The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-03-04

AASAS oNA A4A
own position under rne laws govern.
ing polygamy. He acknowledged that
he had violated them continually
| since the manifesto Of 1890.
rs co~habitation with a plural wife
contrary to the rules Of the church?'
Mr.. Taylor asked.
Mr.. Smith asked and received PEI
mission to make a statement and Neh
answer the question in his own waI
He spoke with great feeling and dl.
rectness, just the evers of his atti.
tude Oh the stand at yesterdays hear.
ing, saying:
I'm regard to the statutes of polyg-
amy at the time OF the manifesto, /
want to say that after the hearing
before the master OF chancery, l I'm.
derstood that we should abstain from
relations with our plural families, and
that rule was observed up to the time
the enabling act went into effect adj
hitting Utah as a state. Under that
act the only prohibition was that plu-
raj marriages should cease. Nothing
al said about cohabitation with our
wives
with the. wives you had married
previous to the manifesto, you mean Z"
interrupted Mr.. Hoar.
THAT is what / mean," said Mr..
Smith. II understood that plural mar
riages yer to cease, and ever since
the manifesto until the present time
there never has been a plural mar
riage in the church performed in a.
cordance with it's teachings or with
the connivance of the church." and he
added with great emphasis: Il know
whereof l speak,"
Then in answer to the question
whether polygamous cohabitation was
regarded by the church as contrary TO
the law, he answered.: ut was"
Ready to Suffer.
This was the case and is the case
now. But l was placed in this posi-
tion," said Mr.. Smith. Il had a fam
ily-a plural family, if you please. I
married my first wife more than 80
years ago, and my last wife more
than 20 years ago. By these wives
1 have had children, and / have pre-.
ferred to take my own chances with
the law and suffer any consequences
the law might visit upon me rather
than abandon these children and their
mothers.
II have continued to cohabit with
them since the manifesto of 1890, and
they have borne me children since
that date. l am fully aware of what
/ was doing. / knew l was amenable
to the law, but as I say, 1 preferred
to face that situation rather than to
desert them. l have not cohabited
with these wives openly or flauntef
the fact, but l have acknowledged
these wives and children as my Am/
lily. The people of Utah have regard
ed the situation as an existing fact.
These people a a rule are broad
minded and liberal in their views,
and have condoned the offense-if
offense it is-rather than to interfere
with my situation as they found it.
1t has been known what l have been
doing. l have not been interfered
with nor disturbed in any way. 1t l
had been l was there to answer the
charges. l vas willing to face them
and submit to the penalty, whatever it
might be-"
Mr.. Smith paused for a moment, but
as Mr. Taylor prepared to ask another
question he again proceeded with his
statement.
Draws a Distinction.
"You must draw a distinction be-
tween unlawful cohabitation and plu-
raj marriages. he said. "The state
law in regard to the latter has been
complied with. No marriages have
been performed with the sanction, ap-
prevail, consent or knowledge or con-
nivance of the church or it's officials.
But the other law is the one l have
presumed to disregard, and which, as
l have said, I am ready to face rather
than disgrace myself or degrade my
by turning them of"
MI. Taylor resumed his questioning.
"You say there is a state law for
bidding polygamous cohabitation, and>
you have been continuing to violate it
in utter disregard of the conse-
Quences?" he asked.
II think 1 have" was the answer.
.HE -.rt. Hl| ~ 49, NAss..>-