The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-01-15
POLYGAMY DYING OUT IN UTAH
MANY ILLNESSES so TESTIFY
IN THE SNOOT CASE.
The, Say the Younger Mormons Are
init Against olSgamy-GentIies. EN-
Mormons and Mornons Say That the
Church Does Not Interfere I'm Politics.

WAsHINGroN, Jan. 14.-Many witnesses
in behalf Of Senator Smoot were examined
to-day ny the Senate Committee on Priv
ileg"s and Elections They included Nor
mons. ex-Mornons and gentiles They
uniformly testified that the Mormon Church
did not interiors in politics that polygamy
was dying out, and that IN" younger Nor
mons were a unit against polygamy. The
| committee is pressing the case as rapidly
as possible. and expects to complete the
taking OF testimony 10y next saturday.
James T Lynch or Salt ! ako CITY was
the first witness. He l. a hrother-in-law
Of Angus NJ Cannon. lr. il was Angus
Cannon who said he had Witnessed the
marriage Of Abram Cannon and Lillian
Hamlin on the high seas in isne. The
witness denied that Angus Cannon was
outside Of Utah In sa'. The Young Nor
mons, said Lynch. were opposed 10 poyg-
nmy He admitted that they had made
no protest TO the President of the Church
against living in polyglmy, nor against the
plural marriages Of apostles
Hugh NJ Dougall postmaster OF Spring
Vile Utah, testified that he was formerly
n Mormon, but had been fred in 1875.
He ia now an Episoopalian. lie said Ne
practice Of polygumy was dying out.
Since the agreement of the Church to
keep out Of politics | have seen little orn
indication Of Church irterfarencs in politics."
said Mr.. Dougall
He said he had taken the endowments-
in the oid Endowment House at Sat Lake
ia 1892 He went there TO be married.
The oath Of vengeance wes read TO the
witness and he admitted that be had taken
II. but a. he remembered Il y was We
promise to importuno High Heaven to
avenge the blood Of the prophets and mar
tyrs upon this generation He was sure
there was no reference 10 This nation
as he had been warned that the Momons
took an oath against their country and he
was on the lookout for it.
On examination by Senator Burrows
the witness refused TO tell the secrets Of
the Endowment House or TO reveal tho
Penalties for violation OF the secrets He
declined 10 any whether or not he md his
wife wore their orc-na.y apparel IN taking
the endOwments.
Alonzo Arthur Noon Of Provo. Utah, was
called He said he was Mormon until
1870, when he voluntarily left the Church
because he disbelieved In the doctrine of
modern revelation. Since 1880 he has
been elected Justice of the Peace every
two years as a Republican, except in 1893.
when ne was defeated. II l. "a Mormon
community. hut the MoUnons voted for
him regardless Of the fact that he had
left the Church. There was no Church
interference in politics, 10 his opinion. Ee
has always run against Mormon candidates
and defeated them.
Mr. Worthington asked the witness IL
he had taken the Endorsements when he was
n Mormon, and he said he had. He denied
that any oath had been given in the endow-
ments that imported hostility to the Govern
ment or nation. The reference TO the
prophets and martyrs, he said, was merely
a quotation from the Bible,
Justice Noon declined to tell what the
Endowment House ceremony was. and re-
fused 10 say anything about penalties
William Hatfield Of salt Lake City testi-
fed that he was a Mormon when he wa- a
Kid of q. but graduallY dIifted away from