Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-03-05
s.


F., Worthington resumed ss.examina-
| tion for the defense IN the investigation
| before the senate committee on prlvi-
leges and elections In the case of Reed
| Smoot OF Utah. He asked Mr. Smith
| IL he had any statistics showing the
| proportion OF rolygamists in the Nor.
mon" population. Mr.. Smith said his
| collection is that when the Utah com.
| mission was created In 1882 and under,
took 10 administer the laws OF the ter.
ritory, 1000 polygamists were exclud.
ed from voting.
| "As the women vote In Utah" he
| said "and Us II requires l'wo women to
one man TO form polygamy In the state,
| probably the number Of males excluded
as polygamists would not be more than
! 1000"
Senator Duboise exercised his right
| 10 question the witness at this point
| and said the population then was about
| 100000, and OF that number there were
| about $4,000 Gentiles. He wanted eA.
| cluded from consideration the humble.
not in condition to enter state OF po.
| lygamy. He said President Smiths
| statement Of the percentage In
| polygamy included sucking babes
and children that he objected to having
| Mr.. Smiths statement go before the
! country unchallenged.
| Senator Dubois asked II any United
States officials now took statistics on
| polygamy, and the witness replied in
| the negative.
| Then" said enator Dubois, these
! figures are only Church statistcs?"
After a further statement OF the mum.
Der of polygamists In Utah Mr. Smith
| read from an interview he gave to a
| representative Of the Associated Press
in 1902 showing the following:
In 1880. at the time of the late Presi-
| dent Woodrufs manifesto. there wer,
| 2,+5l such families. In October, 1899
| II was found that this number had been
| reduced, as follow,
BY $50, by removals beyond the con-
| fines OF the republic So, by divorce 50,
| leaving mt that time l,j43.
II IL now ascertaned that the origin
| al number has been reduced by 1854 or
SO per cent. leaving only S91 stll living
ana the great majority of them are at
an advanced age.
| Mr. WorthngtOn asked regarding Mr..
| Smiths son, Hyrum Smith and was
| tod that he Is 32 years old and has a
wife ind children but is not a polyg-
| amist. He Is one Of the Twelve Apos-
ties. The first counselor now Is John r,
Winder He and he fellow counselor
! and two Apostles have been appointed
since Mr. Smith became president.
| In regard to John Henry Smith,
cousin, Mr. Smith said that their FAINT
lies are intimate and 81 am strongly
| inclined to believe that he is cohabit-
| ing with plural wives"
Referring TO Senator Bailey's ques-
| tions yesterday in regard to the mani
festo, MIR. WorthingtOn read from a
| sermon of President Woodruff, deliver
| ed year after the manifesto against
| plural marriages, In which President
Woodruff declared that he was moved
and 10000 Latter-day Saints were NOV
ed by the Spirit Of God, to abandon
the practise Of polygamy.
Senator Bailey contended that It was
| In obedience to the demands Of the
| law Of fear Of the consequences Of the
law that provided the revelation. Con-
tinuing he said;
For my part | don't have much
faith In a doctrine that does not get
revelation commanding the change Of
conduct until there IL a statute COM
Polling It,"
IAN that, Of course, Is matter
of opinion" said Senator Foraker,
81 don't think II Is matter Of opin-
ion either said Senator Bailey. IL
myself have been compelled to submit
to certain rules because II was the law
and vicious law at that, Just how far
would have submitted II had receiv-
ed revelation from God to do some
thing else | am not prepared to say |
think the whole thing was more mat
ter OF law than Of revelation
when the laws We're passed which
were not In harmony with the teachings
Of our Church" said Mr. Smith. I'VE
held that they were unconstitutional
OF course our own rules commanded |
that we obey the Constitution and the
law but we fought the validity of the
new laws from the lowest 10 the high
est court and when II was settled by the
supreme court Of the United States that
plural marriages could no longer be In
dulged In, OF course we were inclined TO
obey
"But we had revelation on our own
statute books In regard TO plural mar
riages and il was necessary to obey that
IN order to obtain certain blessings that
could not be received without obeylng
II. Whether We should obey the law OF
the land or continue 90 practise the
law Of the Church was a serious ques.
ton,
I'VE hold that the president Of the
Church Is entitled to receive revelations
inspired by the Almighty God, Pres-
dent Woodruff sought guidance OF the
Lord and the Lord made II manifest to
him that II was his duty TO stop plural
marriages. lie proclaimed that reveal
ton and II was submitted to the entire
Church and accepted by the entire
Church. and thus became binding, and
from that day to this the law OF the |
land has been kept so far as plural |
marriages are concerned
"But there Is a great difference be-
tween taking a plural wife contrary 10 |
law and in the taking care Of the wives |
taken before II was violation Of the |
law. ! would not desert my wives, | |
would not abandon my children, will
run my risks before the law"
President Smiths voice showed his |
emotion. lie showed more feeling than |
he had at any previous time exhibited |
as he leaned forward and said But |
II Is 10 the laws Of Utah that | am |
answerable and II Is the law of my |
state that has the right TO punish me. |
The courts Of Utah are Of competent |
jurisdiction, Congress has no business |
to interfere with my private AFFAIRS,
'If tho courts OF my state 10 not see !,
III the courts OF my state 90 not see |
NJ to call me to account for my con-
duct | cannot help IT, No Congress has |
the right to Interfere--lt has no right to |
pry into my marriage relations and call
me TO account"
Chairman Burrows at this point ques-
toned the witness. He asked You |
say you would not abandon your wives
or your children. Why do YOU consider
II necessary to have issue by your plu-
raj wives IN order to clothe and care
for your children that had been born
before unlawful cOhabitation became a
crime?"
because my wives are like all other
women II Is necessary 10 maintain
peace, harmony and good will between
myself and my good wives, That Is the
Kernel IN the nut That Is why | have
chosen not TO obey the laws OF my