins providing for fOl expulsion b by a two- two thirds liIm-ds vote Yoto If I this is ia adopted the thc senate sent sen sea ate t will wi havo have committed Itself to ex expulsion cx- cx and arid a second vote will wi then I eX-I be taken It I it Is doubtful If Senator Burrows' Burrows r resolution providing for foi exclusion wl be voted on On account of the committee com coma making the thc peculiar report It did lid the senate mu must t reckon on with wih this report and treat eat It I accordingly I that It seriously consider whether Senator Smoot should be bo expelled or 01 excluded ed As it i Is absolutely certain now that tha It I will wi not vote ote for either cither method method meth meth- od d a Q majority vote oto will wi ihl be distinctly a I vindication and anything beyond this will wi mean menn declaration of or confidence confidence con con- t encl and esteem estem In his speech con j Senator Smoot said hl Mr tr President In what I shall say a to the senate I do not Intend to lO I anal analyze e the voluminous testimony taken taken taken tak tak- en before tho ho committee or on to make an argument thereon The greater part o of this testimony has been before I the sc senate for more than liars two years ears an anti and all 31 of oC it for Cor on nearl nearly one year II It I has hu been fUl fully argued by the dig dig- I senators who have already spoken upon this question My 1 own testimony covering more than thon 12 pages of the record Is before you and andI I 1 do 10 not feel that 1 I should hould trespass upon your youn- Indulgence in an ami extended d discussion Indeed I should have have I con Icen con content to lo submit subunIt the time case upon the record and speeches made by oth- oth rs r-rs 15 without saying any anything thins myself that lint there are lain ecu matters maters which can he be known only to myself tind I think that the thc senate Is entitled to ro o a n rank frank statement from Crom rotu me mc mC as a to toiny tomy f my ny personal attitude altitude respecting these n matters The senate Is entitled d to know my personal attitude upon tho the subject of or polygamy and upon the subJect subject subject sub sub- of or loyalty loyally to this government these two mailers maters I shall ex express c ex- ex press presa myself briefly but Hh entire entre cand candor or mot Not ot a n lol t First I desire to state as us 1 I 1 have ha o stated staled to the senate an and amid to thu country that I nm nun not and amid never nc el have been a t poLygamist I have hn never no had hut but one wife and she she- ho Is n my thy present pres- pres enl emit wife There has hI been beon a moro more or om loss less les I ul prevalent nt opinion that tho ho doctrine of polygamy was waR obligatory upon the lie 1 members of time the Mormon church curch when In truth uth and fact no tue 10 such obligatory doctrine has over ovel existed The rhe revelation rovela- rovela Lieu tion ton concerning polygamy as 08 originally origin origin- all al ally made and as always interpreted Is permissible and nod not mandatory mandator As Asa a mailer mater of oC fact act only u a u small percentage pet per o of the ad adherents ho rents o of that faIths faith have ever been rite Tho vast majority of tho the adult adul members front from Us its fo foundation to tho the present have been monogamists ts The he Mormon people however re regarded regarded re- re this doctrine doctrine although doctrine although permissible per pem- In fn cha character as as as part of or religious lous filth faith and when the law was passed denouncing Us its Is practice the en en- en o of oC the tho law was resisted on tie the ground that it was want unconstitutional i al ai as ag being an Int Interference with wih thou their religious liberty Appeals were wei-e taken takemi to tho ho highest courts of or the Iho United States every pho phase e of LImo tho subject was Wal tested In the courts and amid the law lav wan WU upheld Then Them time the church chui-ch adopted tim tho th J manifesto polygamy which was ratified by bytho Iho general conference of the thc people and hereupon the practice tice of pol polygamy gamy for 01 tho the future futuro was abandoned J Manifesto Well cB Circulated J This manifesto adopted In itt 1890 discontinuing plural marriages has lias 5 been presented anti dl discussed In ho church conferences repeatedly sent out lute