Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1904-04-08
Tho Peril Of Pciy=amy.

The Smoot inquiry has developed
into a much broader question than the
right uf Reed Smoot C. seat Ina the
United States senate. n has assumed
tire dimensions Of a general investiEa-
ton Of polygamy in the Mormon
church and opened M the whole Tues-
ton Of Mormonism and its relations
to the federal government Public
sentiment has been awakened 10y the
disclosures made by profesSed Nor
mons aud the natter is heinz widely
discussed 10y the press Of the country.
The attitude Of the Mormon leaders
has eXasperated the American people
AMI convinced them that. whatever
may be the teachings of the Mormon
church on the subject of polygamy, the
sympathy and the practice Of the lead
ers Of the church are in support of that
perniciOus doctrine. While President
Smith insists that mot more than 3 or
1 per cent OF the entire membership of
the church" have entered plural matri-
mony. it is generally believed that a
much larger percentage than this is in
violation of the laws of the land in this
regard. The Salt Lake City Tribune
expresses the belief that "a little over
one-third. or, say, something like 81
per cent" of the Mormon adults in
Utah are living in polygamy, and Sen
ator Dubois of Idaho, member of
the senate committee has introduced
census figures TO show that about 23l.
per cent of the adult Mormon popula-
ton in Utah were living in polygamy
In 1890 The senator says in an inter
view:
The solution Of the Mormon problem
must be made here and now or the whole
country will suffer and the foundations
Of its government will be weakened. Be
fore this hearing is concluded the country
will learn that the states of Utah, Idaho.
Wyoming and 10 large degree Colorado
and oregon are threatened with a terrible
curse likely to spread beyond the west
and southwest unless IT is checked.
President Smith, however, thinks
that polygamy is on the wane. He
gives the following figures of polyga-
nous families, based on church CEN
sus:
In 1890 at the time OF the late President
MILFORD Woodruff's manifesto, there were
2,45l such families.
In October, 1899. II was found that this
number had been reduced as follows: BY
death. $50; by removals beyond the con-
fines of the republic. 6S; by divorce, IS
leaving at that time, 1913.
1t Is now ascertained that the original
number has been reduced by 1854 or IS
per cent, leaving only s97 still living, and
that the great majority of them are of ad-
vanced age.
The Deseret Evening News of Salt
Lake City, the official organ of the
Mormon church, welcomes the investi-
cation of its doings and says that
there is nothing in it but will endure
investigation or that we are unwilling
to expound and explain" But it adds:
When untruths are told about plural
truth we are accused of teaching polyg-
amy" and are accounted as criminals. On
that theory President Joseph F. Smith is
teaching polygamy" to United States
senator's. and we hope he will be able be-
fore the inquiry is closed to set forth all
that we believe concerning that doctrine
as well as to make clear the fact that
there are fewer cases of polygamous mar
riage in Utah today than in many other
states of the Union.
What is meant by this last phrase
the Mormon daily goes on to explain
as follows:
OF course the state of society outside of
Mormondom will not be entered into in
this investigation, but it would not be
amiss for people who are holding up their
hands in holy horror at men who have
plural wives and will not cast them off in
any particular to take note of common
relations in the Christian cities of this
country that are not only unlawful but
frequently involve the desertion and re-
pudiation OF women and children and con-
duct that Is both heartless and animal.
The Detroit Free Press believes that
polygamy is discriminating itself"
Time will eradicate the evil" it re-
marks, land there is nothing to worry
about" The Chicago Chronicle like
wise thinks that the practice Is disap-
pearing, but suggests that the present
persecution is more likely Ito agra
vate the evil than to remedy it." The
Buffalo Express, the Minneapolis Trib-
une and number of other papers fail
to see how all this evidence in regard
to the polygamy of Smith, Lyman and
other Mormon leaders can incriminate
Smoot, who is not shown to have prac-
ticed, preached or advised plurality of
helpmeets.
Other papers, however look upon
polygamy as an evil of so frightful
mien that even to associate with such
lawbreakers as these Mormon leaders
should disqualify a man to associate
with our senator's. Does not Mr..
smoot's representative relation to
band of confessed outlaws disaualify
him in good conscience from member
ship in the senator" asks the Philadel-
phia Ledger, and the New Orleans
Times-Democrat and the Norfolk vir-
ginian-Pilot think 1t does. The latter
paper refers to Mormonism as "a con-
spiracy to commit crime" and 1t de-
clares that to seat one of its leaders
In the senate would be nothing less
than an infamy and shame"
" q