The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-12
SENATE COMMITTEE
LISTENS TO DEFENSE
Ex-Governor Mcdonnell of Idaho the First Witness
for Reed Smoot
Nothing Bearing Upon the Case Was Brought Outseuator
Knox Present and took Hand in the
Proceedings.

IHithograPhed reproduction or Senator
/ Dubois letter.
] Was that letter personal 10 you2'
: asked Senator Dubois.
1t was an answer TO my challenge.
/ II was not marked personal"
: Wei. all right" The Senator started
| 10 reply and stopped abruptly, dis
missing the subject.
! Senator McComaS objected to politi-
cal discussions and when the witness
dlSressed TO say that Democrats Left
their party following the election OF
J President Cleveland. the senator asked
7 the witness TO confine himself to the
question of whether the MOrmons in
I terfered in politics. 1lT. 1ICCOnneu re-
peated number OF reasons why the
/ Democratic party was bOycOtted ny
/ the Mormon church. saying that one 90
/ the principal causes was that Senat tor
! Dubois called the Mormcns criminals.
Abstract of Idabo's Vote.
An abstract showing the result OF
I the vote i'm Mormon and non Mormon
counties during The last six years was
I presented by the witness This alb
stract showed = general increase in the
! Republican vote in both the Mormon
and anti Mormon counties, -indicst ting.
| said the witness, thar tbs Republican
increase had not been due to the in
huence OF the Mormon church.
Mr.. Mcconnell said the MOrmons ara
in the minority in each Of the political
parties and in the legislature and thar
the MOrmons in Idaho 10 not get
everything they want On this sub
ject he read an opinion, which he ac-
cepted as his own view. declaring that
| there is no eCCleSiastic support in
vOked by the church for the control OF
political affairs The opinion was a
long political argument in defense OF
the church against the charge that the
nfn lao ~
control political affairs
Not as to Silver.
The opinion dealt also with bimetal-
lism and Senator AIcComas stopped the
reading TO inquire if the witness in
dOrsed the opinion given on the sub
ject of silver Mr. Mcconnell re-
piled that he did not.
You have been asked to give your
own opinion on the Mormon question
said the senator.
Mr.. WOrthingtOn said that the two
questions were intermingled and wit
ness added that ne subscribed only 10
the opinion on-the Mormon question
Senator Pettus asked who had writ
ten the opinion.
Was Dubois Interview.
TT is an interview with Senator
Dubois published in the Salt Lake Tri-
I bUne in May. 1898" said the witness.
a speech Of Senator Dubois made TO
! the senate on Feb. 4, 1903, on the sub
| ject Of MOrmOnism, was ordered m
cOrpOrated in the record after some
| controversy. The senator said he
would like to have it go in because
| garbled accounts of this speech had
been used in the campaign
The defense closed it's examination
with a statement from the witness that
he did not know OF any poIygamous
marriages among Mormons since the
manifesto.
Corrected His Testimony.
Mr.. Tayler. attorney for the pro-
testants, drew from the witness that
he lived a distance from the Mormon
settlement equal in time from Wash
I ington, D. G., TO Omaha, Neb. On
cross examination the witness corrected
! his statement in regard TO the poker
playing Gentiles,' saying that it was
confined TO the members of the leEisIa-
ture and not TO the people. In response
| to questions, the witness said that ex-
cept for the matter Of geography and
knowledge of legislative needs he
would be willing that the whole Iegizla-
ture should be composed of 8Iormons
Defense of PolyEamists.
In defense of the MOrmons, Mr.. Nc
Connell said he considered the man
who took a plural wife and cared for
/ her and her children far better than
one who sustained Illicit relations with
d woman and abandoned her and her
/ children to the sCOrn Of the world
I Mr. Tayler questioned the witness
| closely in regard 10 the political dis
] tinction he drew, but he declared that
! polygamists were not allowed to hold
! office.
DO you know William Budge?'', Mr..
! Tayler asked.
Yes, sir"
rs he a polygamist?''
The witness said he was satisfied
/ that Bulge was a polygaEnist and that
he had held Office. and as governor OF
| Idaho, Mr. Mcconnell said. he had ap-
| pointed Bulge a regent OF the state
university
Questioned by Dubois.
At the request of Senator Dubois the
witness read the Mormon plank in the
4 Idaho Democratic platform. he was
| asked if that plank had not been
responsible for the loss of every Nor
mon vote, but the witness asserted the
| influence of this plank had not been as
potent as the statement of Senator
Dubois that "all Mormons were crini-
nails
when questioned further on this
subject, he admitted he had heard the
! threat Of MOrmons that If the plank
were adopted there would not be
Mormon vote cast for the Democratic
ticket.
Afternoon Session.
! At the afternoon session Mr. 8IcCon-
! nell again was called 10 the stand, and
1 Mr.. WOrthingtOn asked concerning q
| challenge that had been made by Mr..
| BOTah, an attorney of Boise City. Ida
| to Senator Dubois The witness had
| obtained this challenge by telegraph
! today in order TO get il in its correct
form He read the challenge. which
was that if Senator Dubois would point
i out single Mormon who had taken a
| plural wife since the manifesto he (ATr-
/ Borah) would prosecute such a case
| Mr. Borah said he was stiu waiting 20
] hear from Senator Dubois.
, The witness said that when Idaho
was admitted a state il was ''tacit-
/ ly understood" that pOIygamists would
! be permitted to continue TO live with
plural wives and increase their farnf-
| lies he said il was not the under
/ standing that the political rights OF
j it