The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-02-01
ON
THE COMMITTEE
Colorado Senator Will Hear the Evi-
dence in the Smoot Case In Place
Of Clarke of Arkansas.
HIS POSITION is UNKNOWN
BOTH SIDES PROFESS TO BE SAT-
ISFIED.
(sneciaI to The Herald.O

Washington, Jan. Ex-senator Clarke Of
Arkansas resigned his membership on the
privileges and elections committee today,
his place being filled by designating Sen
ator Patterson of Colorado for the va
cancy. The change is significant in its
relation to the Smoot case. which is
pending before the elections committee
and in connection with Patterson's pro-
Roosevelt and Republican speeches in the
senate today It is current rumor thar
the president, who at this time IS friend
ly with both Clarke and Patterson, ar
ranged the change, Clarke supposedly
pelng anu-Smoot in his sentiments ana
Patterson friendly to Smoot or at least
not preJudiced against him. This report
is not given credence by the principals
in the SmOot case, both sides expressing
their satisfaction at the change In the
commlttee membership and dlsclalnllng
the truth of the intimation that the pres
ident is interfering in the Smoot contrO-
versv.
Says He Is Unbiased.
Senator Patterson today said that the
place on the privileges and elections
committee was not Of his own selecting.
He understood that Senator Clarke was
ments and members of the senate urged
that he Patterson take the place. He
protested because he had all the commit
tee work he cared to handle, but IL was
insisted upon and he accepted. Patter-
son said he had no bias for or against
Smoot and could go into the case and
give an impartial trial to him on the tes-
timony before the committee and to be
introduced.
In view of Patterson's appointment,
his several statements in the senate in
reference 10 MormOnism and polygamy in
previous debates are Of interest at this
time. Reference to record indicates that
apparently he has been both for and
against Smoot. In the debates upon the
statehood bill in the senate in the Fifty
seventh congress, when the question of
polygamy was brought UP, Patterson said
that if the Mormons in Colorado voted
one way they were in a measure excus-
able, and added: IF denunciation is to
be INDUCED in, if the report of officials
to hold positions to which they had been
elected is TO be called into question, then
the causes, the reasons should be taken
into consideration as well as the bald
fact that they are members Of church
organization which has made itself OBJ
noxious to the body Of the American
people
That Utah Deal.
Later in debate on the same question
he intimated that SmoOt had come 10 the
senate as one of the results Of a deal
made between Republican party leaders
and the Mormon church, by which Utah
was to cast its vote for the Republican
national ticket in-1960.
Opponents of Smoot apparently are sat
isfied with its change, claiming that Pat
terson is as likely to be against Smoot
as Clarke, who never attended meetings
Of the committee and took no interest
in the SmOot proceedings.
Chairman Burrows of the committee
said today that Clarke resigned his place
isfied with all of his committee assign
ments and that Mr.. Patterson's assign
ment to a place on the committee was
satisfactory to him