Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-01-18
THREE WIVES.
House Committee Finds Rob-
erts to be a Polygamist.
CAN'T STAY In CONGRESS
Majority of Committee Favors Exclud.
ing Him From House Immediate.
ly- Minority Wants to SeaS
and Then Expel Him,

Washington, Jan. 17-(By Associated
Press 1.-The special committee of the
house to investigate the case of Brig
ham ii. Roberts of Utah has reached
it's conclusions. On the polygamous
status of Roberts the committee was
unanimously in the affirmative. On
the question of procedure to be adopt
| ed the committee is divided.
A majority, consisting of all the
members except Littlefeld Of Maine
and DeArmond of Missouri, favored
exclusion at the outset. Littlefe1d and
DeArmond will make a minority report
favorable to seating Roberts on his
prima facie rights and then expelling
him.
A statement of facts found by the
committee follows:
| We find that B. III. Roberts, elected
as representative to the Fifty-siNth
congress from the state of Utah, was
at the date of his election above the age
of 20 years, that he has been for more
than seven years a naturaliZed citizen
OF the United States, as an inhabitant
of the state of Utah.
We further find that about 1878
he married Louisa Smith, his first and
lawful wife, with whom he has ever
since lived as such, and who since
their marriage has borne him six chill
I,dren.
About 1885 he married as his plural
wife Celia Dibble, with whom he has
| ever since lived as such, and who, since
their marriage, has borne him six chill
dren, of which the last were twins,
born. August IL, 1897.
That some years after his said mar
rage to Celia Dibble, he contracted an
other marriage with Margaret c. Ship,
with whom he has ever since lived in
habit and repute of marriage.
Your committee is unable to fix
the exact date of this marriage. 1t
does not arnear that he held her out
as his wife before January /, 1897, or
before that date she held him out as
her husband, or that before that date
they We're reputed to be husband and
lwife.''
THAT these facts, are generally
known in Utah and We're publicly
charged against him during his cam
paign for election and not denied by
him.
I THAT the testimony bearing on
these facts was taken in the presence
of Roberts that he fully cross-exam-
ined the witnesses, but declined to
place himself on the witness stand"
Washington, Jan. 16-(By Associated
Press. 1.-The senate committee on in
teroceanic canals agreed unanimously
to report bill for the construction
of the Nacaraguan canal. The bill is
4 the same as that reported fayorably in
the house by the committee on inter-
state and foreign commerce with 4
few verbal amendments.
Cullom of Illinois presented petit
zion from over 1000 colored people
asking legislation to protect them
from lynchings, and asked that the
matter be referred to the committee
on judiciary. Hoar and Chandler then
/ called attention to the fact that these
crimes fall exclusively within state
| jurisdiction and that the government
has no constitutional power to enact
legislation OF the character asked.
Pettigrew's Resolution Tabled.
Davis, chairman OF the committee
on foreign relations, addressed the
senate on the various resolutions and
i amendments relative to the Philippines,
| opposing particularly Pettigrew's
amendment to Hoar's resolution, call
| ing for the instructions to the menu
bers Of the Paris peace commission.
Davis, who is chairman of that COM
mission, said he was much embarrassed
in dealing with the question in open
! session. When the doors were closed
he moved to lay the Pettigrew amend
4 ment on the table. A point of order
was made that this could not be done
in secret session, and it was sustained.
The doors We're then re-opened, and
1 Davis made a motion to table it and it
was carried, Al to 20.
4 In the House.
The house went into committee OF
i the whole on the urgent deficiency
bill with the understanding that the
general debate will continue today and
the bill be read for amendment to-
morrow. Cannon, chairman of the APP
preparations committee, opened with a
general explanation of the Items in the
j bill. The item to help out rural free
| delivery caused some opposition. Me-
Rae of Arkansas said the revenues this
year would not exceed 600,O00,OOO,
/ while the estimates aggregated $685.
| OOO, 900.