The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-18
ANTI-POLYGANIST MORMON.
Brigham Young's Grandson Testines AZ
the Smoot Hearing.

WAsHIHdToN.N Jan. 17.-Rlchard W.
Young. grandson Of Bingham Young,
was called at the Smoot hearing to-day.
He Is graduate of West Point and of the
law school Of Columbia University. He
was Judge Advocate Of the Department
OF the East, at Governors Island. After
seven years service he resi- gned TO practise
law in Salt Lake City,
Mr.. Young is president OF one Of the four
stakes in Salt Lake City. He is monoga-
mist. The Mormon people are decidedly
hostile. he said to the practice of poIygamy.
Personally he believes poygamy is not
right.
As TO politics, Mr.. Young said he had
heard w hisperings' IA Mormon Church
Interference Is called. but he regarded this
as the efforts Of underings TO use the
Church, and not as the action Of the
leaders. The people OF the Church re-
scented interference by the Church in politics.
Mr.. Young testified that he believed the
Woodruff manifesto TO be inspired and
that most of the Mormon people enter
tanned that belief. The people met and by
vote accepted the manifesto as inspired.
Mr.. Tayler asked IL there was the slightest
doubt among Mormons as to the divine
origin of the manifesto prohibiting polyg-
amy The witness replied that the over
whelming ma orty accepted the revelation
OF po,yga and that therefore 1t was
correct and true, until the manifesto. when
IL, too, was accepted as n revelation
Mr.. Tayler asked IL it was true that at a
meeting OF the Mormon Young Mems and
Young Women's Mutual Improvement
Association last Sunday night, at Eureka,
Utah, Blshop Daniel Connolly had denounced
at length persons who betrayed Temple
and endowment oaths at Washington.
They are traitors, and shall treat them
as suoh.' Bishop Connolly is reported TO
have said. i have known traitors TO be
shot, and ! warn you not to fall into the
ways Of traitors The United States Gov
eminent shoots men for breaking their
oaths, and the covenants with God are
much more sacred than an oath given to
the Government
The witness said the Mormon people
abhorred traitor, but he did not regard
the reference TO shooting AZ having any
application to the Mormon oaths
Mr. Young declined TO say anything re-
harding the endowment secrets, though he
explained that his silence might be con-
strued in very unfair way against the
Mormon people
lawyer and a Republican, and Gentle,
gave testimony similar TO that of other
witnesses for Senator Smoot 10 the effect
that the people Of Utah tolerate polygamous
oohabitation.
F. S. Fernstrom Of Salt Lake City, Nor
mon for over thirty years, said that he knew
August Lundstrom, one OF the witnesses
who revealed the endowment secrets.
Fernstrom said he would not believe Lund-
strom under oath. He said Lundstrom had
lied about the Church and that the reason
WAS because he had borrowed money from
the Bishop and would not repay il.
c. V. Anderson, a Swedish Mormon, also
testified that he would not believe Lund-
stron under oath. II. j. Hayward, Nor
mon OF Salt Lake, was another who said he
l. .t..,-.. y.
Jens Christian Nielsen, a Danish Mormon.
test fled that he married Mrs. Annie Elliott
in Denmark. They had eight children.
Mrs Elliott had testified that Nielsen died
six years ago. but the witness denied il.
He admitted that his wife had secured a
divorce from him in 1899 Mrs Elliott told
the committee Of the secrets of the Endow-
rnent House.