The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-02-08

thousands OF men and women have been
sent TO the Senate Of the United States
petitioning that body TO eject from his
seat Reed Smoot. a regularly elected Sen
stor from Utah,
II those petitions included all the voters
of the country, except those OF the mem
bcrs Of the Senate, they should not in
fluencc a single Senator's vote unless rea-
sons not I'm harmony with the Constitu-
ton OF the United States exist why the
act OF election asked for should be per-
formed. The State OF Utah has an In
defensiblc right 10 elect Its Senators In
the way provided by the Constitution,
and no citizen Of any other Stnte has Il
right to Interfere with the choice OF tho
citizens OF Utah But matter OF fact
the Senate Of the United States has con-
stitutional authority, and upon 1t Is I'm
posed the obligation TO eject a Senator
on proof OF certain charges. This fact
gives rise TO tho iesue whether there be
adequate reasons why Reed Smoot, duly
elected should not be allowed to retain
his seat
Senators have served who had the most
diverse opinions upon religion, and some
who professed no religion, and there have
been those whose lives were notably In
consistent with the religion they did pro-
TESS, There have been Catholic Sena-
tors and Protestant Senators; Evangeli-
cal Senators and Unitarian Senators, and
one or two outright infdcls, and no one
ever dreamed OF ejecting them on those
grounds. 1t is not alleged against Reed
Smoot that he is polygamlst, nor is It
the mere fact OF his being a Mormon that
his right to the Senatorship Is contested.
1t IL alleged against him, first. that he
belongs to the hierarchy OF the Mormon
church. and therefore that his relation
TO that church is such that he cannot
safely be trusted with this exalted and
responsible position.
The elements of this proposition include
hQ IGh nlf of no N
church with the United States on the sub
ject and practice OF polygamy, the abso-
tlue power inherent In the presidency
and the apostleshp. and the fact that
this power has such an influence over
them that in an Issue OF any kind relating
To the State OF Utah OF To any of the Ter
he could not be trusted This means that
the spirit of the Mormon hierarchy is
essentially antagonistic 10 the supreme
rule of the laws and Constitution of the
United States This Is shown by the fact
that the President of the Mormon church
and divers OF his apostles hdNe syste-
matically broken the pledges they made
to the United States and they as well as
others are living in the practice OF polyg-
amy, and have placed themselves In n
defiant position, announcing that they In
tend 10 continue cohabiting with their
polyEamous wives for the rest of their
lives. that Reed Smoot in his relation as
an apostle has not withstood them In this
matter. but has supported them as heads
of the church.
Further, 1t is affirmed that to a great
extent the church exercises autocratic
power over the votes OF Its members and
wields them as so many puppets to work
its will. These ptflrmations are true or
false. If any or all OF them are false,
those that arc so are as empty air I'm de-
tcrminipg the question whether Smoot
should or should not be elected,
Are they tTue7 Probably more extra
ordinary investigation has never been
carried on in the history of the United
States than that on ,his subject which
has been In progress for two or three
years before the Senate Committee on
Privileges and Elections, and 1t Is not yet
concluded. on the basis OF this investi-
cation the committee viii make Its re-
port and the Senate Will act.
The writer hereof. at the time OF his
testimony before that body. was In doubt
as 10 whether a ground could be found
that would not entrench upon tho spirit.
II not the letter, OF the Constitution He
knew we'll that II President Smith had
been elected Senator there would be no
doubt of his expulsion; out of his own
mouth he condemned himself But in the
case of nom -polygamous Reed Smoot there
was a doubt, 1t was this uncertainty
that led him at this time to add to what
ne already knew OF Mormonism. the re-
suits or n thorough examination from
both Mormon and antl-Mormon sources
of the history OF that institution, particu-
larly with respect TO Its relations to the
Government of the United States
The conclusion has been irTesistbly
forced upon him that IL the Senate could
ever be justified In excluding II man be-
n nature us would make 1t impossible TO
be true TO that Institution and to his po-
sItion is Senator OF the United States.
such Il case is presented by the relations
OF Reed Smoot to the hierarchy of tho
Mormon church,
The fundamental principle OF Mormon
ism Is that Its government i9 thcocraticnl.
and that 1T has power To make and un-
make governments and governors, All re-
lgions assume certain degree of power
over the consclonccs OF their Votarlcs by
rather than man." but In this the
question Is whether the Mormon church
does not invest the priesthood with abso-
lutte control The estimate placed by
Prophet Joseph Smith upon the power OF
the Mormon church is best expressed In
his own words He went To Washington
In November, 1888 and stayed there two
months seeking Federal aid In order to
get justice against Missouri, but, not be
ing pleased with the questions that Prcsl-
dent Van Buren, asked him. he wrote TO
the High Council at NauVoo from Wash
inCton as follows:
"Wo do not say Saints shall not vote
for him, but we do say boldly uhough 1t
need not be published in the streets OF
Nauvoo, neither among the daughters OF
the Gcntlles), that We do not Intend he
shall have our votes"
Later he said
The partisans in this country who expect to
divide tho friends OF humanity and equal
rights viii nnd themselves mistaken. We care
nG FOR Wing Democrat; thoy arc both
alike - Us: but VIC shull for friends
tried friands. aud the cause OF human lib-
erty which is tho cause OF God Sny-
der ana Moore known TO bc our friends
We will never be Justly charged with
the sin OF in1rstitude-thoy have served us.
and VIII scrvc them.
Preeidont Grunt in his fourth annual
message said. 1T has seemed 10 bs the
policy OF tho Legislature Of Utah to evadc
all responsibility to the Government OF
the United States and even to hold a pos