into 7 s the church book hoole Tho The tides Articles of or t 1 Faith and amid in many other othel publications V Issued by tho lie church such as text textbooks W v books for fOI the various ious quorums mini man 1 for rol the Mutual Improvement as- as aS- aS j Sunday un l schools primaries f conference proceedings etc and In itt I that way war huts has been much more wl widely el circulated than the original rovela- rovela lion tion lon on eu marriage Consequently Its Ils I tc text t. t tenor and purpose In 11 prohibiting S marriages tv of or law arc are l known to every cry member o of tho the church in i of the world But tho the every eel part parlor 1 i Ice which had prevailed in Inn the period I previous to 1890 loft left Jer a a heritage for forI 01 I the iso succeeding period perlo that was a grave 1 problem There were WIC In 1890 about of th the Mormon male members 1 t church chulch who had polygamous families That these thes were WIl placed In itt a po o lH IU m.- m. I I wc of was rr YUn J 4 Ji i J i dC i out r ff r past and both Irow m must st bo be f tp tp p ful fully under und stand stanc the toleration exercised r b by most I people of ot Utah Mormon and non non- r Mormon alike aUke 5 I Jr Presented Serious Problem The status of ot Ir the he men inert who hud hul II entered Into the thc plural marriage relation rela reki- tion Uon before the tine I Issuance of time the manifesto manifesto mani mani- festo had been fixed before that tune time There was lM no 10 power jower In II time the church or orIn orIn orn In n time the law to change that existing existing fact What hat had been done cone had hind been irrevocably IrIC- IrIC irre irio- done Tim Tho only question was wasas wasas wasas as to the future What hat should be the attitude of the people toward the thc future fu Cu fu- fu ture uro relations of those who had entered entered enter enter- f ed cd Into the polygamous status before r the manifesto This problem was wan a a. a serious oneAt onet one At t that time all al the machinery y of the lie courts In the tho territory was In tho ho lando hanto of or non Mormon who lad had boon been vigorous ous In the pro S I Io of o polygamous relationships These recognized the time vexed eXIr of oC tine the situation nn and extended the oliv tiit's I branch n as OJ It l were As s a relief III Inthis thIs diemma came camo nn un exercise of forbear forbear- since ance on the part part- rt- rt of or the thu I officers The three e assistant United States district attorneys for Cor that period perin were wele E E. B. B Frank Frnk B. B Stephens Steph S ens and William M M. McCarty Judge Jurge McCarty t was sons Inclined to continue pro- pro In n some somE cn cases es but the tue United S States 11 district attorney refused to al allow at- at low IQ hi hl his accounts and he ceased cons ceas ed Mr Ir Critchlow wrote the time principal S protest In this case ease and was ono one of ofIs Its Is signers signers All these and nd other othor gui KOV- J prosecuting t testified before the committee to the ces cessation of nf proS prosecutions against then existing then polygamous relations and amid of oC the tho gout fren- gOI- gOI rr eral I amon among the non Mormon S people pennie roDI that that was the he heat beat t and amid alI quickest WI way va to get rid rill of the Iho whole question question to to queston-to to let the old time relations eid end In death There was a n general b by tile the te people In this so solution so- so lotion lution I and It Is working out a complete complete com corn arid and ithal solution Polygamous Household Decrease c S At the time the manifesto to was there were svera 2 2151 poly polygamous amOuN S households In iti the church Careful havo been taI taken cn and p i 1 and will ill wil bo be found III In the testimony which lieu show that this number has radul decreased until there wa was waRt Rt The be time the thc testimony clo closed ed not to exceed GOO COO such households in exist exist- n. n n. n ence n p The Time fit first presidency anti and council counci o oC of apostles prior to my selection n as anapo an nn apo apostle le Ip iti It 1900 was wan fN composed of or ten tel and amid five In Imi 11 1906 1006 these sumo same quorums comprised live flo polY and ten tutu monogamies I Of the lie teen fourteen general authorities cho en since 1890 1800 only two ts-o were tene polygamists poly putty