The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-08
Utah. with personal sketches of President
Snow and 3. II. Roberts.l


Snow and 3. II. Roberts.l
Salt Lake City, Jan. 6-Recent politi-
cal events in Utah have made the Nor
mons and their leaders objects Of spe-
ciaI interest all over the country. The
chief cause of this was the election of
Brigham H. Roberts to congress in the
face of the campaign declaration Of his
opponents that he was living in poiyg-
amy. Some OF the stories circulated
here in Utah and reproduced en- larger
scale in the east would give the i'm
preston that Mr.. Roberts is something
of a Turk in his domestic arrange
ments This sketch of the man is writ
ten from the viewpoint OF q non-Mor-
mon who knows Mr.. Roberts person
ally and is familiar with his political
record. This knowledge IS supplemented
by a close acquaintance with represen-
tative Mormon people in their own
homes, in the city and country, over
large part Of the state
Personally, the congressman-elect
would be a grave disappointment to
any one who expected to meet the typi-
cal Mormon elder as he appears in the
MAGAZINES He is a stalWart, broad
shouIdered man. 40 or IL years old, say
s feet 9 inches in height, with notice
able firmness of frame, acquired when
His brown InOuStache partially hides
xveil-shaped lips, and his hair, which is
almost curly, frames a good forehead
His face is rather broad, and the
features have the ruggedness of one
who has borne hardships. The eyes are
gray, with an unexpected flash in them
when he is pleased or angry. one who
has seen him Under the stress of strong
emotions would call his temperament
sangUine and perhaps accuse him or
tendency to hasty action in excitement.
Even his enemieS-and he has many
concede his leadership in this state as
an orator. He got most of his early
education at the state university. and
has supplemented it since by constant
study and travel. He has written much
on the theology of his church, and
varied it by newspaper work
In conversation. Mr.. Roberts is
earnest. mis- voice strikingly smooth and
well modulated, and he is too serious to
appreciate a joke much. Put him in
dress suit, crop his hair and introduce
him in a washington drawing ROOM
and it would be long odds that he would
attract favorable attention. His voice
rafeIlt betray the boyhoOd spent in
England, for no such smooth, resonant
tone ever had its early cultivation in
the dry air of the mountains.
One incident is characteristic enough
to show the mans courage. A mob had
murdered two Mormon missionaries IN
Tennessee Roberts was in charge Of
all the southern missions, with head
quarters at Chattanooga. Disgusting
himself as a tramp, he ventured into
the region where the murders were
committed, although he knew discovery
would probably mean rope and tree
for him. He recovered the bodies of
the murdered men and made his way
back to headquarters in safety.
ROBERTS POLITICAL RISE.
So much for the personality of the
man. His political rise began when
he made a noteworthy speech IN oppo-
sifios To woman suffrage during the
session of the state constitutional con-
vention. Both the national parties
were committed to suffrage in their
state conventions, and few of the mem
hers of the convention cared to antago-
,,fze ffoeir marty declarations. Roberts
nDsition raised q storm, but he was
hacked by his own constituents, wheth-
ef they agreed with him on this one
question or not. He was beaten finally
in the convention, but accepted the re
suit and now stands committed to vote
for suffrage legislation IN congress be-
cause the state has adopted it.
The next step was nomination for
congress or the Democratic ticket in
1895. The campaign was fierce, and at
rs height the leaders OF the Mormon
church issued a manifesto which in eff
fect was 2. notice to their people that
Roberts had ignored his church obi
gallons when he accepted the nomlna-
zion without taking counsef' with his
cs-laborers. The Democratic leaders,
Roberts among them, IL a reassempled
stale convention, charged that this