The Bourbon news., 1904-03-08
THE SMOOT HEARING.
President Smith, of the Mormon
Church, on the Stand.
he Said He Adhered Absolutely to All
the Teachings of the Church Re.
garding Divine Revelations and
Still Believes in PoIygamy.

+ Washington, March 3-An effort to
alr the innermost secrets Of the Nor
mon faith was manifested in the first
days proceedings before the senate
I committee On privileges and elections
which is investigating the protests
against Reed SmOOt retaining his seat
as a senator from Utah President To-
Seph d. Smith, the highest official of
the church, was on the stand all day.
He was Squestioped closely in regard
ITO the principles, of divine revelations.
He said he adhered absolutely to all
the teachings of the church in that
regard and that he himself had been
visited with divine inspirations from
GOD directing him as to dOings in mat
! terS pertaining to the welfare of the
church, though no angels had to come
to him as in the case of revelation to
his uncle, Joseph Smith, jr., the found
er of the church. He subscribed to
the standard of authority for the
church in relation to the revelation
commanding polygamy as made known
to the first president from an "angeI
! in black"
He also said he still believed in po-
lygamy.
Washington, March 4.-Attorneys
for the protestants in the Smoot
investigation said they intended to
prove that the defendant is associ-
ated with a hierarchy which practices
polygamy and connives at violations
of the law and that his very vote as a
| senator of the United States is subject
to the wish and command of the Nor
mon church. President Joseph F.
Smith confessed that he himself had
continued to cohabit with his plural
family since the manifesto of 1890 and
that he realized fully that he was vio-~
lating state laws. President Smith
also testified that Reed Smoot had to
get the consent of his associated apOs-
ties in the church before he could be-
come a candidate for senator
Mr.. Smith, in answer to questions
by Chairman Burrows, declared he had
performed no polygamous marriages
since 1890 anywhere on earth. Mr..
Dubois asked if any of the apostles
had performed such service and Mr..
Smith said if they had they would
have been fined and imprisoned if
found guilty and if the charge could
be proved the offender would be ex-
communicated.
The celestial marriage, or the mar
riage for eternity, Mr.. Smith said, was
one Of the things the Mormon church
believed in, but the practice had been
in disuse for 20 years or more. This
marriage was described as one to car
ry two persons through Heaven in
happiness and that often was perform
ed when one party was dead and some
times when both parties were de3d.
In that event the relatives of the con-
tracing parties represented them.
When questioned closely Mr.. Smith
admitted that a man and woman. both
living, were sometimes married for
"eternity."
Washington, March 5-Interest in
the investigation before the senate
committee on privileges and elections
of the protests against Senator Reed
Smoot, of Utah, was unabated Friday.
President Joseph M Smith, who again
was on the stand, testified that if the
principle of plural marriage should be
attacked it would be defended by the
church. Considerable feeling was evi-
denced by President Smith against in
dividuals, who, he said, had spied on
the domestic and marital relations of
the high officials of the Mormon
church. and for that reason he had
favored the passage Of the Evans bill
to prevent prosecutions for polyga-
nous cohabitation, unless complaints
were entered by husband or wife
! against the other This bill was pass
ed, but vetoed by the governor Of
Utah
1t was brought out that all of Mr.
Smiths predecessors, as president Of
the Mormon church, had been polyga-
mists and that the man chosen to sue.
! ceed him has more than one wife
! Mr.. Smith was asked which he
would obey, the law of the land or rev.
elations from God, if the two were in
conflict. He said he might obey the
revelation, though it was not compul-
sorry. He added: 81 should not like
to be put in position where l would
have to desert my children-I could
not do that"
Mr.. Smith testified that the law
making polygamous cohabitation
crime was passed by the Utah terri
| torial legislature, which was over
whelmingly composed of Mormoils,
and that the constitutional convention
was composed Of large majority Of
MOrmons.