The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-26

There are now two gentlemen in Salt
Lake studying the Roberts case and
the Mormon church. One of them is
from New England, and the other is
from Tennessee. They are Rev. E. E.
Folk of Nashville and Hon. William
Rockwell Clough of Alton, ". H
Mr.. Clough is the chairman of the
national affairs committee in the New
Hampshire house of Representatives. He
is not making an exhaustive study of
the question, but on his trip through
the country he has stopped here for a
few days to learn something of the
Mormon church. He will write some
letters concerning his observations TO
the News and Courier.
Yesterday he met President Joseph
F. Smith, Apostle Brigham Young, jr.,
and Secretary George Fs Gibbs, and
had quite long discussion with them
concerning the church.
'They seemed to be very liberal and
intelligent men," said Mr.. Clough last
evening at the Knutsford. They spoke
TO me in what seemed a very fair man
ner. They declared that it is now evil
dent that a mistake had been made in
the nomination and election of Roberts.
but they maintained that the church
did not put him up nor elect him.
Should Be Liberal
Now, know nothing about the facts
of the case, but we must be very lib
eral in these matters. Unless Roberts
is an open and willful and defiant vio-
lator of the law. l think he should re-
main in congress. / don't suppose it
was intended that men with more than
one wife should not support them. 1t
would not be honorable to cast plural
wives aside.
IF a man has had pleasant asSocia-
tons for years with his several wives,
we cannot expect him to break away at
once. Polygamy will die out in time.
There are many members of congress
who pay attention to more than one
woman, still we cannot give such prac-
tees open and avowed recognition"
A Nashville Divine.
Mr.. Folk, a prominent Baptist divine
of Nashville, Tenn, has been in town
for several days, making an exhaustive
investigation into the habits, beliefs
and home influences that pertain to
Mormonis1n. Mr.. Folk is the accredited
representative of the Nashville Ameri-
can, and is gathering data that will be
used in framing a series of articles
scheduled to appear in the American
about the time congress convenes.
When asked how the people of his sec
ton of Tennessee felt regarding the
seating or unseating of the Utah repre-
sentative, Mr.. Folk said:
THE Nashville people that I have
talked with are unanimous in express
ing their disapproval of the. avowed be-
liefs and practices of Mr.. Roberts;
they consider that his sentiments on
the subject of cohabitation with his
three wives are repugnant to a sense
of decency and slap in the face to
morality. What is particularly exas-
perating to them is the fact that he
openly boasts of being the father OF
children born to two of his three wives
since the issuance of the manifesto, and
the famous twins brought into the
world shortly after the admission of
Utah to statehood. They consider that
he is a lawbreaker. q defiant one, if you
will. and as such think it a pantomimic
performance to elect him to a body
whose business it is to frame the laws
of the country; that it is an insult to
the intelligence of the rest of the law
abiding people of the United States to
expect them to abide by laws passed
by a body of which he is a member.
The people of the south and east feel
very strongly on the subject, and cave
no doubt that he will be expelled from
the house of representatives with but
few dissenting votes"