The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-03-01
SENATOR THOMAS KEARNs.

word of honor to you that I believed
that these pledges would be kept in the
spirit in which congress and the coun-
try accepted them, and that there
would never be any violation. evasion,
denial or equivocation concerning
them.
Il appeal to such members of this
body as were in either house of con-
gresS during the years from 1890 to
1895, If it was not their belief at that
time that the foregoing were the
pledges and that they would be kept.
And I respectfully insist that every
senator here, who was a member of
either house at that time, would have
refused to vote for UtahS admission
unless he had firmly believed as
have stated.
Il. Utah secured her statehood by
a solemn compact made by the Mormon
leaders in behalf of themselves and
their people.
I'll That compact has been broken
willfully and frequently.
III No apostle of the Mormon
church has publicly protested against
that violation.
I know the gravity of the utterances
that 1 have just made. 1 know what
are the probable consequences to my
self. But 1 have pOndered long and
earnestly upon this subject, and have
come to the conclusion that duty to
the innocent people of my state. and
that obligation to the senate and the
country, require that l shall clearly
define my attitude.
Religion Not involved
This is no quarrel with religion.
This is no assault upon any mans
faith. This is rather the rever-
ence toward the inherent right
OF all men to believe as they
please, which separates religious
faith from irreligious practice. The
Mormon people have system of their
own, somewhat complex, and gathered
from the mystiCisms of all the ages
1t does not appeal to most men; but in
its purely theological domain it is
theirs. and I respect it as their religion
and them as its believers.
1.-The trouble arises now. as il has
frequently arisen in the past. from the
fact that some of the accidental lead
erS of the movement since the first
zeaIot founder, have sought to make
of this religion. not only a system of
morals. sometimes quite original in
themselves, but also a system of social
relation, system of finance, a system
Of commerce and a system Of politics.
The Social Aspect.
Il dismiss the religion with my pro-
found respect; if it can comfort them,
L would not. IL could, disturb il. Com
ing TO the social aspect of the society,
il is apparent that the great founder
sought first TO establish equality among
men. and then to draw from those
equal ranks q special class, who were
permitted to practice polygamy, and
to whom special privileges were ae-
corded in their association with the
cOnsecrated temples and the admins
tratiOn OF mystic ordinances therein.
The polygamous group. or cult as e
may be called. soon became the ruling
factor in the organiza ton; and ii may
be observed that ever since the found
ing Of the church almost every man of
prominence in the community has be
longed to this order II was so in the
time of the martyrs, Joseph and Hy-
rum Smith, who were killed at Car
thage jail in Illinois. and both of whom
were pOlygamists. although il was de-
MED at the time. There were living un-
Ill recently, and perhaps there are liv-
ing now. women who testified that they
were married in polygamy to one or the
other Of these two men, Joseph having
the larger number. 1t has been so ever
since, and is so today that nearly
every man of the governing class has
been or is a polygamist
Brigham Young succeeded Joseph
Smith. and he set up a kind of kingly
rulership, not unbecoming 10 "A man of
his vast empire building power. The
Mormons had been taught TO revere
God. He saw the face of the All
Son. The Holy Ghost was his constant
companion. He settled every cues
ton, however trivial. by revelation
from Almighty God. But Brigham was
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