Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-01-06
Senate Committee Has Not Decid-
ed Whether it Will be Necessa'
ry to Inquire Into It.
HEARING BEGINS SATURDAY.
M Heed Whatever VIII be Given to
Absurd Talk About the
Labor Unions.
snecIal Corresnondenoe.

Special correspondence
Washington. d. c., Jan, 2.--The sem
ate committee on privileges and e'ec-
lions has not yet decided whether or
not II will be necessary to inquire into
the right of Mr.. Reed Smoot to retain
the seat TO which he was elected For
nal charges against Mr.. smoot were
filed. Copies Of those charges were
presented to him and he was requested
10 send formal reply This was
few days before the holiday recess and
MIR. Smoot decided to await the reas-
sembling of the senate before sending
in his answer. The next meeting OF
the senate committee ON privileges and
elections will be held on saturday
Jan. Q. 1t Is expected that Mr.. Smoots
answer viii be placed before the com
mittee at that time.
The committee will first decide
whether or not the answer to the
charges Is sufficient TO settle the ques-
ton OF the eligibility OF the sitting
senator without further action, II must
also decide as to los own jurisdiction
I'm the premises The consensus OF
opinion among senators, who VIII ex-
press themselves at all, Is that the
committee viii decide to give the pro-
testants against Mr. Smo0t an oppor-
tunity to prove their charge that the
senator is a polygamlst, which he de-
MES, and that he has subscribed to 4
traltorous oath, which statement he
has likewise denied in toto, These are
the only questions at issue. Senator
Smoot admits that he IL Il member Of
the Mormon" Church The committee
admits that the question Of the rellg-
ious belief Of senator has nothing
whatever 10 do with the case.
Within the past few days kilograms
from Utah have appeared In eastern
newspapers announcing that certain
labor unions have taken up the fight
against MIR Smoot because OF the al
legged antagonism of the Mormon
Church 10 these unions The commit
tee will give no more consideration to
this phase Of the subject than would be
given to protest from Carrie Nation
against the seating Of senator be-
cause he smokes cigars.
Senator burrows, chairman of the
committee which Is 10 pass upon the
question OF eligibility says that there
are only two counts to the indictment
which can possibly have any consider
alton al the hands OF the committee.
They are first, that he has contracted
plural marriage, and second that the
oath TO the Church Is in violation of
the oath to which he subscribed as a
senator.
The hearing. II the committee decides
10 hear the case formally, VIII PROP
ably consume many weeks and the
final outcome will scarcely be reached
before the middle OF February Even
n the committee decides to report IN
favor OF deprKing the senator OF his
seat 1t viii require n vote of two-thrds
of the senate TO ratify the report
There is one radical difference between
the case of Senator Reed Sm0ot and
that of Representative Brigham ~
Roberts The senator has already been
sworn IN and Is today lust as much a
senator as Mr., Hogr Mr.. Burrows OF
any one Of ~ gentlemen who must
pass upon his title to the seat which hC
holds Mr. Roberts was never more
than n represcntative.elect He was
not permitted to take the oath which
would hay seated him, II requires d
vote OF two-thirds Of either house t.
expel a sitting member but majority
can pass upon the right OF a member.
elect of either house 10 take the seal
10 which he may have been elected.