the thu other other- mists othol But Mr h President It Il Is claimed S that there have havo been new of oC polygamous marriages man since tho the man and arid this lila presents altogether a emit different question J I havo hao no hesitation ion tion ton in declaring to lo the tIme senate and amid to S the American Amerial people that In mm II my amy 1 opinion opus opus- S ion an any man mami mUl who has unmarrIed man a a. polygamous S amous arnous wife ifo since the tho manifesto should S be he prosecuted and If it t convicted should suffer r tho the penalty penally of or the law and I care cre not met lot who tho the miami man mal might be S Sor or what position ho Jl might ht hold In Iii thu tho church ho should receive c time the punishment punish S ment pronounced by tho time law against S his crime New Now Polygamous cs Sea Scarce i The rhe testimony taken before o Iho tiso committee tends to show that there thero have ha e been some somo polygamous marriages since the thc manifesto I o sincere e S S ly b Mr r President that such cases S cos ha have havo vo been beets rare The rhe They ha have hac c not riot re received to- to cef cd the sanction or or- or encouragement of or tho the churchIn church In itt respect to the thoroughness of of S s the thc search made b by the committee for such violations of oC the law a witness J J t I before the committee comm testified that h he Ito hail had been hn employed since 1898 In lit J hUlt- hUlt II big Ing down n do such uch cases that ho lie had haLl t ci undoubtedly the tho closest information possible lo on 01 this matei matter This witness gathered ROd and presented all ni the rumors JOt and suspicions ho could discover on the tho J polygamous relations In the lie United 1 Stales Canada Mexico or 01 elsewhere aI anti and 1 the thc whole number su suggested t though not proved IIO cd Is less than hail an aver average o of two cases for fol each ach Year vear r f T since the manifesto In lit Oil all al t these te e conT communities com con numbering j over pen peo itle In lit most of the lie cases such persons per pel sons arc are and have hav been fu fugitives from flom i Justice anti and the alleged marriages have ha havet 1 t none of them item hen been charged eel to have have- t occurred within the thc jurl Jurisdiction of the United States In but otto one instance tj was as there direct proof of the plural marriage and this It I w was s testified occurred oc oc- e curt curt-cd in 1 Mexico If I a any n of these cl cases es I are actually cases of or attempted asI ask assumption as as- I k of polygamous relations such I is not only without the 3 sanction and approval of tho lie Mormon church but Is in the face of oC and anti In defiance of Its Is most solemn protest and admonition Church Sto Slops Plural TJ Ties Tics The Thc Mormon church has lias stopped i v plural marriages anti and no polygamous t t relation assumed sub subsequent to 1890 1800 Is with wih the ho permission sanction auction or 01 approval alt ap ap- t- t of th the church that lint is an anti f. f fixed Every E such violation of th he law has the express cond condemnation o of of the thc The manifesto of 1590 I vas as submitted to and approved ed b by In the conference of the church chUch which means menns by br the tho bod body of or the tho members s o othe of the thc church church and and it i remains th the law o ox of S x the church binding upon every CIT C officer office officerS S thereof however howe er high It 1 can cnn not b be repealed modified su suspended or ex ex- ex r r b by the same sante power that enacted f it i Reference has ha been made to an al alI nJ- nJ I le cd treasonable obligation which I it I is isS sou sought ht to to claim is Is Isa a p part paIt lt of the lie S Mormon endowment ceremony Thel The I l senate will vilh wi UHle tand that hat the these cero cero- o S monies are lUO o of a sacred nature to those S participating in them and are arc therefore there there- 5 fore forc not nUt divulged cd The They were il instituted t- t S in III the thc Mormon church by Joseph JosephI I Smith some time time- prior to his death 5 and are ale yet cl given biven as ns put part of or the theS S S temple ceremonies being of a S Jou Jotis spiritual char character they are for foi I the lie living anti and the dead f ant a a part palt of the S 5 Mormon belief being vicarious performance per per- of |