The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-03-11
TIE UTAH INHALATION.
Statements More Sweeping Than ANY
Ever Heretofore Made
Baltimore Americana

The Mormon church has ever been
great believer in revelation. consequent
" the heads of that organization shouiu
not be in the least astOnished 10 kho"
that the people of the whole country nave
been shocked by the revelations resulting
from the SmoOt investigation.
Laying aside the merits of the Smoot
case and presuming that the United states
senate is capable OF bringing about So
luton for the best interests OF the wnae
people, the confessions of President Je-
seph Smith brought out in the SmOOt Irlal
have proved a Veritabie bOmbSheL w nile
the whole country. or such part of 1t as
kept itself informed through any except
Official Mormon sources, knew that po-
lygamy was praCticed in Utah now, as lC
was in the Olden time. Vet il was gener-
ally believed that the practice was car
ried with considerable secreuyeness
and such adrOiJness that the officers
would have the utmost difficulty in con-
victing any of the violators of the law
in case anything so rash as an arrest
were to be INDUCED in. 1t had been sup
posed that the men pracJiclng pOiygaIny
would deny the charge ana make II 80
difficult to bring about a conviction that
the officers believed il not worth the
while or the expense to try to bring any
OF the offenders to book
Now comes the head of the church and
calmly says, in substance: Il have vio-
lated the law knowingly and openly
While have not distributed hanooits
prOclaiming to the world that I was
maintaining COnnubial relations with five
wives who had borne me eleven children
pOlygamy in the church. yet everybody
who knew me was aware of the fact. and
l acted as / did from choice in open def
ance Of the law, yet holding myself III
readiness at any time TO face a trial for
that of which the whole community knew
I was guilty. and which was a direct vio
latiOn of the state law The people there
are brOad-minded and didn't care"
This Is a more sweeping statement OF
facts than had ever been made hitherto
by any within the pale of the church. 1t
is a broader confession than the most
ardent anti-MOrmOns had even hoped for
Had the confession been made in Salt
Lake City, the sensation il created and
the moral effect it will have would have
been almost infinitely less. But this
statement is made in the capital OF the
United States, before a court composed Of
the makers of the cOuntry's laws It is
made to the people of the whole country.
and il is made openly. shameleSSly. by a
man who though highest in the councils
OF his church. appears unable TO see any
wrong IN the sort of life ne has been
| leading.
The effect of the confession so dramati-
cally made viii be interesting to observe.
Already the eyes Of the whole country
are turned in surprise toward Utah and
her sister states are diSdainfully drawing
their skirts aside lest they be besmirched
There is a universal ouestfOn-unspOken
yet Enthusiastically implied-''Utah. what
are you going to do about it2' To put il
effectively in the language Of the street
1t IS uD to Utah. And what will she
doE The confession places in the hands
of the anti-MormOns a greater amount OF
ammunition in the form of moral support
less the spirit of that determined bunch
OF lighters Is much OYer-rated. none OF
the ammunition viii be wasted by firing
| into the air