Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-05
9 REVEALED BY GOD.
:. ;.
So Says President Smith Re-
\ Garding Plural Marriages.
81
e: =. Polygamy Is Not Mandatory But Is
Permissible.
-. Tilt Between senators-Prosress OF
- smoot Hearing.


- committee on privileges and eiectiohs
RI, - Tho protests against Senator Reeh
c,,oot Of Utah, was undated, To-Day,
.Ithouph most of the time was deVoted
On infroduction of documents sub
.cribed TO as the law Of the Mormon
church. In that connection, President
Joseph E. Smith, who again was on
tho stand. testified that If the principle
Of mural marriages should be attackei
# would be defended by the church.
, Intense feeling was exhibited by
President Smith against individuals
who. he said, had spied on the domes-
:, tic and marital relations of the hish
:, of1cials of the Mormon church, ana
= for that reason he had favored th'.
. massage OF the Evans bill to preVehf
prosecutions for pOlygamous cohapita-
zion. unless complaints were entered
nv husband or wife against the other.
This bill was passed but vetoed by III.
Governor OF Utah.
II was brought out that all OF Mr..
Smiths predecessors as presidents OIL
the Mormon church. had been polyg-
amists and that the man chosen to sue
g coed him has more than one wife Mr.
+" Smith was asked which he would obey
the law of the land or revelations from
God IL the two were in conflict. he
: said he might obey the revelation. al
though it was not compulsory. He
- added Il should not like to be put in
a position where l would have to de-
sert my children-I could not do that"
Washington. March 4.-President JO-
seph F. Smith of the Mormon church.
was called to the stand by Senator
Hoar at the opening of today's pro-
ceedings before the Senate committee
on privileges and elections in the in
vestigation Of protests against Senator
Reed Smoot Of Utah. Senator Hoar
desired information on the subject of
rights Of women in the church and
=; whether they held any priestly au-
thority.
Mr. Smith said the women are re-
garded as the equals of the men in all
matters Of voting, but that in holding
"priestly authority women are not re
garded on the same plane. He ex-
planned that the women have Il chart
table association known as the Wo-
mems Relief Society in which they
have the authority to perform certain
duties This authority is confined to
the relieving OF distress but women are
elders.
Mr.. Taylor asked about NJ. F. Cow
ley, ore OF the apostles. and Cowley's
talks on doctrine. and in answer to a
question from Senator Dubois Mr.
Smith said Mr.. Cowley was elected
:, an an apostle In 1897.
Reading from the Desert News o.
June 23 1903. regarding speech by
Mr.. Smith at the Weber state reunion
MIR. Taylor asked Mr.. Smith if he was
correctly reported in saying that the
doctrine OF plural marriages was a rev
elation by God to Joseph Smith. Jr.
and to reject that would be equivalent
a.. to rejection Of God himself.
Mr.. Smith said he believed he was
correctly reported and when a list OF
- names of those present including Sen
ator Smoot, was read. Mr.. Smith said
the list was correct. He declared that
he would not have had the article pub
lished n he had been consulted. Press
ed for a reason he said he was under
Injunction not to teach the rightfulness
Of polygamy and that he had refrained
from doing so in public.
Senator Hoar called attention to the
fact that the speaker was teaching po-
lygamy In private to the important and
influential gathering at the reunion.
Il Mr. Smith said his statement was
merely to set right n matter of history
.. in regard to the pre- sident who inaug-
=" urated the system Of plural marriages.
Some persons had held that Brig
ham Young was the first" he said. and
=: know II was Joseph Smith. and
brought forward my aunt. Bethsheba
w. Smith, who had received the en-
!, C,,,ttI nt MOI
4 WOO. She was the last living witness
and I took occasion to refute Il false
- statement. 1t was a matter of history
{; and not teaching"
.1. Mr.. Smith said he had avoided teach
=" ing polygamy but that the manifesto
e had not In any manner changed his
e convictions on the questions of plural
= marriages.
Senator Hoar asked why he had
avoided practicing what had been held
to be Divine command. and the wit
ness answered that it was because of
the more recent manifesto stopping the
g.. practice.
Senator Hoar persisted that accord
ing to the witness own statements, the
practice had not been stopped. and
=" Senator Foraker interposed abruptly
tHat tno Witness gone over tIdl
V matter so times and he could see no
purpose for the continued questioning
along that line. Senator HOar resented
the interruption and Senator Foraker
statement suggested that he had asked
one question so times and had received
so answers. He objected to the inter-
ference and when Senator Foraker
' arose to answer he too stood up. The
two senators faced each other in what
threatened to be n serious clash. Sem
ator Foraker said the senator from
y Massachusetts could say what he
pleased. Of course. but have not said
he asked so questions"
II accept the disclaimer from the
-. senator from Ohio" responded Senator
Hoar, but the aggressive manner in
which 1t was said failed to relieve the
.. situation. After more heated words.
Senator Beveridge. who occupied a po-
a. sition directly between the two. re-
/: quested permission to ask a question.
He said he wanted to address Mr..
Cvroot" and Immediately SllhStitute ed