The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-03-06
fUsURPlNG POWER 1 .l]'F OF
I THE. UTAH COURTS
president Smith Shook With ,'iittllll
Emotion and Showed Great Great
Feeling Wien AN g Answering # nGs=,w'
Committees Questions
Searching Into Dc lDc--
tailsaof# Rcnissions!e
DIV u, Associated Prcss.).

WASHINGTON, ~ C., March 5.--lsd-
missions drawn from Joseph z. smith
nresidcnt Of tho Mormon Church, respect
,he his continued violations Of the law
4 forbiddlng polygamy. again constituted
The feature OF the proceedings 4 .sto-dayl,
before the Senate Committee on Privi-5
Icgcs and Elections gninst Senator Reed
s;tnoot of+Utah. ~ ".
aTho wtress. angercd by thn persistent
4 efforts Of some members OF the commit
,ea 10 obtain from him every detail OF
i,is Remission in9nheying the law. turned
,,non Congress- an1 charged that bonSs
with Interfering without authority IN nus
uriyate domestic affairs and 5nsufpihE
Is The powers at the Gtah courts whicn,
nlone. he said, possessed the TEN 70 3uh,,n nJ,
I him TO account for his rondnct: " hiie
fba wItress had been taken In hand pS
z tie defense for purposes OF cross-examl-
Bs n.ti,n the members OF the committee
in realty consumed the greater portion llV,ta
of the time and ma tiers we're. ptousuaLt & s
out along the line followed ny. Inc ~
rutions IN the first three days 3mo1s m tle ~,
4 ,,earins.. "a some 81 the stin,ony proved
highly sensational. w, . I, q II,
\ "a the beginning OF to.da.S's session
81 Mr. smith gave figures showing the Pro
,,ortion oi polygamists IN the NJ o.1lloli i11V'
population saying the numpsr g, polin ~, ~
was 4, 900. Mr.. Smith SAID ,hal " ~. w.
only S07 were still LIVING.
Moved by the Spirit.
patorrne "a senator #Balley's questio
~ sterday IN regard to tho manifesto, Mr:
hror1hington read from q sermon Q.
4 president Woodruff delivered year al
Ter the manifesto against plural !nfsi
riaces in which President /" ood1uhi oe
.Iarcd that he was moved, anu iV'v'v'., iV'v-0
ter day saints were moved pS INC sl'ii. ~
OF God to abandon tho pTact'ce VI sp''1, p'.'.
raj marriage. ,,,
y An obedience to the demands OF the Ia"
or fear OF the consequences OF Tue raw law,
that provoked the reyela ton. Con UNIV t!Iu1 z
ing, ho said: r..t,,
"For my part don't have much 4talta
gsr, a doctrine that does not get g l',,''. reve.
lation commanding a chang O eo'iu \. :.
until there is n statute competing l..
"yyhcn the laws were passed. Whlch
we're notSin harmony with the teachings
ar our church, said Mr.: Smith. " 3
held that they: were unconst1tulioha -. -
course our own rules @commanaed thal
We obey the Constitution OF the 45laiu l q
but we fought the validity ot tIe heW
laws from the lowest TO the hlshest
court and when 1t was settled ~ the
Sl;preme Court Of the United States that
1lural marriages could no longer pc IN
aulged in, OF course. we we're inclined to
Obey 81
a Revelation.
S"But VIC had n revelation on our own
statute books ir regard 10 plural mar. mar,
rlaEes, and 1t was necessary to obsS thnt m I
in order to obtain certain dressings tllht .i
could not bo received without opeylNs X.
M'hethct 6we should obey the law OF - ne ne
n
tho church was a serious question. " =. z
l,anr |thatIthe 2presI1cnt of the church IS
cntitled 10 receive revelat Ions Inspired
III the Almighty God. Presldert " ooI-
ruff sought guidance from me sl1ord
and tile Lord made i man'lesl 70 nun
that sit was his duty to stop plural mar
,Ianes. He proclaimed that revelation
mi Il was submitted to the en- tire church
nrd accented by the chrrch, and thus
4, hccamo binding. and from that day to
( ,his the lnws0f The land has beef, kept,
20 far as plllral marriages are concerneu.
IBut there is Il great difference net"ees,
taking a plural wife contrary 20 law M Ma.l''
I'm taking care of the WIVES tANSs ~
Il was u violation of the law, "oullui y
mt desert my wives. I would not uhnn-
don my children. | WILL run my r'sNs
before the law,
Shook With Emotion,
President Smiths VOICE Slooh SWlSlt
emotion. He showed more feeling tnan
1T any previous time exhibited, as ne
leaned forward and said:
"I,llt it is ia tho laws of Utah thnt !
am, answerable,f 1T is the law OF my sla la, e
that has the right to punish me- me
courts Of Utahureof component jurlsdic-
tlnn. Congress has no business 70 m
$1erfere with my nriyate affairs II the
courts OF my State do not see fitE 70 ca
me to account for my conduct cannot
Ehelp III, Congress has no right to In
terfare; 1t has no right to pry into my
marriage rotations aud call me to ac-
count.
toned the witness Flo asked; s535 IN
"You say you would not abandon ynul
wives or your children. Why do you
consider 1t necessary to have Issue from
YOUR plural wives In order to clothe and
.are for your children that had been horr
leforc polyGamous practices became .
srime?"
Like Other Women,
"gcca,se my wives are Ike all 9th,
er, women II Is necessary 70 maintain
peace, harmony and good VIII petH'eel
= 4 ID ~ N Il