The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-21
SM00T TELLS STORY
OF POLITICAL CAREER
Senator on Stand Before the Investigating Com
mittee in Washington
Says He Objected Apostles COwey and Taylor Being Sus-
tanned by Conference After the Evidence That They
Had Taken Plural Wives Since the Manifesto
Especial to The Herald)

thIAsHrNGToN. Jan 2o,-Quite unex-
Wv pectedly Senator Smoot was called
upon to testify in his own behalf
before the senate committee on priv
lcEes and elections today. II was known
h would soon be summoned. but II had
not been intended 80 place him the
stand for several days. Senator Smoot
NaS the sole witness today. ms ulrecl
testimony and general examination occu-
pied the entire morning session. For
more than two hours this afternoon ne
was subjected to a rigid cross-cNamina-
tiou, though many important features are
yar 10 be- covered n nd NAV bc diSDosed
Of at tOmOTTOw's sitting
senator SuIoot proved 10 be "A good
witness. His testimony win help his case,
unless later developments serve to cOun-
teract the good impression he made to-
DAY. He admitted many facts regarding
Mormonism which have been brought out
by otner witnesses rus franEless wa
rather surprise TO the committee. IN
the main his answers TO questions were
direct and satisfactory. only Wheh
pressed as to the wherea bouts of absen-
tee apostles did he hedge and evade Civ
ing direct answers His manifest de
sire to withhold information regarding
these two apostles provoked members OF
the committee and called forth a sharp
demand from Senator Beverage that the
witness make a direct and positive an
swer. In the main Smoot admitted that
he had obtained the consent of the
church authorities to become senator, but
explained that consent merely meant
leave of absence from ecclesiastical du-
ties. and did not mean that the church
would dictate his course as senator
His Most Damaging Admission.
He admitted that other Mormon apos-
ties were living in pOlygamN, though
ne WAS not He testified he had done
nothing TO put stop to the practice,
because he. like everybody else in Utah
believed the best way to cxterminate pO-
lySamy was to let it gradually die out.
The most damaging admission which
SmOot made was that he. an apostle
of the church. had at the last general
conference voted To sustain an apostle
who had been charged with having mar
Tied a plural wife since the manifesto.
He excused this vote on the ground that
a promise had been made that the charge
would be Investigated, that no man IS
suspended in the Mormon church with
most entirely confined to the duties and
privileges of the twelve apostles and the
head of the church.
The disappearance of the two apostles,
one presumably in Canada. the other in
Mexico was thoroughly gone over 1t
was then SmOOt waVered. He insisted
that. as an apostle, he did not know
where his two associates were. He did
ecclesiastical business and admitted they
had not received permission from the
president of the church, Vet declared they
are now in good standing, AT the same
time admitting he himself was obliged
90 get permission from the president Of
the church before ne could absent himself
on political business.
senator Smoot, while on the stand.
looked worn and haggard. His testimony
Tor most part WAS given in a deliberate
reminiscent tone. and was closely fol-
lowed by members of the committee and
the tbrong OF witnesses. who crowded
into the room and filled the adjoining
corridors. At 4.3O Shoots counsel asked
for an adjournment. as the witness was
tired and had suffered much because of
indigestion The request was granted.