The National tribune., 1904-03-10

| nSoSSS nave W iuc kdutiet Oh "a cross
fire of questioning which is pitiably humil
iating. Almost no question is barred. In
one sense OF the word it is not court,
but the witnesses must often wish that j,
| was, for then the 'prying" and "spotting'
to which President Smith objects would
not be so prevalent. President Smith i.
not being tried. The thumb-screws have
been put on him to throw light on the
Reed Smoot case. Light only of dark
ness runs the song, but the Cimmeriai
darkness beyond the ocean stream" had
never q ray Of sunlight. Neither will thu
Smo0t case. 1t grows darker and blackei
as the days go by.
Over in one corner of the room sit the
press correspondents. The words are scarce
" cold on the lips of the venerable Apostle
of Aormonism before they are flying over
the wires and within the hour, perhaps.
being read in London, New York. San
Francisco or Tokyo. Everything is wide
open to the public, but fortunately the
room is SO small that not much of the pub
lie can crowd into it. The public" is
| largely women. 1t is safe to say that there
are not half dozen men in the room whe
have not real business there. On the other
| hand, the women have no business there nj
all. Every word that is uttered there will
be in print sometime, the newspapers have
pages of the examination daily, yet, sorry
sight that it is, well-dressed women sit
| there day after day listening eagerly to the
| not over nice details which are discussed.
| asked one lady why she was there, il
she represented any particular woman's
club. .WeH, no." she replied 81 am here
in the interest of humanity. want to
hear Whit is going ON. i think we ought to
wipe this plague spot Out"
Well. sitting day after day listening to
the evidence isn't .wiping the. plague spot
out verysfast. When one wants. TO. clean
out a sewer it is not done by sitting down
| by the f6uEsmeHing thing and listening to
how il got into, that nasty and disease
| breeding state. Nor does one who can do
nothing at all stand by and watch the
cleansing process.
| 1t is not worth while to 90 into the de-
| tails of the testimony. Suffice it to say
that President Smith has testified that he.
the head Of the great Mormon Church, and
others of the Apostles, are living in open
defiance of the laws of the State, the Gin
all decency. He has testified that be has
five wives and that he cohabits with all of
them, and across the table of the committee
room he tossed his gantlet and defiance in
a manner that would have sent resident
of the District of Columbia to the pen.
at is to the laws of Utah that am
answerable: it is the law of my State that
has the right to punish me-" he declared
with passionate emphasis. "The courts of
Utah are of competent jurisdiction. Con-
gress has no business to interfere with my
private affairs.
"If the courts of my State do not see ft
to call me to account for my conduct, can
not help it. Congress has no right to in
terfere-it has no right to pry into my mar
riage relations and call me to account"
Except that he had been goaded beyond
endurance, President Smith would scarcely
have thus boldly attacked the rights OF
Congress, especially in the stronghold of the
Senate. ever jealous of its prerogatiyes.
His reply was audacionsly bold. 1t was
true. And in its truth lies the peril to the
cause of Mormonism.
| True it is that Congress can not touch
President Smith. but 1t. can lay a cold
clammy hand on Mr.. Reed Smoot, and the
things the United States Senate will do to
him will be plenty.
President Smith, hut il Disciple Of the
Church of Latter Day Saints gets into the
Congress of the United States in the next
half century it will be when the Sultan
of Sulu is holding the reins of power
That defiant dare of President Smiths
has undone for the cunning Mormon seers
the laborious plans of 20 weary years.
eff the courts of my State do not see
| fit to call me to account for my conduct. -
declared President Smith. II, can not help
It. Congress has no right to interfere"
The members of the Senate Committee of
Privileges and Elections actually turned
pale
The State courts of Utah!
They are said to be absolutely and COM
nletely in the control of the Mormon
Church, and so dominated that a polyga-
mist can not be convicted in them.