The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1904-01-14
2gOOT MAKES DENIAL
SPECIFICALLY Tx zativos al tie Essential
Charges Thai Have Seen Made
hnaincH iIttr-

SPECIFICALLY eaativcs Al tie Essential
Charges That Have Beon Made
Against Film.
Washington, Jan. 12i-Ihe, response
If Senator Reed Smoot of Utah 10 thS
charges made against him was tnduN
presented to the senate committee on
privileges and elections by C~hai.maN
Burrows. The i~lac@sDef5 of the commits
tee did not go through the formality oil
reading it during the session.
Tt was agreed that on saturday neXl
the attorneys for Siaoct. ,ad for tn
petitioners. should be heai,t as to thu
merits of the case as already pre-,
Sented.
WashingtorrJan PIN his answerti
the charges a.Ieainst him Senator Smooi
says but two charges in the protests
either directly or by i~nsRacatioh, coul
legally affect his right to hold d seal
in the senate. These two charges are;
/. That respondent is a polygamis,.
2. That he is bound by some ath O!
obligation which is inconsistent wit /,
the oath required by the constitution.
which was administered to him bciol
he took his seat as senator.
Both these charges Smoot denies, ar
says he was married on the l.tn of Sep,
TENDER, 1854, to Alpha May Gldridg0s
She is still his wife and the mother q
all his children. He never had am
other wife INC never. co-habitated VIII
any other Woman
AS to the second charge. Slnoot say;
he has never taken any S&eh cath u
in any way assumed n such obtiga,
ton. He holds himself bound to obet
and uphold the constitution and lawi
of the. United States, including the con,
dition in reference to poiygamy, upot
which the state of Utah was admittet
to the union. He moves to strike oul
ana eliminate separately from sale
protest each and every matter ant
thing therein contained, except the two
charges above mentioned.
Smoot then takes up every charGi
brought against the Mormon churcE,
He says it mad a rule in regard to itl
leading officials taking a part in poll,
ties, but denies that this rule is cor,
fectly set forth in the protests. Smoos
alleges that since the manifesto oi
President Woodruff of 1890. the prac-
tice of polygamous co~habitation by
those who were polygainists thereto
fore has been abandoned by many, bui
continued by some, for a time: and
where continued it is on the sole re-
~sponsibility of such persons and sub
ject to the penalties of the law.
Shoots Case in Detail.
Smoot admits first that the presi-
dency of the Mormon church is vested
with supreme authority in all things
spiritual and all things temporal so
far as temporal things pertain to the
affairs of the church. He denied that
the first presidency or the twelve
apostles are supreme in the exercise Of
the alleged mandates.
In reference to the deposing OF Moses
Thatcher from the twelve apostles. and
his defeat by the church in his contest
for the senatorship in the legislature,
respondent denied hat the defeat waa
due to his opposition to the rule OF the
church. He admits that remarks were
made by George @. Cannon, MILFORD
Lorenzo Snow, John Henry
Smith. Brigham Young and Joseph
smith on the subject of such deposition.
but denied hat such remarks are cor
fectly quoted in the protest.
1t is denied that Sncot or any off,
Gals sought to pass a law multiplying
the enactments against polygamouS CO.
hahitation.
1t is admitted that such a law did
pass the Utah legislature in 1901; but
many Mormon members voted agaitlat
Tho bill, and it was vetoed by the gov
ernor and the veto sustained by the
legislature, a large majority OF which
We're members OF the Mormon church.
Not Against the Home.
Smoot admits the charge that he is
a director of Brigham Young's acad-
envy, but alleges he is not familiar with
the details OF the employment of in
structors. The charge thai Smoot,
from the high station of United States
senator, would wage war upon the
home is denied in strong terms.
He agrees the home is the basic in
upon whose purity and perpe-
tuity rests the very government itself,
and he alleges he has as sacred q re-
gard for the station of senator and for
its duties as has any of the protestants
or the most loyal citizen. He admits
the enjoyment of the privileges Of
statehood must depend upon observ-
of the sacred compact upon which
statehood was secured: also that he
thereby granted are not inalien-
able, but denies that he is or ever will
united to make any law.
Concerning the political significance
Of his election as a senator, Smoot says
in May, 1902. he announced that
ne would be a candidate before the
legislature to be next elected, and that |
such declaration was of his own judy |
He says the temperate papers
Utah opposed his candidacy; that ali |
democratic Mormon legislators ops
posed his nomination and voted for |
candidates.; that most of ths
republicans voted for him.