The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-03-05
rows made. the question more personal.

II
 .You have said today that you were obeyinK the laws in not teaching polyg- amy since the manifesto. Do you think you were obeying the law in having elev- en children from different mothers since that time"
 T obey the law so far as teaching is concerned. II have not said that have obeyed the law In my practice. As I have said before, preferred to take my lchancss with the law rather than aban- don my plural family. Polygamy has not been taught by any of the officials The church has obeyed the laws even If I have not" said Mir. Smith. Proclaimed in 1859. | Reference had been made many times to the revelation commanding plural mar riages. and Senator Foraker said that al- though the ground may have been GOV. cred before. he would like to have q good record and answer to this. question: When, where ana how was the injunc- ton in favor of polygamy received by the church7 What want to know is whether the practice Is arbitrary or merely permissive."
 l Mir. Smith explained that the revelation was made to Joseph Smith at Nauvoo in 1s45. but was not publicly proclaimed on account of the disturbance which had made Smith a martyr.
 The doctrine, he said, had been taught | by Joseph Smith to Brigham Young. and his associates and preserved by Young. It was taken to the Salt Lake Valley in isH and in 1859 was proclaimed by Young and accepted as revelation.
 Does that answer your questionT' asked MT. Smith.
 "It answers to when and where, but not how.'' said Senator Foraker.
 What want to know Is whether the members of the church were compelled to practice the polygamoue marriages, and if this is true, why is it that only or 4 per cent of the Mormons have prac- command7"
 It is Not Mandatory. l Mir. Smith called for a copy of the book | of the doctrine and covenants and read a part of the revelation, which, he said, had been accepted In the nature of permission | to take plural wives and was not man. datory upon members of the church. Oth- l CT. passages from the same revelation l, were read. particularly the portions I which prescribe the manner of taking more than one wife. It was set forth | that if one wanted to. espouse a second virgin, he could do so by obtaining the consent of tho first. but that if the com sent of the first was withheld, he was al | liberty to proceed without 1t. It Is set | forth that where the first refuses to con- sent to share her husband with another woman, she would be destroyed"
 What Destroyed" Means.
 Senator Pettus asked the meaning of the word destroyed" in that sense. Mir. Smith answered that she would be I destroyed by the Lord. but that he was not informed Just how the Lord would go about it."
 "Then 1t does not mean that the hus- band could destroy herr" Senator Pettus asked.
 | NO. never"
 'I take 1t, then, that the question or getting wife's consent to marry again might just aa well be eliminated entire ly.': said Senator Beveridge.
 Just as well" aisswersa witnesA ,.
 knew wh4thef nug one of the sir pelgEee 4 risistl apoxti hA4 lAdbzsAd tAe la~ ~ regard to the p0Iyaamotis cchabltation
 since the manifesto of ls00
 | Revelations Co Smith. When the afternoon . session of the committee opened Mr. Taylor read .from the book Doctrine and Covenarts% the first revelation to Joseph. the seer,'' at kirkland, Ohio. in 1881, decaTing that he had been chosen to receive revelations and that none other should be chosen Il until he is taken and then to be chosen through him only. Many other extracts from subsequent revelations were read Including that relating to polygamous marriages and the authority to ''seal for I eternity or to perform celestial mar Iriages. These passages were incorpor- ated into the record as . part of the tes- tITnony. The book on Mormonism by Brigham H. Roberts was next taken up and treated in the same manner. Senator | in, fhuy over the testimony that has been introduced said it would soon be known whether ETaylor expects to controvert the facts as set forth by Mir. Smith that there have been no plural marriages since 1890, but those who had plural wives would con tinue to care for them.
 T expect to show" said Mfr. Taylor, | 'that many plural marriages have been solemniEed in Utah since 1890"
 And that Mir. Shoot had knowledge of them7" asked Mir. Beveridge.
 Whether with his knowledge cannot 1 say. cannot connect Shoots name with every word I utter,' said Mir. Taylor Continuing he said:
 Smith Had Knowledge. T expect to show that these marriages have been consummated among officers of the church. and that Senator Shoot as a member of that hierarchy must have had knowledge of the fact" Many quotations from the book called Articles of Faith were included in the record, among them one which declared that one chosen of God had the same authority to teach His word and make commands as powerful as though they came from the Saviour himself. This was read to sustain revelations to Joseph Smith. Jr.. or his successors. A pamphlet on the Thatcher episode by Ed win c. Wooley was read in which 1t was said if the Thatcher persisted in his can didacy for the Senate on a platform not in harmony with the wishes of the church the logical outcome would be to cut him otf from the church. At 3:l5 Mir. Smith was taken in hand by the defense and questioned by Mir. Worthington. Mir. Worthington called attention ''to an ap- parent inconsistency" in regard to the authority of more than one person Co re- celVe revelations.
 Revelations To Any. i Mfr. Smith said that only the President could receive revelations "for the entire church." though every member of tha church could receive revelations for his personal guidance, providing they live worthy to receive inspirations from God. The last revelation received, according to MT. Smith. was in 1882 and came to the President, calling two men to the aposto- late That is the only one in twenty. two yearsT' asked Mir. Worthington Why is it that the manifesto does not appear in the doctrine and covenants with the other revelations?' said Mir. Worth iRgton.