The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-06-11
Sc n, SM00T
The Majority and Minority Re-
ports of the Senate Commit
tees in the Celebrated Smoot
Case Submitted.
THE UTAH SENATOR
IS GOOD OR BAD
1t Apparently All Depends Upon the
Point of View Taken by His
52 Friends and Enemies.

Washington. June 1.-THE majority
report of the senate committee on
privileges and elections in the Smoot
case was submitted today signed by
Burrows, Dolliver, Dubois, Pettus,
Bailey, Overman and Frazier, says:
Smoot is one of self perpetuating body
of men known as first presidency and
twelve apostles of the Mormon church,
that these men claim divine authority
to control members of the church in
temporal as we'll as spiritual things:
that this authority is and has been for
several years past exercised by the
first president and apostles to en-
courage polygamous matters in Utah
and elsewhere which is contrary to
the laws of Utah and of the land; that
the first president and apostles do
now control the political affairs of
Utah by a union of church and state
contrary to the constitution of the
United States and that Reed Smoot
comes here not as an accredited rep
resentative of Utah but as chief hier-
archy which controls the church and
usurps functions of the state of Utah.
The report names dozen apostles,
former apostles and prominent Nor
mons who according to the testimony
have taken plural wives since the
manifesto of 1890 and who "are now
and have been for years living in open
and notorious and shameless cohabi-
tation."
In the judgment of the committee
SmOot is no more entitled to a seat
in the United States senate than If he
was cohabiting polygamously with
plurality of wives. Finally relating to
oath Of vengeance says:
1T is difficult to see how one could
discharge the obligation of a senator
to perform his duty to promote the
welfare of the people and at the same
time be calling down the vengeance
of heaven on this nation because of the
killing of the founders of the church
sixty years ago."
The minority report, signed by For
aker, Beveridge, Dillingham;, Hopkins
and Knox, says Shoots private char
acter is irreproachable, and further
says: $50 far as his belief and men,
bership in the Mormon church is con-
cerned Smoot is within his rights un-
der the guaranty of religious freedom
of the constitution of the United
States"
AS to endowment oath, the minority
says, the testimony is utterly unrelia-
BILE because of the dlsreputable and
untrustworthy character of the wit
nesses and it has not been established
that Smoot ever took such obligation
AS to his responsibility for poly
gamous cohabitation the report says
Smoot has never at any time, and
particularly since the manifesto of
1890, countenanced or encouraged
plural marriages.
Concluding the minority says: I'VE
are of the opinion there is no just
ground for eXpelling Senator Smoot or
for finding him disqualified to hold the
seat he occupies because he, in COM
mon with all people of his state, has
not made war on but acquiesced IN
the condition for which he had no
original responsibility"
The majority and minority reports
of the senate committee in the Smoot
case was presented in the senate to-
day. Bailey said it was his opinion
that Smoot couldn't be deprived of his
seat except by resolution of expul-
sion. Burrows said he would call the
matter up at the earliest moment pos
sible. Smoot was present and when
Bailey made his statement smiled
broadly