Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-11-13
SMOOT As SENATOR
Utah May Send the Mormon
Apostle.
TO MEET OPPOSITION
HOW CASE WOULD BE CONSIDER
ED BY SENATE.
Question of the Legality of Election
Practically the Only One
of Weight.
} MEET OPPOSITION

Reports from Utah indicate that Apostle
Reed Smoot of the Mormon Church will be
elected United States senator by the legis-
lature of that state If he Is elected the
apostle Is not likely to find any important
obstacle in taking his seat in the Senate
The rejection Of Roberts, the Mormon, by
the House of Representatives can have no
bearing on the case. There were many ele-
ments in the Roberts case that will not ap-
ply to that of Apostle Smoot.
The Senate is very different body from
the House of Representa- tatives, and cannot
be Influenced by a flood of petitions, as was
the House. There are great many people
who are convinced that had Roberts been
elected a United States senator he would
have been seated.
Charge Of Deal.
There is much talk in the press of the
west about a deal having been fixed up
among republicans for the seating of Smoot
in exchange for Mormon influence In Idaho
for the election of a republican senator
from that state Senator Hatfield will be
succeeded by a republican. The Mormons
are more influential in the elections of
Idaho than in any other state outside Of
Utah, and this fall they generally voted
the republican ticket. They will be largely
represented in the Legislature.
From this fact the story has gained wide
circulation that the republicans in the Utah
may be favored by the national party lead
ers. in exchange for promises that Smoot
will be seated when he appears in this city
with his credentials as a United States SEN
ator. Smoot doubtless will be seated If
elected. and those who have sanctioned this
story about the deal will then be able to
claim the correctness of their predictions.
Smoot Will Be Received
The fact is, if Apostle Smoot presents
himself before the bar of the United States
Senate with credentials properly attested
showing him to be a United States senator
from the state of Utah, he will be received.
Any one senator can precipitate fight on
the question of seating him. His creden-
tials will take the course adopted In the
case of every senator. They VIII be sent to
the committee on privileges and elections.
That committee will act on the question
judicially. If there is one question that the
most influential men in the Senate pride
themselves on it is that relating to the
right of a senator to take his seat when
elected. The seating of members of the
House of Representatives in contested elec-
tion cases is very largely at times a matter
for party consideration. and the votes on
such questions very generally divide on
party lines. In the Senate the condition is
entirely different.
One Question to Be Considered.
Only one question can possibly play any
part in the consideration of the seating of
Apostle Smoot should he present credentials
to the Senate. That is whether he has been
duly elected. The matter Of his religious
connections or the nature Of the Mormon
Church will not enter 4nto the question of
his eligibility for the Senate. The fact that
he is not under any indictment charged
with polygamy will fix his status before
the committee in that respect. The Nor
mon Church has proclaimed that the doc
trine of polygamy is in abeyance-that 1t
has been set aside for the present and that
polygamy Is not practiced nor demanded
of its adherents. The entire force of the
any violation of the law against polygamy,
and if Apostle Smoot were A polygamist
he is amenable to the law. The fact that
he Is not under indictment for any such
offense will doubtless satisfy the Senate.
A Flood of Petitions.
1t is fully expected that should Apostle
Smoot come to the Senate he will be met
with flood of hostile petitions, and there
will doubtless be some opposition to seat
ing him. But this opposition will be based
on charges that cannot affect his case be-
fore the committee, nor later affect it be-
fore the Senate. The charge will probably
be of the same nature Of the charges made
against the seating of Mormon Roberts,
except the charge of having a plurality OF
wives will not be made with the same force
as that with which it was alleged against
Roberts.