Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-06-16


law OF the Church than II would be I'M
der the laW OF the land.
Evidence relating to such plural mar
rlages since Ys0 could. OF course, be
competent IN This case only as it might
with other evidence. tend 20 show that
the respondent has advised such mar
rlages on II some way connivc1 at OF
approved them.
On this point there Is some evidence
tending Co show. but not IN fact show.
Ing. that ig the period OF over rs year,
4 which has elapsed since The manifesto
OF lssJ Was promulgated there may
have been some 10 or % cases IN
which o member OF the Mormon Church
has C0had.4d with q woman ms his
plural wife wuh whom De sustained no
such relation prior To- 1890.
To- only one instance has The evidence
Z shown t6e actual performance ~ tha
marriage ceremony and that occurred
. iu Mexico. in that ease ID appears
Chat % woman named Kennedy. tn tbe
year 1896 with her mother. on several
occasions appealed 90 Apostle I,aslal-.
iu Mexico, 90 marry her 20 man who
Has lIr ldy married and bad n wife
living ami Chat the apostle. whenever
appealed TO. refused ,u perform The cer-
em7ny og the ground that 10 was fol.
. hidden hy The Church.
THE parties then Travelled In a wagon
about Is miles 10 an out-0f-the-way
7 place where according % the testimony
of the woman. Brigham Young j..
4 another apostle. Ola marry her 90 the
I mon So question. AZ the time ,hIs tes-
f tuJuy was given Brigham Young, ill.,.
N.s dead. SO person testified 90 the
] cei Mlly except the woman who was
married. ana fha stated that she l.l not
ie., Brigham Young that the man whom
She was marrying had wife iiyllR,
. auI i1a. so far as she knew he was
T NOT Informed o. that fact by any per-
. SON.
. There was uo syidehc, offered Tending
J io prove ilit the respondent had any
/ knowledge of ,h.s alleged plural mar
I rage until it Came out iu lU. testimony
before the committee
Among the cases OF an ged plural
marriage since 1890 referred Co ia the
evidence are those of two OF tAe apss-
lies. John W. Taylor and Matthias f.
CoWley
As to Apostle TayiorL. L. Abbott gave
/ testimony tending % show that IL be-
came public talk n or about 1902 that
/ Taylor had then recently taken two
plural wives As 20 Apostle CoW,ay
The testimony Is exceedingly Indefinite
al 90 whether he took plural wife 40
3ll since 1850, and if So. when.
The respondent was examined as a
witness In his own behaN after me
testimony with reference 90 The alleged
recent plural marriages OF these ,wJ
| apostles had been introduced and 40
this subject testified that be Knew MOTH
ing about the alleged marriages until
The testimony relating 70 them vas
introduced here before the committee.
He further said that hs would ask that
/ am Investigation be made by The
Church authorities, and u 10 turned out
that the charges were true he would
not vote % sustain them as apostles
The taking 0f testimony m this ease
was closed and the case submitted 10
the committee after argument by couE-
sci in February 1905 But 40 the ne-
ginning Of the present session, II being
made known TO the committee that II
was desired 90 Introduce further evil
lenCc on behalf Of the prOtestauts. the
case was rtopenad and further testi-
mOny was heard on hobaif OF both the
protestauts and The respondent The es-
tim0ny was closed the second time IN
March g. 1906 but. consulting the ,on-
veuiene, or counsel for the protesja1ts.
the hearing hy the committee Of the
final arguments OF cOunsesl iu this cas-.
Nas postponed untll April IT, 1896.
ON account OF these delays ion which
neither the respondent mol his counsel
are in anyVisc responsible tho case
was not finally submitted 90 the COM
mittee fog determination until after nc
final conference o. the Mormon Church.
which was held at Salt Lake city On
April q. 1906 Al that conference II vas
made known that Taylor and CVEley
had resigned from their positions AS
apostles in the pref eding October. ana
that the designations had been aC.
cepted. The conference approved this
action, aud also filled the yaCanies
thus created by new appointments.
We deem IL unnecessary 20 90 az
length into the evidence relating TO
the other alleged plural marriages since
1890 for the reason that there Is 20
evidence whatever in the record which
even tends TO show, as 90 any sucn
plural marriage, actual or alleged. that
the respondent had any knowledge
that 90 was intended such marriage
should be celebrated, or that he ever
countenanced Il IN any way or that.
since it took place, he has az any time
or I'm any way expressed approval OF IL.
I'm 1880 when the manifesto was nrO-
mulgatcd. there were in the Mormon
Church. according 20 Church satisfies,
Goo the United states some 2,tjt
polygamous families In May. 1901, this
number had been reduced 10 S91 How
many are left and how many or them
are in Utah it Is impossible TO say, but
probably about 500 would be a fair es.i-
mate Many Of the heads Of these fam
lies are OF advanced age The popu-
lation of Utah al the present time Is
about 10000.
These figures strongly tend 10 show
that as matter Of fact. new polygam-
Gus marriages On Utah. 90 any consii-
eTablr numbers, can not have taken
place since 1890. In further evidence Of
This fact and as showing the state ~
public sentiment as TO polygamous co.
h8bitati0n. We Insert here an extract
nom the Congressional Record OF Feb.
o. 1903. page 1923 q sea. showing 4
statement made by Senator Dubois,
VINO il well known 10 have familleI
knoWledg. OF This subject.
[Congrossioual Record, Feb 5 1903. ,.
l,29. et seG.l
"Nlr Dubois ''' Various causes
operated 10 GAUGE the iormons 10
abandon rolygamy. There vas a feeling
among ihc younger members of the
Mormon Church, and a very strong
feeling. that polysamy should be done
away wiki. SO here was This pressure
within the Church against rolygsmy
and the pressure by the government
from outside The Church against polyg-
amy.
In 1891. ] think e was. the president
~ Che Mormon Church issued mani
festo declaring thar thereafter there
should D., no polyEam0us marriages
auyu here il the Mormon church. The
Mormous were then called together ~
ono OF their great conferences, where
they meet bv the thousands This m1u-
ifesto Wag issued 90 them by the Arst
presidency. which ~ their authority,
vlq submitted 90 them. and AL the
Mormon people ratified ana agreed 10
o. f... ....r.Ff.afN HDfrr QUAY Mttn nniW.r.