Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-14

AMolGN.
A recess was then taken,
AT the afternoon session Judge Tny.
Ter, counsel for the protestantg, cross
examined Mr. WhltecOtton. The wit
ness when asked II President Joseph
Smith had said II he observed the cus-
tom which prevailed generally ON the
subject Of marriage relations The
would be cternally damned" replied II
would not surprise him, because Smith
was a thorough fanatic"
The witness said the act OF Apostle
Merrill, who Is the husband of several
wives, In performing the ceremony
uniting his son 10 plural wife met his
hearty dlsapprobatlon, and that the
whole outfit ought TO be prosecuted. -
lie had no doubt of the marriage Of
Apostle Cannon to Lillian Hamlin and
said the controversy waged was not
whether there had been such a mar
Hage, but who performed the cere-
mony.
The witness said that II eleven OF
the Apostles should perform plural
marriage ceremonies on the highways
or IN out-Of-the- way places and MI
Gmoot the other Apostle, did not, It
would not involve him in moral, legal
or any sort OF culpability lie said
he understood that President Woodruff
nnd President Snow continued TO live
IN polygamous conubitatlon after 1890
aud understood, too, that the basis OF
the plea for amnesty was a promise
not to continue in polygamous rela-
lions.
lie gave the opinion that the Nor
mons" were responsible for the mani
festo, and said Il 1t had not been issued
there would have been "A revolt II
the apostolnte now would bring out a
revelation saying polygnmy should be
resumed there was not an Apostle who
could be sustained by his conference.
H. g. BOOTH
H. H. Booth Of Salt Lake city, non
Mormon lawyer who went TO Utah
nom Iowa ia 1855, aud has been active
I'm the politics OF Utah, asserted that
the Mormon Church, as church
did not interfere IN political Affairs
but that individuals took an interest in
politics the same az other citizens did
on the aubJect Of "Mormons' obtain
ing consent TO run for political office,
Mr. Booths understanding was that all
apostles were on a salary to serve the
Church and had duties to perform and
owed something TO the Church, He
said he believed the Church opposed the
election Of Moses Thatcher for Con-
grcsR and was glad of It, because
Thatcher was q polygamlst II was
his judgment that President Joseph r.
Smith had kept the Church out of
politics As TO polygamy, the wtness
gald:
81 believe polygamy Is as dead as
t,rlN Of ha
'MormOns themselves are opposed to
plural marriages"
Mr.. Booth testified that the sympathy
was with the women who were married
IN polygamy, and that there was dis
inclination to proseouts the polygamlsts
for that reason. He said he thought
polygpmy would die out soon Of Itself,
and that II was better to permit this
rather than 10 prosecute husbands and
leave their plural wives as outcasts.
His observation was that there had
been no plural marriages with the sane
ton OF the Church, except perhaps the
case Of Abraham Cannon. He asserted
there would be an immediate revolution
In the Church II the president OF It
should sanction plural marriages.
The witness said that Senator Shoots
candidates for the Legislature would
have been defeated II It had not been
for the Gentiles. There was no question
that Mr. Smoot received Church con-
sent to run for senator but he be-
llevod Mr.. Smoot would have been
nominated and elected had that consent
been refused He thought II conditions
We're allowed to go on MS they We're
now. I'm "A few years nothing would be
heard of the Mormon question.
Mr.. Booth, in conclusion, insisted
that he had been a constant opponent
OF polygamy all through HIS residence
In Utah, but said that conditions could
not be changed any more rapidly than
they were changing, Concerning nom
prosecutions, Mr.. Booth admitted on
crOss-eXumiuatlon that on both sides
Of his hoe President Smith main
talned houses for his wives, but until
the snoot hearing he had never
heard that poygomous oohabitatlon
had been practised since the manifesto,
Asked by Senator Dubois II his
sympathy for children born In poly
gamy, rs great enough to put stop
to bringing them into the world the
wltness REPLIED. 1T Is " a stop could
be put tn 1t without vesting penalties
and hardships on those women who
bring them into the world. II you can
suggest a way to meet this problem, /
viii adopt Il and carry II out
Chairman Burrows asked Mr.. Booth
II he thought constitutional amencs
ment Of the United States prohibiting
pclygamy would avail and received
the answer that Il was not necessary,
But witness thought It would put an
end to polygamy
ARTHUR PRATT
Arthur Pratt testified that he had
served six years "a chief of police Mt
salt Lake city and under the territor-
ial government he had been United
states marshal and deputy United
states marshal.
Angus MCannon, Jrpthe witness said,
had bad reputation and his word
could not be credited.
Mr. Pratt denied that at the time the
politics OF Utah was divided along par
~ lines some "Mormons' were set
apart 70 be Republicans ana some TO DO
Democrats. He said In the three years
Joseph Smith had been president the
church had been kept out Of politics, but
before that time It had been a factor.
va lrrs