The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-06-12
The Snoot Case

The Smoot Case.
The minority and majority reports
Of the Smoot committee are fine ex-
ample Of take your choice Of conclu-
sions. Based on exactly the same tes-
timony they arrive at opposite verdicts
by the simple process of believing or
disbelieving the Witnesses
The majority says that smoot Is one
Of a self-perpetuating body Of men
known as the First Presidency and
Twelve Apostles Of the Mormon church,
which claims divine authority to con-
troll the members Of that church In
things both temporal and spiritual, and
that this body has exercised it's author
ity in such a way as to encourage
polygamy. Smoot is not charged with
being polygamist, but as a member
Of the first presidency he is one of
band which does practice it in It's mem
bership and encourage itsin others; that
therefore, he is no more entitled to
sit in the senate than if he were him
self a polygamist.
The minority finds from the. same
testimony that Smoot has always dis,
couraged polygamy; that he has never
praoticed it himself nor encouraged It,
in others; that there is no reason why
/ he should be disqualified because he has
not made open war on polygamy since.
he has pursued the course of opposition
(which even non-Mormons consider the
Wlsest and the most likely to produce
satisfactory results -. -
:, The majority report says in regard
to the endowment ceremonies that there
can be no doubt that Smoot took the
oath OF vengeance against the United
States. The minority says the testi-
mony upon which this charge is based
IS utterly unreliable because of the
olsreputable. character of the wit
nesses," and that there is. no ground on
winch to predicate charge that Mr..
omoot ever took an obligation Of hos
tulty to the United States, or one
which would make his allegiance to the
Mormon church paramount to his dutv
to the government. ,.s., + y ;: :
This does not seem very large grist
Tor the swarm of witnesses the com
m1seee heard at an expense Of $4,000.
II leaves the senators about where thew
were when the proceedings began-free
10 vote as they choose ON the general
policy Of taking Mormon into the
senate. ~ "a. FL. -
I While it Is quite evident the senate
would be glad to be rid of the Nor
mon members and to- have it settled
that no Mormons need hereafter apply,
YET 1t cannot set the precedent of ex-
clus1on on the fact that the Utah sena.
tor is Mormon. It must have grounds
more relevant. The endowment oath
and the violation Of the anti-polygamy
proclamation were expected to furnish
those grounds. So far as the endow-
ment oath is concerned, whatever it is
1t is well covered up. The senate did
! not get any decent, clean testimony in
regard to 1t, and the minority says the
testimony which was offered is utterly
unreliable because of the character OF
the witnesses.
AS to polygamy, all efforts to trace
it to Smoot himself appear to have
failed, and this is perhaps the potent
reason why he was chosen senator by
the church. It would not do, after the
Roberts case, to send up a polygamist
and 80 the smooth young Smoot, who
, had contented himself with one wife
was selected. The majority Of the com
mittee falls back upon the conclusion
that some Of the other apostles are 30
lygamists, and Smoot has sat with then
and never protested, and, therefore, ht
: is just as bad as a polygamist. Thi.
:. would look to the ordinary man like
stretching a point He could hardly
order the private lives Of his associates
: He might have resigned. This cours,
was open to him, but it is the cours,
! which is not recommended by non Tor
: mons They have pretty generally &C
! cepted the policy of not making wa
on the old polygamists, but Of lettin.
them gradually die off in peace. TIL
: aim of the gentle has been to see tina
g no new polygamous marriages were eel
t ebrated. On this ground Smoot nigh
s reasonably claim immunity from pun
$ ishment, since he has done. as smucl
+ against polygamy as those who are FIRE
d tossfght it. He has kept clear Of j
/ himself and he has waited for the oil,
poIygamists in the first presidency e
die off.
= Andrew Jackson never called a man
J, 4 lia,. nv taJanhnne saws q Texas ma nnI
s. but there were times when it hurt him T