The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-28
ARGUMENT FOR MIR. SHOOT Defense Heard by the
 Committee. MR. KNOX ASKS QUESTIONS Judge Taylor's View of Divine
 Revelations. Says Chief Charge Assinst the Utah senator Is That He I. .. Integral
 Part of the Mermoa
 CAurch.
MR. KNOX ASKS QUESTIONS

cMoOt inVesLEauon before the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections Attorney Van Cett of Salt Lake opened with a discussion of the charges of in- terference by the Mormon church in the political affairs of Utah. Before Mr. Van Cott began to speak Senator Knox said he believed the arguments of Judge R. w. Tayler, counsel for the Protestants would be clarified If he would answer three questions as fol-. lows:
 Do you concede that your argument intended to establish Senator Shoots disqualification applies with equal force to all members of the Mormon church who entertain the, beliefs Senator Shoot confessed7
 ''Dou you concede that your argument for disqualification. so far as 1t Is based upon Senator Shoots belief in a duty to obey Divine revelations. applies with equal force to all who believe in the duty to obey the Divine will. however ascertalned.
 Would Senator Shoot be disqualified. in your opinion by reason of being Mormon if Mofmo- ism had never been tainted with poIygamy2y
 Tayier Answers Questions.
 Tn answering tho first question Judge Tayier said the chief charge against Senator Shoot was that he was the in- tegral part of the quorum of twelve, which he declared to be all there was to the Mormon church. President of the church, ssaid Judge Tayler, was the creature of the quorum of apostles and could be removed by it.
 The latter part of the first question end the second question were answered Jointly by Judge Tayler by giving what he believed to be the political signid- Af a ha1eAf lxa lot ntoted from the testimony uf Senator arnoot and other witnesses concerninE taoir belief In revelations and said that Mlt persons who were committed to saees heiie9a were disauaHiied to ,slt as 4en&kcrM
 The third question he answered by atatinR that If no attention had been, attracted to the church by violations of law it was not likely that the re- iigious belief would have been brought into the discussion. but that polygutny was the result of revelations. This m. mediate contact with God through per- sonal revelations. he declared to be sufficient to disqualify any person for the position of Senatorship. no matter what his creed.
 Mir. Van Cott opened his argument by declaring the contention of the protestants to be untenable in that they admit that they could charge Sem ator Shoot with no offense cognizabla by law and that the only thing brought against him was that he believed in revelation. Emphasis was laid by Mir. Van Cott on the fact that Senator Shoot had never received q revelation and tlAtt there was no indication that he ever would.
 At the afternoon session Mir. Van Cott discussed the inconsistency of the men who prepared the protest against Senator Shoot He said that E. B. Critchlow was in the convention that nominated the candidates for the legis- lature which elected Shoot and that CritchIow opposed Shoot at that time but afterward took the stump in behalf of the candidates he had opposed in the convention, Later, said Mir. Van Cott, Mir. Critchlow drew the protest against Shoot and had fought him. since.
 The Church in Busineaa.
 Justification for the Mormon Church engaging in business was offered MT. Van Cott by a citation of the case of the Trinity Church in New York as one that owns q vast amount of proper ty.
 As reasons why Mir. Shoot should re- tain his seat MT. Van Cott gave the following:
 That Shoot could not have secured the legislature without the, aid of the Gentle voters; that he opposed tho Evans bill which was vetoed by the Governor; that he encouraged the State Superintendent in driving religious classes out of the public school and that he was not Dolygamist."
 He then made the declaration that If Mir Shoot should be unseated it would solidify the Mormons more than ever.
 Mir Warrington followed for Senator Smoot, discussing particularly the ques- tion of the endowment ceremonies and the oaths taken. He eombatted the charge that there was an oath taken evidencing disloyalty to the govern ment.
 On the subject of polygahy MT. Worthington said that the manifesto prohibited only new plural marriages and that all lawyers so interpret. 1t. Two years later when President Wood ruff interpreted the manifesto as ap- plying to polygamous cohabitation. said MT. Worthington. all persons in Utah were of the sentiment that there would be no prosecutions.
 Mir. Worthington concluded for the day with the statement that the Nor mon Church had received but one reve- Iation in twenty-L three years and that was the one to stop polygamy. The closing arguments for the protestants will be made by Judge Tayler instead of John G. Carlisle. former Secretary nf the rTraagury