The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-02
INNOCENT REED.

any organ OF the Mormon church or
any spokesman for the polygamous
cult would take issue with Elder How
ell s remarks concerning the value of
! Reed Smoot rs n ''disinteprator of
poiygamy The Tribune is compelled to
believe that the opinions expressed by
Congressman and Elder Howell are
acceptable to the hicrarchy-that is,
| temporarily acceptable; that the hie-
| rarchy intend to benefit by them and
permit Smoot to benefit by them in
Utah politics-with the reservation
that they can be repudiated at some
future time if such reputation shall
be deemed desirable.
As accurately reported. Congressman
,, and Elder Howell upheld Senator Smoot
as a benefactor because he had been
the innocent cause of the most violent
and effective attack on polygamy that
has ever been made, and because he
mas been the unintentional but prolific
cause of the practical disinteeration
OF polygamy within the church itself.
Lake most arguments from the HE.
rarchy and their apoogists. this one
goes too far for them and lust far
enough for their opponents. Like most
arguments of the hierarchy and their
apologists, this one proves lust what
other arguments from the same source
so!icitously deny. According to Elder
Howell's view there must have been
some polygamy to attack and some po-
lygamy TO dislntegrate, or Apostle
Smoot could not have been the I'inno-
cent and 'unintcntional cause of
these events. That is just the main
tenance of the opponents of the polyg-
amous hierarchy of the Mormon church.
The protest against Apostle Reed
Smoot 3 right to a seat in the United
States Senate uncovered polygamy-
new and old-to an extent never before
revealed TO the world in the history Of
the church. If disintegration of po-
lygamy followed it must have been
only the kind of dsintegration which
the Mormon hierarchy permit for the
sake of exPediency. 1t is well known
that President Joseph F. Smith recent.
ly issued an order that no more polvpa.
nous marriages should be solemnized
at present. Viewing his own career
and knowing his constant teaching.
every reasoning mind is assured that
he has made but temporary suspen-
sion and that he would lift his en-
barge if the world S warfare should
cease
But the principal fact disclosed by
the argument Of Elder Howell is that
Apostle Smoot, while being the Hinno.
cent cause of attack, exposure and
disintegration, still remains the sus-
tanner and the responsible protector of
the polygamous cult. Whatever NAV
be his protestations in Washington in
opposition to the teaching and practice
OF polygamy by his church, The Tribune
charges (and the accusation is beyond
dlspute) that in no public address or
document in Utah has Senator Reed
Smoot uttered one word of advice TO
his people to abstain from polypamy.
polygamous marriage or po!ygamous liv-
ing, Apostle Smoot testified in Wash.
ington to the effect that he personally
asked President Smith to investigate
two apostles against whom the charge
of having taken polygamous wives re.
Gently had been made and proved but
such request was not made public in
this State by him or by any ono else
at the time, and, furthermore. he twice
voted to sustain these men as prophets,
seers, and revelators of Almighty God
after his pretended request had been
voiced in a whisper TO the chief polyga-
mist and prophet. The Tribune charges
that Reed Smoot has permitted, as a
responsible member of the hierarchy.
the constant teaching of polygamy in
the standard works Of the church, and
that he has not in any public way
uttered word to restrain such teach
Jog or The acceptance thereof by the
young people of his church
From all that Elder Howell saws it
appears that Reed Smoot S position has
been "innocent and 'unintentional, "
and that he has carefully refrained
from any act or word which would mill
'"t' heh'Hot 'b' a''iCb DlokItSS VI Db-
lygamous teaching and polygamous
practice. The dismissal of Taylor and
Cowley from the quorum of the twelve
was political move to protect Reed
Smoot in his scat in the Senate, and
had no significance in checking the
tendency of the monstrous teaching of
the polygamous doctrine nor in check
ing the inclination of young married
men and young unmarried women to
yield to their affinity and Join them
selves in the earthly and celestial rela-
tion, If when Taylor and Cowley were
dismissed there had been public state
mcnt that they were unfrocked because
of their new polygamy and that such
fate would fall upon any others who
should follow their example. there
might have been some claim Of an at
tempt to correct community wrong.
But the hierarchy, including Reed
Smoot, carefully abstained from giving
this color in Utah To the dismissal 1t
was stated that these two apostles re-