The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-12-15
ROBERTS SPEECH
He Defends Himself in
the House
He Challenges the Evidence ana
RidicuIeS the Petitions for
His Expulsion.

WASHINGTON. Dec 5.-When
Brigham H Roberts arose to make
speech in his own defense in the House |
of Representatives today, he nrst sent
to the clerks desk and had read a |
copv of his naturalization papers, as |
he said that all the documents IN TINS
extraordinary case should be before the
House. He then read a paragraph
from 'McCreary on Elections, con-
tanning a general caution against nasty
procedure in election contests.
Now, gentlemen" continued Mr.
Roberts, that is the statement OF one
whose book has authority In TINS
country And if the rule of the House
lof Representative in cases that arise
| to the dignity of contest, how lnf1n-
| itely more should that rule be OBJ
served when mere protest is made
against a member who presents him
| self to take the oath of office. | next
| proceed to the consideration OF the
| charges that are supposed to justify
what the gentleman from Ohio tMr.
| Taylorl himself comedies to be an I'M
usual proceeding, and which my
| friend on this side (Mr Richardson or
| TENNESSEE has demonstrated to be an
unprecedented proceeding. Inc gentle
| man from Ohio bases his charge upon
a court record, that some twelve years
| ago, in the midst of our conflict III the
then Territory of Utah, over the sub
ject of polygamy, that | pleaded guilty
sr-I1 n1a IN
gentleman seems to be obliviOus to the
fact that since the date of his court
record on this subject we have had
two Presidential amnest1es proclaimed
that have been applied to men disquali-
fed by the Edmunds-Tucker act. | I'M
derstand gentlemen who are lawyers
admit this fact, and they will certainly
appreciate the cost of it.
'The gentleman from Ohio has no
court record to show that | was ever
arraigned or condemned for any crime
whatsoever since the PRONUNCIATION OF
the amnesty proclamation OF the Pres
idnet of the United States. The gen
| tleman seems to also forget the fac
that since the confession of that mIsde
. meanor to which he referred there was
passed by Congress an enabling act
authorizing the State of Utah to form
a State government. That enabling
act also had a provision embodied II
it that qualified all citizens within tn
limits of the Territory to become cltl
zens of the United States and was par
ticularly framed to remove the dis
qualifications and disabilities Which
had been created by the Edmunds
y Tucker law The gentleman seems t.
forget, also, that the State Constitution
of Utah was satisfactory to the Presi
), dent and his advisers, and Utah ha
r been admitted as State into tn
! Union. and has taken upon itself tn
), responsibilities of sovereign State
, declaring under it's Constitution who o
. the people residing in its borders snal
exercise the elective franchise and b
qualified for office as citizens or ina
great commonwealth.
QUESTION OF ELIGIBILITY.
"The second charge, which is sup
posed to go to the question of el1glblll
tv of the member from Utah, is NOR
= upon affidavit and other papers in HI
possession; the gentleman from ON
saws that ever since 1889 [ have bee
persistent laW-breaker in the Stat
of Utah. If that be true, let me as
why it is I was not punished for law
breaking? Certainly there was no dis
position not to execute the law on tn
part of the people of Utah. It's &C
ministration was in the hands OF nor
Mormons, of those who had no symps
@ thy with men of my religious faith
~ All the machinery of the law was
the hands of Federal appointees. Ho
is it that I could be an open and def
ant law-b breaker and yet escape TT
penalty of law? The gentleman's OF
jections, then, are based not upon tt
court record, but upon affldavlts an
}. papers that have been supplied hi
by the people,
Mr.. Roberts ridiculed the manner
- which the petition favoring his expu
- sion had been procured. In concludIn
The denied that the members who vote
- to seat him would be voting for p'
- lygamy The question of polygan
y was settled
Il hold it as an honor" said he, 9Th;
| will be quoted long in Utah as OF
20 who helped to settle that question c
the floor of the Constitutional Convel
r, ton. | am not defending polygamy. >
is dead
4 Mr.. Roberts concluded by thankir
Mr.. Taylor and the House for the
IN indulgence. He was given round
applause as he took his seat.
Rooms at Queen Hotel