Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-20
GENTLE WOMEN
SUPPORT SMOOT
TESTIFY TO GOOD CHARACTER
OF THE SENATOR
Editor Says Opinion Among Nom
Mormons Is That President Smith
Is Honest Though Fanatic
In Religion
By Assoclated Press.

BY Associated Press.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1.-TWO prom
inent Gentle women of Utah, one
member of the legislature that elected
Reed Smoot q senator, we're witnesses
today in the Smoot inquiry before the
senate committee on privileges and
elections. Both women gave Senator
Smoot an excellent reputation and tes'
tilted that they would not vote for a
polygamist. Counsel for Senator Smoot
exhausted their list of witnesses here,
but expect several witnesses will arrive
in time for the hearing tomorrow.
Mr.. Langton testified that James H.
Wallis ST., who recently gave to the
committee what he alleged to be the
endowment oaths, could not be be-
lieved. Glen Miller, former United
States marshal in Utah, who had been a
candidate for office several times, tes-
titled that he had defeated Mormon
candidates in strong Mormon district.
He declared Mormons to be fair in
politics and that Mormon officials gave
impartial administrations.
| JONI w. I1uBHeS OI CdlI lJdhe, euiIOi
of weekly paper, testified that the
sentiment among Gentiles was that
President Smith was fanatic in reli-
gion, but that he was thoroughly honest
and was keeping the church out of poll
tics. He believed the Gentiles thought
it was best to let polygamy die out, as
there were few polygamists left. He
had made an investigation into the
number of polygamists in Salt Lake
City and found that there were only
seventy-four men, nearly all of them
old, only two being under so years OF
age.
Mrs. Mary G.. Coulton of Ogden,
Utah. a Gentle and the wife of a
| physician, testified in regard to the
| political affairs. She was a member Of
the legislature that elected Mr.. Smoot
| a senator. She said she went un-
| pledged, but was glad to abide by the
result of her party's caucus. Before
voting for Mr.. Smoot she said she as
certained that he was not polyga-
mist. Speaking of the Mormons in
political affairs, she said they "sized
up very well with the Gentiles. Polyg-
amous relations were never Haunted by
the Mormons, said Mrs. Coulton, and
the young Mormons particularly were
opposed to a continuation of polyg-
amous relations. AS a member of the
legislature, she said she was asked by
as many Geentiles as Mormons to vote
| for Smoot.
| On cross-examination Chairman Bur-
rows asked if it would have made any
difference in her vote for senator If
she had known that a majority of Mr.
Shoots fellow apostles were polyg-
amists. She replied that possibly she
might have voted for Smoot because
many Gentiles welcomed the oppor-
| tunity of showing that their antagom-
| ism was not directed against the
church, but merely against the princi-
pie of the church known as polygamy
She said further that she would not
vote for polygamist.
Mrs. w. H. Jones of Salt Lake City,
who said she went to Utah at 16 years
of age as a bride and who has been
prominently connected with the liberal
and Republican parties in Utah, testi-
fed that neither she nor Senator Smoot
had Joined the Silver Republican party,
and said that both of them had "too
much sense"