Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-07
CONGRESS DEFIED.
President Smith Says It Can
not Interfere.
Says He Is AnswerabIe Only to the
Utah Laws.
Willing to Take His Chances in That
State.


drawn from Joseph +. Smith, presi-
dent of the Mormon church. respect
ms his continued violations of the
law forbidding polygamous cohabita-
ton. again constituted the feature OF
me proceedings yesterday before the
senate committee on privileges and
elections against Senator Reed Smoot
OF Utah.
Ire witness. ansered by the persist
ent efforts Of some members of the
committee to obtain from him every
detail of his remission in obeying the
law. turned OH congress and charged
mat BODY with interfering without au-
thor'ty in his private and domestic
AFFAIRS and usurping the powers of the
Utah courts. which alone he said. had
the right to hold him to account for
his conduct.
Nhlle the witness had been taken in
hand by the defence for purpose OF
TOSS-eXamina ton, the members of the
committee i'll reality consumed the
greater portion of the time. and mat
ters were brought out along the line
followed by the prosecution in the
first three Gays of the hearing. Some
of the testimony proved highly sensa-
tional. The hearing will be continued
Monday morning.
Calling Pres. Smith to the stand At
torney A. :. Worthington resumed
cross-examination for the defence and
asked Mr.. Smith if he had any statis-
tics showing the proportion Of poly
SImists in the Mormon population.
Mr. Smith said his recollection is that
when the Utah commission was Great
Oh in 1852 and undertook to administer
the laws CT the territory. 1909 poly
glmists were excluded from voting.
AS the women vote in Utah" he
said. "and as il requires two women 20
zone man to form rolygamy i'll the
state. proba bly, the number of mon ex-
Guided rs polygamists would not be
more than 1000
As n further statement of the num-
Der OF polySamist families in Utah. Nj.
Smith read from an interview he gave
10 representative Of the Associated
Press in 1892. showing the following:
In 1890. at TIL, time of the late
Pres. Wilfred WoodR'uff's manifesto,
there we're 3i51 such families.
In October. 1899. it was found that
this number had been reduced as fol-
lows: BY death 40, by removals be-
vonG the confines of the republic e.,
by divorce as. leaving at that time 1Ji@.
1t is nov asccrtained that the oriSi-
raj number has been reduced by 1914.
o" g. percent. leaving only S97 still
living. ana that the great majority OF
thcrl sic Of advanced age"
referring to Senator Bailey; pucs-
ton yesterday in regard to the maui
fcsto. MI. WorthnSton read from ii
sermon Of Pres. Woodruff. delivered
4 yea: after the manifesto against
plural marriages. in which Pres.
Woodruff declared that he was moved.
and 10.005 Latter Day saints. were
moved by the spirit of God, to aban-
don the practice of plural marriages.
when the laws were passed. which
were not in harmony with the teachings
of our church, said Mr.. Smith. we held
that they were unconstitutional OF
course our own rules commanded that We
obey the constitution OF the la":l. but
we fought the validity of the now laws
from the lowest to the highest court. and
when it was settled by the supreme CONT
of the United States that plural mar
riaSes could no longer be INDUCED in. OF
course We were inclined to obey.
But we had Il revelation on our st&tlt.
books in regard tC plural marriages and
it WAS necessary to obey that i'll order to
obtain certain blessings that could not
be received without obcyinE it. Whether
We should obey the law of the land or
continue to practice the law Of III.
church WAS serious question.
we hold that the president Of tn"
church is entitled to receive revelations
inspired by the Almighty God. Pes.
Woodruff sought guidance from the Lord,
but the Lord made il manifest 10 him
that it was his duty to stop plural mar
riascs He proclaimed that revelation.
and it was submitted to the cntic church
and accepted by the church. and thus it
became binding. and from that day to this
the law of the Land has been kept so far
as plural marriages arc conc erncd. But
there is vast difference between tax
ing /. plural wife contrary to law and in
taking care of the wives taken before ii
was a violation of the law
Continuing. the witness said: Il would
not desert my wives. | would not alan
don my children. | will run my risks be-
fore the law.
Pres Smiths voice shook with emo
ton. lie showed more feeling than he
had at any previous time exhibited ana
said: But it is to tho laws of T:3h
that : am answcraDlc; it is the law Of ms
state that has the right to punish m"
The courts of Utah are of competent ju-
risdictioI. Congress has no right to in
tcrfcre with my private affairs"
Chairman Burrows asked. "Iou say
you would not abandon Your wives o..
your children. Why do you consider 1t
necessary to have issue flom your plural
wives in order to clothe and care for your
children that have been born before I'M
lawful Capitalization became a crime:
Because my wives are like all other
women. 1t is necessary to 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 state
prohibiting poiygamou:i cohahitation.
Tia church gave me my wives and |
do.I think the church could be con
s'Stcnt in fixing them SAID Mr. Smith