The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-11-28
The Wessenwer.
THE SHOOT CASE.

We are surprised to see that such
a broad minded, liberal paper as Inc
Evening Times of Raleigh, should ad-
yocate resignation of his seat in the
senate by Mr.. Smoot, OF Utah. We
cannot see on what grounds any n
can ask Off the resignation Of his
seat or for his expulsion. The case
aginst him has been pending for W
or three years. Those who have been
prosecuting it have failed to show that
he has violated a single statute or
clause of the constitution of the Unit
ed States or of his own state. There
is no question as Il the legality Of his
election as a representative in the fed
eral senate from the state Of Utah.
Utah mas the same right as Nortn
Carolina, New York OF Massachusetts
to elect whom she pleases to repro
ate of the United States. She can
choose as her representative a man OF
any political or religious faith. The
balance of the country has nothing 10
do with his political Or religious ten
cts. He can believe in any form OF
religion he o Whether he
thinks it right for a man to have n
wife or a dozen wives is no bodys
business. Just SO he keeps within the
limits of the law of the land is all that
the public has a right to concern IL
self about. Whether he be a member
Of the Roman Catholic church, OF Gne
of the many Protestant denOmina-
tons, a Hebrew, a Mormon or of any
other church believing in God as the
create" and ruler Of the universe
makes no difference. A Mormon a
as much right to sit in the senate CT
the United States as has a P~resbyte-
rian, a Methodist, an E~piscopalia1 or
a member of any other religious
denomination, so long as he obeys the
laws of his stare and of the nation.
In this Smoot Investigation there has
DScH no IcoIliiOhS pioouSSo " J"
that the accused practiced or advoca7-
ed the having Of plural wives.
The Messenger does not endorse or
approve Of the Mormon faith, but 1t
does say that under the constitution
of the United States those people who
have adopted that as their faith and
religion nave the right to the same
treatment and Il equal rights under
the laws of this country as the people
of any other religious denomination.
Admit that many good Christian Jeo-
pie deny that the MOrmOns' is a re-
ligi0n. That does not take from the
following of that faith the rights
guaranteed to them by the constitu-
ton OF the United States. This ques-
ton of Mr.. Shoots right to a seat III
the senate is based on the broad
grounds of the constitutional rights
of every man in the United states
and of every one of the forty-five states
forming this union of free and indie
pendent states. 1t is not to be iecld-
ed by prejudiclal, fanatical feeling.
The cry against Mr.. Smoot has Teen
carried to an absurd extent. The peo-
pie who are urging his deposition have
lost sight of the merits of the case.
Their adherence of the principles OF
Mormonism has caused them to en-
tirely lose sigh of the true princ1-
pies involved in this case. 1t would
be an outrage and a direct violation
of the fundamental principles OF the
constitution of the United States were
Mr.. Smoot to be unseated because Of
his religious beliefs. Mind you, We
say because of his religious beliefs as
distinguished from any practices i'll
violation of the laws Of the federal
government or of his state. If he
has violated none of these laws he has
as much right to represent his state
in the senate OF the United States as
any one of the strictest members of
any of the Christian denominations
We do not endorse Mr.. Shoots
- l@,1 ->E 11