The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-31
MORMON 8 RIGHT
To SENATE SEAT
AGAIN A5SA|L Ed
Srnoot of Utah Suddenly in
Grave Danger of Los
ing Toga.
Senate Committee Will Look
into the Mormon
Oath.
Polygarny in the Church of
Brigham Young to Be
Probed.
Roberts Case in the House
Will Furnish a Prece-
dent.
By w. w. Jermane.

ER AST1IN01oN, Doo' oo' no
W. determination Of the senate
committee on privileges and
elections to reopen the Smoot case for
The purpose Of taking additional testi'
hlony comes as surprise to nearly
everybody. Back of that determina-
tion however, lies the purpose Of the
committee to develop new line of tes-
timony-a line which, if it should bear
fruit, will almost certainly result in
turning the committee almost solidly
against Smoot and perhaps lead to his
unseating.
Scores of witnesses from Utah and
all the other Mormon sections of the
country are to be subpoenaed, and the
new line of testimony will have to do
with the test oath administered to all
high church officials.
1t is believed that this oath makes
citizenship allegiance subordinate to
- church allegiance, and If 1t does,
, Smoot will find himself in a very un-
safe position in the senate.
Polygamy and Church.
The question Of polygamous practices
at the present day among the Mormons
will also be fully gone into at the forth
! coming hearing 1t is understood that
: testimony on this point will not be con-
J fined to the Mormons Of Utah, but will
: be extended to every Mormon commu-
! nifty in the United States. The object
Of this will be to prove that in spite
of the rigid provisions Of the Edmunds
law and the oath which members Of the
Mormon church have taken to respect
this law, their religious beliefs are so
strong as to cause them to obey the
mandates of the church rather than the
mandates Of the courts.
It is expected that good deal Of
sensational evidence along this line will
be developed before the hearing is
closed this winter.
The Roberts Precedent.
The house, by virtually unanimous
vote, denied Roberts, democrat, his seat
because it was proved that he had more
than one wife. The house which denied
Roberts his seat was relatively as heav-
lily republican as the senate is at pres
-~e ent. It is argued that as republicans
and democrats alike voted against Rob
erts in the house, all partizan policies
thereby were eliminated from the Nor.
mon question before congress, and that
for this reason no partizan appeal can
successfully be made in the senate fol
smoot, republican.
It is not charged that Senator Smoo
has more than one wife, but it i
charged that as one Of the highest off
cials Of the Norman church he supports
a social system which, in the Language o.
Senator Hale, "obtrudes a religion
hierarchy into American politics. L
Senator Smoot is unseated it will b.
mainly on the broad ground describe'
by Mr.. Hale.
Carlisle Leads Fight.
John G.. Carlisle, who since the in
eeption Of the contest has been one o
The counsel for the opposition to Smoot
will have full charge Of the prosecution
Mr.. Carlisle's connection heretofore ha
been somewhat subordinate to that O
Judge Tayler Of Ohio, who took tn
lead in the case against the Utah ser
ator largely because he had thoroly fs
miliarized himself with the main ques
kions involved while he was chairma
& Of the house committee, which, six year
ago, reported against the Mormon, Rot
erts, a democrat, holding his seat i
the house. When Mr.. Tayler last winte
was appointed to the federal bench i
Ohio by President Roosevelt, the pros
cution fell to Mr.. Carlisle.
The testimony developed at the pr
:. ceding hearings, which were prolnoge
thru the last two sessions of congress
has been printed by order Of Chairma
BURROWS, and is complied in three Yo