The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-22

At ln8t IL tneV WOulu save
us from the pending bill to take our
franchise there would be complete in
hibitton of polygamy.
In the summer OF 1890 1 went TO
Washington, taking that pledge, With me,
not openly. there were two or three
prominent men OF the church. The bill
had passed the committee OF one house
and was on tho calendar OF the other
house and was about to be passed to the
calendar.
Saved by Blaine.
Il went 10 James G. Blaine and gave
him that promise. In the most solemn
way made TO me by the president of the
church, that there would ho an absolute
Inhibition OF polygamy in Utah and never
would we afiict the Nation. never moro
would We seem to be the unruly child.
We wanted TO keep our franchise. Wa
had come within the demands OF tho
country. ! went TO Platt Of Connecticut
and told him the same thing. To Struhle
Of Iowa. TO Cullom OF Illinois and told
them.
Blaine put HIS arm around my shoul-
der and said: Tell your people to keep
their word they shall not be harmed
this time. my boy
And they saved us that time when ;hs
ak was Just about To descend. They
kept tholr word to us. How has the
church kept It's word 10 the Nation? I
thank God tor the American party, fov
when | meet the men now that then
pledged in Washington, they Will say.
you kept your word OF honor, even if the
church did not
While ! have no aspersions TO cast
upon any one dead, ] Will say for gentle
Wilford Woodruff and for George Q.
Cannon that they kept their word.
Pledges Were Made.
The Deseret News says there was no
pledge, Joseph r. Smith says there was,
do not know from their testimony
which one of the persons to disbelieve "a
voice, BOTH" Usually yes. but as
they contradict each other this time. you
cannot. This is the testimony of Joseph
r. Smith before the Committee on Priv
iieges and Elections OF the United states
Senate in the Investigation into the right
of ons Reed Smoot, apostle OF the Nor
mon church, to hold seat In the Senate
of the United States. regarding the keep
Ing of pledges and Of obeying the laws:
Mr. Smith said. That Is correct, and
wish 10 assert that tho church has
obeyed the law OF the land and that 1t
has kept its pledges with this Govern
men, but I have not as an individual, and
I have taken that chance myself.
For ten years they have been denying
in Utah that any pledges we're made,
myself WAS communicated from the
church for recalling to them that they
had made pledges and for stating the ad-
dtional fact that they had broken them.
But l have not continues President
Smith, as an individual. and | have
taken this chance myself He says that
the church has kept the pledges which
he himself helped to make, but he, who
Is now the church. and the entire church,
President Smith, confesses that be has
broken them and he boasts that ne taxes
tho chance unto himself
"The chance he could take X he had
IL alone TO bear. but there are growing
up hero In Utah boys and girls who VIII
wish to God IL could be 10 them, My
America Except for them ] would not
fight any church or any church rule
But because no man can take the chance
himself and because of the fact that the
greater his power the greater wrong he
can do TO others, rise against the one
man absolutism in Utah and the ono
man breaking OF the pledge which the
whole church gave, and that man aim
self gave 10 the Government OF the
United States that he would live the law
and that polygamy would oe Tor ever
more prohibited In Utah
Americans VIII Correct Wrong.
And 1 thank God for the American
party for another reason, because II we
do not correct the wrong here IL Will De
corrected by the Nation, Let me call
your attention TO what the paid attorney
OF the Mormon church said 10 commit
tee when the church applied for state
hood bill containing the eompacts:
Suppose they violated this contract. sup
pose that after they put tsls INTO ,ne rOn, ron
them tho high privilege and poiltical risht
OF Statehood, they should turn riGht around
and exercise tho bad faith wnieh Is altrlo-
N at
could shut the doors OF the Senate and House
of Representatives AGAINST them you couia
deny them n voice In the councils OF ms
Nation because they had acted In bad ialth
and violated their SOLEMN agreement oy
which they succeeded in getting themselves
into the condition OF state, You couia
deny them the Federal judiciary. you could
deny them the right TO use the mails that
indispcnsable thing In tho matter OF trade
and commerce in this country Inere are
many ways In which peaceaoiy. eu. ar-pom,
n, that compact Statement OF Judge Jere
Wilson. attorney for the Mormon church.
before the Congressional committee
II IS because | do not wish 10 eee the
rights of Statehood denied TO Utah. II is
because do not wish to see the rising gen
erations compelled 10 struggle again with
tho Nation for the rights that belong TO oil
American citizens that ] appeal Tor the
success Of the American party In Utah. ] ask
any OF you In this audience, be you Demo.
Gratis or Republicans. is II not q fact Thar II
there were not an American party watching
tho rights OF the people here now. and II you
would suplnely submit 10 the direction OF the
church. polygamy would be restored here
In Utah In all It's former viruencei
'"rhe cries from all over the auditorium OF
Yes; yes went up. and one voice was
heard TO say. No,
Excoriates the Polygamists.
Senator Cannon--"I want the man who
does not believe that TO stand up and toll
me why he does not believe IL ! will give
Won fair play" No one stood up In the
audience, and Senator Cannon continued !:
II don't blame you for not wanting 10 stand
up. for even tho polygamists themselves
cannot stand UP. Some OF them have had
10 nee from their quorum and that polygam-
isl whose forty-thlrd childs birth was elon-
iousIy certified could not stand up hero
in Utah. He had TO go TO eome other coun-
try. / would have fought and shed tho last
drop OF my blood IN the old days for the
peoplo whom love. I would willingly hsht
and shed my last drop OF blood now for the
peopic whom love, but am a better
friend to them when I stand here crying
out against the tyranny which crushes their
faces into the dust than would bo Ia bowling
my own neck to the yoke and kissing the
hand OF the tyrant.
This closed the meeting and as the
audience dispersed, the American drum
corDs rendered q stirring selection.