The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-12
IN SHOOTS DEFENSE
WITNESSES APPEAR BEFORE CON-
 MITTEB OF SENATE.
An Effort to Prove the Good Charactes of the Mormons-Gentile Mern- bers of LegisIature Players
 of Poker.


 who have declared the contrary to be true, was offered by counsel for Sem ator Reed Shoot today. W. J. Me- Cornell, formerly a United States Sem ator from Idaho and twice Governor of his State, and Representative B. l. French. a member of the present Con- gress and reelected for another term. were the days witnesses.
 It was the opening session of the defense in the Shoot investigation. Senator Knox, new member of the Committee, attended for the first time. There is a sentiment in the Commit tee in favor of pressing the investi- gation to a conclusion and with that end in view 1t was announced that be- ginning tomorrow longer sessions of the Committee will be held. Both witnesses today denied many state ments directed against the Mormon Church and its alleged interference in political affairs.
 The room of the Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections was as crowded as during the progress of the inquiry into~ the secrets of the Nor mon church, which was conducted by the attorney for the protestants against Senator Smoot retaining his seat. Most of the spectators were wo- men. Senator Knox, recently appoint ed member of the Committed. attend ed the hearing today for the first time. William J. Mcconnell of Northern Idaho, was the first witness called. The examipation was conducted by Waldemar Vancott of Salt Lake who Is associated with A. s. Worthingtop of Washington as counsel of Senator Shoot. MT. Mcconnell described his occupation as former merchant, half politician and lawyer for his friends. lie was a Senator of the Fifty-first Congress and was Governor of Idaho from 1898 to 1S96, inclusive, serving l two successive terms. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church The wit ness was asked to describe the politi- | cal conditions and took up early days when he said he Iobbied before the Legislature when the first effort was | made to disfranchise the Mormons. He declared that he was prejudiced against Mormons but that he found that most of the Gentiles were practicing the | "science, which in our country Is call | ed poker"
 He said he had known Mormons to gamble and drink. He followed this | testimony with a review of his &C., quaintance with Mormons during the | agitation against the religion in Ida | ho. He assisted in hringing about the repeal of the test oath of citizenship and afterwards went among the Nor mons on a lecture tour. He had ob- served the people, he said and their morals was of a high praise-worthy character.
 Senator Knox asked counsel to in- form him as to what part of the case l the examinations of MT. Mcconnell was relevant. MT. Worthington said he was unable to answer that copun- drum. but that a great mass of irrele- want testimony was admitted for the protestants to which objecton to been made and overruled. He said the testimony of MT. Mcconnell was in re- ply to this and particularly that of Charles J. Jackson, chairman of the Idaho Democratic committee who tes- tified that no candidate for office Democrat or Republican, could stand against the Mormon Church. The wit ness was asked concerning cauaes for | the Mormon vote being cast for Good ing in his canvass for governor and saN he was surprised that any Nor mon had voted the Democratic ticket He gave as one reason that he had challenged Senator Dubois to public debate and received an answer declin- | ing the invitation on the ground that he could not afford time to debate with anyone who was a candidate for 'of- flee in the party who was defending criminals. as he belived the Mormons | to be. He submitted a lithograpne ed reproduction of Senator Duboiss letter. | Was that letter personal to you?" asked Senator Dubois.
 1 Tt was an answer to my challenge It was not marked personal.
 'Well--all right" the Senator start ed to reply. snd stopped abruptly. dismissing the subject Senator Mo- Comas objected to political discussions and when the witness digressed to say that Democrats left their party fol- lowing the election of President Cleve. land. the senator asked the witness to confine himself to the question of whether the Mormons interfered in politics. Mir. Mcconnell repeated a number of reasons why the Democratic party was benefited by the Mormon Church saying that one of the princi- pal causes was what Senator Dubois called the Mormon criminals"
 An abstract showing the result of the vote in Mormon and non Mormon counties during the last six years, was presented by the witness. This ab- stract showed a general increase in the | Republican vote in both the Mormon and anti-Mormon counties, indicating, said the witness, that the Republican Increase has no tbeen due to the infiu- ence of the Mormon Church.
 | Mr. Mcconnell said the Mormons are in the minority In each of the political parties and in the Legislature and that the Mormons in Idaho do not get ev- erything they want" On this subject he read an opinion which he accepted as his own views. declaring that there Is no ecclesiastical support invoked by the church, in the control of political affairs. The opinion was a long po- lltical argument in defense of the church against the charge that the Nor mon Church leaders would seek to con- trol political affairs.
 A speech of Senator Dubois made to the Senate February 4, 1903, on the subject of Mormonism, was ordered in- corporated in the record after some con- troversy. The Senator said he would like to have 1t go in because garbled accounts of this speech had been used Tn the campaign. The defense closed its examination at a statement of the witness that he did not know of a polygamous marriage among the Nor mons since the manifesto.
 on cross examination the witness corrected his statement in regard to the poker playing habit, saying that It was confined to the members of the Legislature, and not the people. In response to questions the witness said that except for the matter of geoera- phy and knowledge of legislative needs, he would be willing that the whole Legislature should be composed of Nor mons.
 In defense of the. NTorpoons ur NFo-