Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-01-15
SPEAKING OF SENATOR SMOOT

Lie ana Health rs q monthly puDh-
cation issued at Lungren Inn, Barber.
Vile. Volusia CO., Florida, The Janu-
AIRY issue contains several items relat-
ing 10 the missionary work OF the ri.
ders IN Florida. and also an editorial
on the agitation against Senator
smoot, In this the editor says;
at the union Thanksgiving service In
Sanford, Fla, the w%orshippers turned
aside from the legitimate observance OF
the day to do a little Of the persecution
business and adopted o petition to the
United states Senate requesting an in
yestigation TO be made Of the charges
against Senator Reed Smoot. the Nor
mon member from Utah, The DeLand
churches also forwarded a similar Pc
tition. Senator Taliaferro presented
these petitions 10 the Senate In Deem
Der All such petitions are absurd and
silly, ~eyinclng Ignorance of the Nor
mon question on the part OF all those
who get ndgety or go into Mysteries oyer
this matter. There are no charges
against Senator Smoot further than
that he Is a member Of the Mormon
Church, and there Is no ground what
ever for his exclusion, The Senate
might as well exclude a Methodist.
Presbyterian or Catholic because OF his
religion. Senator Smoot has already
been admitted TO the Senate, and that
ought 10 settle the question. The Con.
sitution makes Congress the sole Judge
OF the qualifications Of its o'wn menu
beers, not outsiders. Senator smoot, we
understand, Is an able, upright and use
full citizen OF Provo City. Utah, where
he owns an interest In a wooden mill.
He Ia the husband Of only one wife.
For the Senate 20 engage In an absurd
discussion OF this question would be
to Impair the dignity Of that body. be-
sides consuming valuable time when
should be devoted to other questions.
The misguided people throughout the
country who are sending I'm these silly
petitions might az well cease, for the
Senate viii probably pay little or no
attention to such requests"
The Oakland Enquirer briefly re-.
marks;
Senator smoot In his defense admits
that he Is a Mormon, but says that he
is not n polygamist and that nothing In
MS falth prevents him from being a
good American citizen, To dlsprove his
statements Will require an Investigation
OF Mormonism, and to have the Senate
pass upon the relative merits of va.
rlous religious sects will be a danger
Gus thing
The Pueblo Chieftain, an enterprlslng
and influential publication OF our neigh
Dor state on the east, comments as fol-
lows:
1T must be admitted by any fair
minded person that Senator Reed
smoot OF Utah has made d very able
and q very logical defense 10 the charg.
es that have been lodged against him
IN the senate In support Of a demand
for his expulsion from that body.
There were two accusations made
against MI. Smoot; the first being that
he was a polygamlst and therefore a
lawbreaker; the second, that he was a
member OF the Mormon council and as
such bound by an oath inconsistent
with his allegiance to the United States
and his duty al a senator OF the United
states. Other minor matters have been
charged against Mr., Simoot, hut Il
could hardly be claimed that they were
OF sufficient Importance TO warrant his
expulsion from the senate.
In regard TO the two principal
charges. Mr.. SmoOt makes a positive
denial. He declares that he Ia not a
polygamist and that he Ia not a mem.
Der of any oath.bound body OF men
whose purposes are inconsistent with
loyalty to the national government.
Under the circumstances, with all
due respect to the excellent people who
from the best Of motives have been try.
ing to get Mr., SmOot out OF the senate
1t looks as though Il was going TO be a
very difficult thing to accomplish. In
fact II would appear from Mr.. Shoots
defense, as well as from the reputation
that he has been able TO establish for
himself In Washington, that he is by
no means the least OF his colleagues
either In intellect or moral character.
There may be a question az to
whether any Mormon should be admit
ted TO the senate, and a question az 10
whether Utah should be a state, and a
question as TO whether Mormons should
be permitted to vote In Utah. But those
questions were settled some years ago
when the matter OF Utah's admission
was being considered, and the discus.
sion OF them has nothing to do with the
present case. With Utah n state ana
with the Mormons having as much
right TO vote as any other religious sect,
II would appear that Mr.. Smoot Is en-.
titled TO his scat In the senate, and
that he Is a much better representative
OF the people Of Utah than would be
some OF those who are seeking his OK.