The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1904-03-11

WASHINGTON, d. c., March 1.-THE
Smoot investigating committee. having
put President Smith on the hot gridiron
and extracted from him testimony con
cerning his many wives and children back
in Utah, turned its attention to Historian
Andrew Jensen of the Mormon church,
and having exhausted his knowledge of
polygamous misdoings in Salt Lake, called
on .B. Critchlow, formerly United States
district attorney in Utah. This witness
appeared for the prosecution, being one
of the protestants against Senator Smoot.
In 1895 he was appointed assistant dis
trict attorney, and again in 1890 took a
similar position in Salt Lake City.
Critchlow recounted the history of the
efforts made by the government to sup.
press polygamy in Utah. He told of the
conviction of various offenders, including
Angus Nj. Cannon, president of the Salt
Lake stake.
Prosecutions were conducted with Wig
or" said the witness, "and over 1000 men
were convicted and sentenced"
MIR. Critchlow added that the courts
gave opportunity to the offenders to escape
Jail by promising to obey the law in future,
but that only three persons availed them.
selves of the privilege so extended.
The history of the church between 1885
and 1890 was given by Mr. Critchlow, in.
cluding the circulation of a story that
plural marriages had been given up en-
tirely and that unlawful cohabtation was
on. the wane He covered the passage Of
all acts affecting polygamy or Mormonism,
including the representations made to con-
gressional committees which visited the
territory prior to the admission of Utah
as a state. The purpose Of his statement
was to show that the Mormons continued
to create the sentiment that the laws were
being obeyed, but in secret had practiced
polygamy, and that the church was irrecon-
cilable to new conditions and its members
were conspiring to evade the law.
Mr.. Critchlow said that in the first state
legislature in 1896, when he sat as a
member, there was a disposition to send
all legislation to the Mormon church to
see if it were proper to enact it. In re-
lation to the Moses Thatcher incident, Mr.
Critchlow said letter had been sent
out which had the purpose of dividing the
people as equally as possible Between Re
publicans and Democrats, 80 as to main
talp Il reserve winch could De swung eltnei
way in the interest Of the church, Th,
church afterward denied this letter, sale
Mr.. Critchlow, but Moses Thatcher con
tinued working in the interest of the Dem
ocratic party, and in the autumn of 1885,
carried on an active campaign for elee
tion to the United States senate by the
| succeeding legislature. This campaign wal
in conflict with the wishes Of the members
of the quorum of apostles and he wal
finally dropped. II was taken up as Q
church matter, and, said Mr.. Critchlow
the editorials In the Deseret News declared
that the church had right to interest
itself in the elections for the United States
senate.
The popular sympathy was with Mr.
Thatcher, because it was understood that
he stood for absolute liberty in political
affairs. Mr.. Thatcher continued in thu
field up to the final result of the contest
which ended in the election of Joseph L.
Rawlins as senator. He said it was well
known that the apostles were working
against Thatcher, their object being to pre-
vent direct blow at the principle that
the quorum of apostles could control the