Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-03-13
,r,cs AND MoRMoNIsM.


the trial of the many cnarseS "sa'n''
ron,,or Reed Smoot of Utah. the rec
ords of the United States senate will
he enricrd by history of the prac-
..aoa cd purposes of the Mormon
,.o more complete than any that
heretofore been written. 1t will
:. be charged against Smoot that he
5 violating stetutory law; that he is
E a polygamist or that he even connives
at the perpetuqtion of that discredited
institution of the church.
1 His right to a seat in the senate is
challenged upon the broad ground
that his obligations as an apostle ef
the Mormon church render it impossl-
BILE for him to observe his oath as SEN
ator. 1t is not even charged that he
: had to take an cath upon assuming
: the dignity and responsibility of the
: office of apostle that conflicted with
his oath of office. Indeed, it is not
known whether an apostle of the Nor
mon church has to take an oath at
all. Men who have investigated this
! phase Of Smoot's case have been fore
4 ed tc report that they We're unable to
\obtain reliable information for the OBJ
<vious reason that knowledge of the
4 procedure of the apostles of the
\church is confined to very few men,
and by them is held sacred.
The question at issue in Shoots
1case and the only one that the COM
4 mittee will be called upon to decide
4 so far as present indications point,
lis whether high officer of the Nor
\mon church can eonscientiously sub
Ascribe to a legal oath without mental
preservation. 1t is the opinion of
&Robelt A. Tayler, who has been re-
Vtained to prosecute the case against
VSmoot, that he cannot, and it might
y be added that this opinion is shared
= by great many of the senators since
vthey have become enlightened about
= the practices and processes of the
=. Mormon church. ThEt church has
A. hree separate controlling bodies-the
Hroresident, the supreme councillors.
= who are two in number, and twelve
y apostles The president is supreme
.n all things spiritual and with limita-
ions in secular affairs as well. He
seceives divine revelations by inherent
Xtight His predecessors received them,
X.lis successors will receive them. The
X revelations are likely to come to him
x ates them to the membership of the
.hurch through the councillors and
~ipCstles, who, at least, must profess to
~9elieve implicitly in their divine ori-
\,in.
= Senator Smoot has admitted that he
- relieves in the divine origin business
y lie has said that he has no doubt that
- very president cf the church. from
= oseph Smith to the present Joseph r
~ smith, had frequent communion with
x he Almighty and became the medium
x f conveying his commands to the
= rethren. The first Joseph Smith hat
. revelation that commanded three
- tocks and after the merchants haC
- beyed the decree from Heaven 10
eph had another revelation t. found
~ stock company to operate a store
- large scale. Then he had thirt
x avelation which instructed him how
- distribute the stock of the new con
arn, and he obeyed it so we'll that he
- ut into operation the most success
- Il general merchandising corporation
y modern times.
- Senator Smcot says, and he il
>acked up by the words of nearly al
the apostles of the church. tha
70 divine revelation does not exten,
politics. Senator Fred Dubois G
aho. member OF the committee OF
4vileges and elections, who has