Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1905-02-01
Answers CHARGES
against Sk00T
ATTORNEY SAYS SENATOR HAS
BEEN GUILTY OF NO IN
FRACTION OF LAW.
THREE QUESTIONS ARE
PUT TO JUDGE TAYLER
Declares That Quorum of Twelve
Apostles Is All There Is to Mormon
Church-Believes Grounds for Dis
qualification Sufficient.

Washington, Jan. 28.-Arguments
for the defense were made Friday in the
Smoot investigation before the senate
committee on privileges and elections.
Aldemar Van Colt, OF Salt Lake, opened
with discussion of the charge of inter-
ference by the Mormon church in the
political affairs of Utah.
Senator Knox Questions Tayler.
Before Mr.. Van Cctt began to speak
Senator Knox said he believed that the
arguments of Judge R. W. Tayler, coun-
sci for the protestants, would be clari-
fed If he would answer three questions,
as follows:
DO you conceae 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 Smoot
has confessed? Do you concede that
your argument for disqualification, so
far as it is based upon Senator Shoots
belief in a duty to obey Divine revela-
ton, applies with equal force to all who
believe in the duty to obey the Divine
will, however ascertained? Would Sen
ator Smoe. be disqualified, in your opin-
ion, by reason of being Mormon, it
Mormonism had never been tainted with
polygamy?"
In answering the first question, Judge
Tayler said the chief charge against
Senator Smoot was that he was the in
tegral part of the quorum of II, which
he declared to be all there was 20 the
Mormon church. The president of the
church, said Judge Tayler, was the
creature of the quorum of apostles and
could be removed by it. The latter part
Of the first question and the second
question were answered jointly by Judge
Tayler, by giving what he believed to
be the political significance of belief
in revelations. He quoted from the tes-
timony of Senator Smoot and other wit
nesses concerning their beliefs in reve-
lations, and said that all persons who
were committed to such beliefs we're dis
qualified to sit as senators. The third
question he answered by stating that if
no attention had been attracted to the
church, by violations of the law, it was
not likely that religious belief would
have been brought into the discussion,
but that polygamy was the result of
revelations. This immediate contact
with God, through personal revelations,
be declared to be sufficient to disqualify
any person for the position Of senator
ship, no matter what his creed.
Protest Declared Untenable.
Mr.. Van Colt opened his argument by
declaring the contention of the protest
ants to be untenable in that they admit
they could charge Senator Smoot with
no offense cognizablc by law, and that
the only thing brought against him was
that he believed in revelations. EN-
phasis was laid by Mi. Van Colt on the
fact that Senator Smoot had never re-
ceived a revelation and that there was
no indication that he ever would. He
declared that Senator S.noot was being
prosecuted en- the ground that his re!i-
gion at some time might cause him to
commit an overt act. He deprecated
what he termed to be an attempt to re-
turn to the dark ages of religious per-
secutions. Mr. Van Colt then summed
up the testimony of witnesses who were
examined. in relation to the politics Of,
Utah and Idaho, which he declared failed
to show one instance Of interference in
politics.