The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-02-27
Especial to The HeraIdO

WASHINGTON. Feb. Ex-senator
w Burrows. chairman of the senate
committee on privileges and cleo
lions. today presented to the senate a
protest signed by the Rev. ]. L. Leilich
In the case of Senator-elect Reed Smoot
of Utah. urging that Mr.. Smoot shall
not be permitted to take his seat in the
senate. Mr.. Leilieh is in charge of the
Methodist missions in Utah, and resides
In salt Lake City. He is in Washing
ton as the representative of the Minis
ters' association of Salt Lake His
statement is sworn to.
Mr.. Leilich declares that Smoot is a
polygamist and now has a plural wife,
although he deems it inexpedient to
give the maiden name of the woman at
this time. His charge on this point is
as follows:
Direct Charge Made.
THAT the said Reed Smoot is a polyg-
amist, and that since the admission of
Utah into the union of states he, al
though then and there having a legal
wife, married a plural wife in the state
of Utah. in violation of the laws and
since such plural or polygamous mar
rage the said Reed Smoot has lived
and cohabited with both his legal wife
and his plural wife in the state of Utah
and elsewhere, as occasion offered, and
that the only record of such plural mar
riage is the secret record made and
kept by the authorities of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
which secret record is in the exclusive
custody and control Of the first presi-
dency and the quorum of the twelve
apostles of the said church, of which
the said Reed Smoot is one, and is be-
yond the control or power Of the prot
estants.
Asks For the Records.
Your protestant respectfully asks
that the senate of the United States
or its committee compel the first pres
idency and the quorum of the twelve
apostles and the said Reed SmOot to
produce such secret record for the con-
sideTatiOn of the senate. Your
protestant says that he is advised by
counsel that il is inexDedient at this
time to give further particulars con-
cernings such plural marriage and its
results, or the place in which it was
solemnized. or the maiden name OF the
plural wife"
Mr.. Leilich also asserts that "Presi-
dent Joseph F. Smith the president of
the Mormon church. is living in open
polygamy and has had a child born to
him by his plural wife at late as 1898 -
And also that President Lorenzo Snow /
lived and died in the practice of
polygamy and polygamous cohabita- /
ton, and that his plural wife Minnie |
Jensen snow, bore him child as late !
as the winter of 1861
Prosecution Threatened.
Mr. Shoots friends call attention 70 I
the fact that the protest was sworn to (
by Leilich I'm the District of Columbia. 4
and say that had he sworn to il in /
Utah he would have been arrested I
there for criminal libel. They will look /
up the statutes Of the district. they \
say. and possibly will begin prosecution /
here. They also call attention to the !
fact that Leilich signed one protest in 4
which il was stated that no charges of !
polygamy or immortality were made !
against Smoot. and in the second one F,
swears that SmOot has been living in /
Qolygamy.
Rev. Leilich left the city yesterday !
after signing and swearing to the pro /
test. and is now in Harrisburg, Pa. He /
will return here about March 4 ready, /
his counsel says, TO proceed in the /
SmOot trial. if ordered for that time.
General Dudley of the firm of Dudley /
& Michner, counsel for protestants, /
said tonight that no information con- /
corning the charges would be given to |
the public beyond that contained in the |
protest.
The Proof Held Back.
1--WE would be FOOLS" ne said. ito !
give the woman's name or her place Of /
residence and then have her spirited |
away before the time of trial We |
won't even tell the state in which she /
lives or where she does not live. In /
fact we won't say anything about IL.
but we are satisfied our client can /
make good his charges at proper time |
and place"
General Dudley said he did not expect