The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-03-05
.'P|:RO|]DDING A
P'0lL.,'Y'''CAMlS1
President Smith Admits THAT He
1rcaclies Without Practicing
Obedience to Law.
he REBUkEs 0UEsTl0NERs
Says He Does Not Pry Into
/, Family Affairs and rs 5.5
No Spy.
fpv AssncInton t1rnsa I

(Byf Associated 12ress.) .5r
IrASHINGTON,sD. c., March i.--1nter-
,lte Committee on Privileges ind Elcc-
tons oe lilo protests against Senator
Reed Smoot, OF Utah, was undated to-
day, although much Of the time was de.
voted to putting IN documents subscribed
\ TO as the law of the Mormon Church. In
that connection President Joseph IT,.
Smith, who again was OH the stand, tes-
tilted 5that5if the principle Of plural mar
riage Should be attacked 1t would be do
fendcd BY the church.
q Intense feeling was exhibited by Presl-
dent Smith against, individuals, who, he
said. had spied OH the domestic and mar
5Ita relations Of the high officials OF the
Mormon Church, and for that reason he
had favored the passage Of the Evans
polygn,nous relations, unless complaints
were entered by husband or wife against
the other. This bill was passed, but
vetoed by the overnor Of Utah.
A Diplomatic Answer.
X II was brought out that all of Mr..
Smiths predecessors, us president Of the
Mormon Church. had been polyEamists.
and the MIN chosen to succeed him has
more than one wife. Mr.. Smith was asked
which, he would obey, the law Of the lana
or revelation from God, II the two were
in conflict. He said he might obey the
thought was not compulsory
Reading from the Deseret News OF
June q, 1908, regarding a speech BY Mt.
smith 1t the Weber State reunion. Mr.
T,aylor asked Mr.. Smith IL he was cor
rectly reported in saying that the doc.
trlne OF plural marriages was reveltl-
ton BY Goa to Joseph Smith, Jr.. and
that to reject that would be e1nivalent ~ 70
rejection Of God himself Mr. smith
- III a
7yns intended to correct the impression
mat brigham Young had inaugurated the
practice Of plural marriages, and 70 snow
that Tho doctrine originated with Joseph
smith. It was q matter Of history, anu
not Of tea aching.
Mr.. Smith said The had avoided teach \
Ing polygamy, but that the q " o 3 -. !,
~ p ifaa - had not in any manner changed
his convictions on the questions or ply
raj marriages.
senator Hoar asked why he had avoid 4
ed nracticirlg what had been. held 10 % 4
a divine command, and the witness an
swered that 1t was because OF the more
recent manifesto stopping the pracuce.
Senator Beverage desired TO KNOW
laws we're being obeyed when POI ygamous
associations had continued since the
manifesto Of 1890, and Chairman BUTTONS
made the question more personal lie lie
said 4.
.You have said to-day that you were
oEeying the laws I'm not teaching polyga-
my since tho mnnifesto IL DO you think
you were obeying the law IN having
eleven children from different mothers
since that time
breaches, But Practices Not.
II obey the law SO far as teaching Is
concerned. have not said that I have
obeyed the law in my practice. Polyga-
ms. has not been taught III the church
BY any OF the officials The church has
oEeyedI the laws even II / have not"
said Mr.. Smith.
Senator Foraker asked whether the
practice Of polygamy was permisslve or
compulsory.
Mr.. Smith called for copy Of the book
OF doctrines and covenants and read
part of the revelation, which. he said,
had been accepted in the nature of per-
mission to take plural wives and was
not mandatory upon the members OF the
church.
Senator Ovcrman asked Mr.. Smith If
he knew whether any one Of the SIX
polygamist apostles had disobeyed the
Law, In regard to pogamous relations
since the manifesto of 1890
He Is Not an Infor1ner.
II do not know said Mr.. Smith. II
only know that they were in the same
status OF polygamy at the time of the
manifesto as / was myself. I do not pry
into their family affairs. L am happy
to say that am not q 'spotter' or an
'informer' am not q paid spy
tYet you might know without being a
paid spy," persisted Senator Overman.
Is IT know nothing about it. AS I have
said before. am not a spotter or In
former" answered the witness. The
words "spotter" and "informer'' were
Kissed, rather than spoken
Neither am q paid spotter, or in.