The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-06-12

tee, alleging no reason or excuse for not /
appearing. 1t is shown that John W
| TAYLOR was sent out of the country by
| Joseph F. Smith on a real or pretended
mission for the church. And IL is unde-
niably true that not only the apostles, but
also all other officials Of the Mormon
church are at all times subject to the or
ders of the governing authorities or the
| church.
It would be nothing short of self-stulti-
/ fication for one to believe that all these
most important witnesses CHANGED 10
| leave the United States at about the same
time and without reference to the lnveS-
! tigatiOn- All the facts and circumstances
surrounding the transaction point 10 the
conclusion that every one Of the wit
nesses named left the country at the in
stance of the rulers of the Mormon
church and to avoid testifying before the
committee 1t is, furthermore fact
which cannot be questioned that every
one Of these witnesses is under the direc-
ton and control of the first presidency
and twelve apostles of the Mormon
direct the witnesses named 20 return to
the United States and give their testi-
mOny before the committee, they would
4 have been obliged to do So The reason
why the said witnesses left the country
and have refused to come before the COM
| mittee is easy to understand. in view of
! the testimony showing the contracting Of
plural marriages by prominent officials
| of the Mormon church within the past
! few years.
/ 1t was claimed by the protestants that
/ the records kept in the Mormon temple
at Salt Lake City ana Logan would dis
close the fact that plural marriages have
/ been contracted in Utah since the mani
! feStO with the Sa notion of the officials OF
! the church. A witness who was required
to bring the records in the temple at Salt
| Lake City refused to do so after consult
/ ing with President Smith. 1t is claimed
/ by counsel for Mr.. SmOOt that this wit
ness was not mentally competent TO test-
| fy: but his testimony may be searched in
vain for any internal evidence of such in
competency, and there was nothing IN the
/ appearance of the witness when testify
/ ing to suggest TO the committee that he
! was not as competent to testify as any
witness who was examined during the
! course of the Investigation
/ The witness who was required to bring
| the records kept in the temple at Logan
| excused himself from attending on the
plea of ill-health. But the important part
of the mandate of the communicating pro
duction of the recOrds-was not Obeyed
| by sending the records, which could east
/ " have been done.
! In the case of other witnesses who were
/ believed TO have contracted plural mar
riageS since the year 1890 all sorts Of
shifts. tricks and evaSiOns were TesOTted
| to in order to avoid service Of a subpoena
tify.
| These instances of the suppression of
testimony by the direct order or tacit
| consent of the ruling authorities of the
Mormon church warrant the committee
/ in believing that the suppressed testimony
would. if produced. strongly COTrObOTate
/ the testimony W0lCn was given, showing
that those who direct the affairs of the
/ Mormon church cOuntenance and enCOur-
/ age pOlygamOus marriages, as well rs po-
/ Iyganous cohabitation, and that the ale
cations of the prOteStants in that regard
| are true.
Mormon Officials Living in Poiyga-
nous Capitalization.
/ Aside from this it was shown by the
! testimony. and in such a way that the
I tod
that a majority of those who give the
4 law to the Mormon Church are now, and
/ have been for years, living in open. no
/ tOriOuS, and shameless pOlygamOus CO.
/ habitatioD- The list of those who are
/ thus guilty Of violating the laws Of the
state and the rules of public deCenCy is
/ headed by Joseph f. Smith, the first
| president, prophet, seer, and revelatOr'
/ of the Mormon church, who testified in
regard to that subject as follows:
] Mr. Taylor-Is the cohabitatiOn with
/ one who is claimed to be a plural wife
/ a violation Of the law Of the church as
well as Of the law Of the land2
Mr. Smith-That was the case, and is
4 the case even today.
Mr. TayIor-What was the case; what
you are about to say
Mr.. Smith-That it is contrary to the
/ rule of the church, and contrary as well
/ to the law of the land, for a man to Co
+ Ia bit with his wives. = I have
/ cOhabited with my wives not openly
/ that is. not in a manner that / thought
would be offensive to my neighbOTs-
/ but 1 acknowledged them; I have visit
ed them. They have borne me children
since 1890, and L have done it, knowing
/ the responsibility and knowing that 1
/ wkas amenable to the law
| Mr.. Taylor-In 1892, Mr. Smith, how
many wives did you have?
Mr.. Smith-In 1892?
/ Mr. TayIor-Yes.
/ Mr. Smith, had five
| Mr.. TayIor-My question is, How
/ many children have been born to him by
] these wives since 1892
| Mr.. Smith, had eleven children born
/ since 1890.
! Mr. TayIor-Those are all the children
/ that have been born to you since 1890?
Mr.. Smith-Yes, sir; those are all.
Mr.. TaylOr-Were those children by all
of your wives; that is, did all Of your
/ Mr.. Smith-AH Of my wives bore chill
/ dren.
| Mr. TayIor-Since 1890?
| Mr.. Snnith-That is correct.
| The Chairman understand since
! 1890?
Mr.. smith-since 1890. said that I
have had born to me eleven children
| since 1890. each of my wives being the
mother Of from one to two of those chill
/ The Chairman-Mr Smith. I will not
press it, but I will ask you if you have
| any objection to stating how many chill
/ dren You have in all.
/ Mr.. Smith-AltOgetheT?
Mr. Smith, have had born to me. sir,
/ forty-two children-twenty-One boys and
twenty-one gfrls-and I am proud of ev-
| cry one Of them.
| The Chairman-Do you obey the law
/ in having five wives at this time and
1 having them bear to you eleven children
since the manifesto of 1892
Mr.. Smith-Mr. Chairman, I have not
/ claimed that in that case l have Obeyed
the law of the land.
The Chairman-That is all.
/ Mr. Smith, do not claim so, and, as
! I said before, that I prefer to stand my
/ chances against the law. (VOl- I, PIP. 129,
/ 49, 14S. 1877 3S2.)
/ The list also includes George Teasdale.
an apostle: John w. Taylor an apostle;
| John Henry Smith, an apostle; Mariner
/ w Merrill, also an apostle, Heber J.
/ Grant an apostle; NJ. F. COwley. an
apostle; Charles w. PenrOSe. an apostle;
| and Francis NJ. Lyman, who is not only
/ an apostle, but the probable successor
/ of Joseph F. Smith as president of the
chirCh Thus it appears that the first
president and eight Of the twelve
apostles considerable majority of the
/ ruling authorities of the Mormon church,
! are noted polygamists.
1srv@ H.