Los Angeles herald., 1905-01-15
HOLD PDLYGAMY
IS DYING OUT
fContlnned frnm pnre one.l

he said, at his election as senator
After his marrige, Mr. Noon said, he
took the endowments. MIR. worthing-
ton asked him IL he took an oath TO
avenge the blood of the prophets "on
this nation"
Witness said he was perfectly clear
that nothing in the obligation taken
expressed hostility to the nation or to
this government.
Mr.. Dougall was recalled and asked
whether there was anything in his
endowment oath incompatible with his
allegiance to this state and nation.
He replied that there was nothing.
Mr.. Noon was recalled and answered
the same question in the negative.
William Hatfield of Salt Lake was
sworn. He was a Mormon until he
was % years of age and then drifted
away from the church. He testified
that polygamy was decreasing and that
he had known of no plural marriages
since $780,
At the afternoon session j. II.
Brady, chairman of the Republican
state committee of Idaho, testified
that the Idaho legislature had just
passed an anti-polygamy law. The
witness said that he had advocated it's
passage for the sole reason that he
wanted to put it up to Senator Du-
bois to prosecute the old polygamists
If he meant all he said during the
campaign"
while you were inflaming the Nor
mons against my position" asked Sem
ator Dubois, were you not also assur-
ing the Gentiles that the Republicans
would pass the laws was demand
ing?"
Yes; l told them that while the
Democrats were passing resolutions we
would pass laws" replied Mr.. Brady.
William Hatfield. who was on the
stand at the morning session, then re-
sumed, his testimony. He said that
when he went through the endowment
house he had taken no oath that would
be in conflict with his duties as a cit
izen of his state or nation.
Il
dramatic reader and lecturer, testified
that he had been born into the Nor
mon church, but broke away from the
church in 1878 because he did not be-
ieve in polygamy. He declared polyg-
amy to be almost a thing Of the
past"
Mr. Meakin said he went through the
endowment house when he was IS
years old. He said there were no OBJ
legations administered that would in
terfere with his allegiance to his state
or the national government.
Robert T. Burton, jr, of Salt Lake a
son of a Mormon family but not him
self a Mormon, testified that Mr.,
Critchlow had told him that he would
not believe Angus NJ Cannon, jr,, un-
der OATH The opposing counsel en-
gagged In a colloquy concerning the
propriety Of putting on the stand a
witness sor the sole purpose of dis
crediting Mr.. Critchlow, but the chair
man permitted the examination to pro-
ceed. 1t developed that Mr.. Critch-
lows statement to Mr.. Burton was
made since Mr.. Critchlow sent Mr..
Cannon to Washington as a witness,
who said he saw President Joseph F.
Smith unite Abram Cannon and Lillian
Hamlin in marriage.
Samuel N. Cole and Corinne, Utah,
a banker and treasurer of Box Elder
county, was the next witness. He is a
gentle and testified that he ran lit
Il eahead of his ticket in spite of the
fact that his opponent for treasurer
was a Mormon.
went to Utah in 1890 from Michigan to
take the position of associate justice of
the supreme court of the territory and
was a justice of that court until 1908.
testified in regard to the prosecutions
before him of Mormons charged with
unlawful cohabitation. He said he
had sent more than a hundred to the
penitentiary. Before the manifesto,
he said, polygamists would not prom
ise to obey in the future because they
Hdu DScn Taught ihal Puls 6dlhy was
right, but after the manifesto the Nor
mons would give the promise and in
most cases were not sentenced. In his
opinion polygamous marriages have
practically ceased.
Judge Miner expressed the opinion
that President Joseph Smith Is doing
everything he can to keep the Mormon
church out of politics. He is an hon-
est man, he said.
w. d. Candland of Mount Pleasant,
Utah, a Mormon, but not polygam-
list, testified that the Mormon people
asserted their independence in voting
and would brook no interference iwth
it.
'1f President Smith should seek to
re-establlsh the practice of polygamy
he would find himself in hopeless mi-
nority and there would be big row."
said Mr. candland.
At the conclusion OF Mr.. Candland's
testimony the committee adjourned