The San Francisco call., 1904-03-12
Attorney Critchlow Details
Instances of Power of the
Church Over the Members
WOMEN ATTEND SESSION
Afterward Issue Statement
Asking Every Citizen to
Request Removal of SmOOt

ileges and Elections was Z. b. Critch-
low, formerly Assistant United States
Attorney for Utah. He continued his
history of the Mormon church. detail
ing instances in which the high otfi-
! GERS of the church have manifested
their power over the members in order
to- compel obedience in all affairs, and
in which accommodation has been
the price of the independent spirit. Sen
ator Beveridge assisted in the eXamina-
ton, and his attempts to prove GER
tain evidence incompetent livened what
otherwise would have been the first dull
day of the hearing
Many women, representing organiza-
| tions interested in the contest arrived
in Washington to-day for the purpose
Of perfecting their plans and wage
more effective contest. They attended
the sessions of the committee and after
the hearings met in committee rooms
and discussed the progress made.
E. B. Critchlow Of Salt Lake City re-
sumed his statement in regard to the
conditions in Utah and the prosecutions
OF polygamists.
Following the history of the State
down to Smoot's candidacy for the Sen
ate, Critchlow said Smoot announced
! his candidacy fer the Senate first in
| 1900, and that the announcement met
with opposition from Republicans and
| others.
| The objections were manifested, ac-
! cording to the witness, at the Salt Lake
! city elections for members of the Leg
| islature and in expressions from the
] Ministerial Association of Utah.
| The witness said that laymen in the
| Mormon church felt that the candidacy
| of an apostle would be unwise, when it
was charged that a quorum of the first
presidency and apostles were living in
open defiance of the laws against
polygamous cohabitation.
Senator Beveridge questioned the
witness in regard to the general repu-
tation of Senator Smoot, particularly
as to whether he is a polygamist.
Critchlow said he had never heard it
charged that Smoot has more than one
| wife.
Reference was made to the necessity
of the Mormons to secure the consent
of their associates to go into certain
business projects and the effect of the
proceeding when such a consent was
withheld. Critchlow said that it was
officers, such as apostles, should enter
politics there was no chance for lay
men and they would not dare to aspire
to high political honors. The necessity
of apostles to secure consent is equiv
alent TO church endorsement when that
consent is given, said the witness.
You say they would not dare aspire
to office" said Senator Beveridgc.
What would happen if they did?''
"They would be held to be out of
harmony and not disposed to take
counsel Of those higher in the church. .
What would be done to them?'
They would be disfellowshiped anG
ostracized from the church.
do you know of any who have been
disfellowshiped for independent politi-
: cal action?"
The witness said he did not know
any that he could mention.
The witness. when asked concerning
Senator Smoot's power to prevent vio-
} lations of the laws in regard to polyga-
!, nous cohabitation. said:
by one word Smoot could either stop
what is going on or cease to be an
apostle
He had got up the protest against
Senator Smoot at the suggestion of DR..
w. NJ Padden, the first signer of the
protest, witness having prepared the
protest against Brigham H. Roberts
and being familiar with the proceed
ings.
Mr.. Critchlow said he had obtained
most of the signatures to the protest.
Senator Beveridge asked if any one
signed the protest without reading H..
"One, l believe" was the answer,
Ezra Thompson, Mayor. Mr.. Thomp-
son had heard the protest explained
and knew what was in it,
The names Of John r. Winder, Presi-
dent Hatch and President Clough were
read to show that persons who are not
polygamists have attained high posi-
tions during Smiths presidency.
Critchlow responded that they were
) exceptions because of their great pop
ularity and the fact that it was we'll
, known their wives had greater influ-
ence over them than the church. Each
: of the men mentioned, he added, is said
to have an exceptional wife.
To show the general feeling of gen.
tiles toward Mormons Van Cott brought
y out IN the cross-examination that
Critchlow voted to elect poiygamists
as members of the constitutional con-
vention and that he had been on the
: stump with John Henry Smith, who is
a polygamist.
AS Chairman Burrows adjourned the
committee until tomorrow he re-
} marked: "All this exemplifies what is
! often stated, that politics makes
strange bedfellows."
The following statement was issued
after meeting of the women:
AT a meeting of the executive board
of the National League of Women's
Organizations of American held to-day
in Washington a resolution was unani-
mously adopted requesting that on Sun
day, March 27. or as soon thereafter
as possible, every clergyman in the
United States ask every man to. write
70 United States Senators requesting
them, In view of the evidence already
presented in the case of Reed Smoot,