The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1906-10-25
FRENCH in SHOOTS INVESTIGATION +!
The Records Show (NusNey that freOh Tempered with the
Truth when lie Spoke in this city.

The most pitabls figure In the
present campaign is Congressman
Burton L. French. He is man of
pure life and undoubtedly entered
politics with high ideals. But to
maintain himself In Office be has
found it necessary to sell himself to
the Mormon hierarchy, constituted
of men whose private lives must be
revolving to one who has lived the
life OF personal chastity that Mr..
French has lived
Not only has Mr.. French Covenant
ed to do the bidding OF these men
officially, but they have frequently
commanded bin to act as their pub
lie apoloeist and defender. and he
has obeyed the order. though 1t
must have sickened him to do 1t.
But on the witness stand In Wash
ington and on the stump in Idaho he
has given utterance to apology and
excuse for the crimes Of the Nor
mon priesthood
1t is to the credit OF Mr.. French,
however, that he Is ashamed OF some
OF the testimony which he gave at
apostolic dictation In the Smoot In.
vestigation. So much ashamed OF II
is he, In fact that he Is stamperinp
with the truth In an effort to den,
that he gave 1t. In recent speecl
at Rupert, be is quoted as follows
.Mr. French emphatically denied
the statement made here by Senator
Dubois that he had informed tn,
Smoot committee that the people O
Idaho condoned the offence OF polyg
amy. He never made any such state
ment, and Dubois had dreamed 1t 0
had nightmare.
French had either forgotten wha
he did tell the Smoot committee O
he has become SO besotted In his sab
serviency to his priestly masters tina
he is lying deliberately. He did ties
tify that tile people OF Idaho condon
polygamous cohabitation, and tn
printed record OF the proceedings i
the Smcot case proves that he did
on page $40, Volume 2, Of the Pre-
ceedings, French, In describing polil
ical conditions In Idaho Is quoted a
Saying:
81 would say that was boy a
the time the state was admitted.
was about Is years OF age, and SO a
; that time did not follow very closel
the political conditions; but sine
that time it has been my understand
!. ing that the question of extermini
! tion Of polygamy was to apply to ne
polygamy, aud that the cases OF p'
lyRamy prior TO that time were to n
7 main unn olested. and that the b.
4 lief was generally entertained thu
: that would be the quickest way i
get rid of the question.
+ When he made his Rupert speec
Mr.. French had evidently foraotte
y that interesting bit OF testimony.
= Again on page 555 of the same VI
]. ume, French is quoted as follows:
"Thev referring to the people
It Idalio) feel that 1t would not
!. right to punish these men and won
d en- who engage In the polygamous I
lations prior to the admission OF Il
: state-about that time and the tin
1t Of the manifesto.
= "Mr. Taylor. No matter VIII
Ie their conduct In that relation b
{, been since then, that they ought n
" to be punished? Is that right?"
n, "Mr. French. Il would think TIL
= about expresses the feeling.
II Here is a plain declaration by NJ
o. French under oath that the people
a Idaho do not believe that the peoI
u openly living and practlcing poly
er amy, which essentially includes Z
ID bearing OF Legitimate childre
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