The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-06-11
SMOOTISM MUST 60,

case that is presented In the following
editorial paragraph from The Inde-
pendent;
We have received from Mr.. Wilbur r.
Crafts the request that we join him IN
asking our readers to lombard the sen
ate with lcttors. telegrnms and deputa-
tions to persuade tn" Senate committee
to report against allowing his seat TO MT.
Smoot from Utah, and then 10 persuade
the Senate To decide against MIN. we
shall do no such thing. This Is no case
for persuasion. but for careful Sitting OF
facts and constitutional right Mon OF
women have no more right TO Try to
"persuade" Senators in this case than
they would have to try to persuade a
Judge or jury In n murder trial
Now with regard to the facts in the
Smoot case: They are plain, noto-
rious; they are accessible to every one
in the United States; they have been
printed repeatedly In editorials, tele-
grams. letters, appeals, protests, and
almost every possible form. The facts
are. perfectly clear that Mr.. Smoot is
In the Senate of the United States ap-
parently from Utah. but indeed only
from the Morlnon hierarchy, He Is
there representing all the evils OF the
evil hirrarchical system. He repre-
sents The broken pledges to the Nation.
the reputation Of the Woodruff mani
-fssto, the going back on the testimony
of President Joseph F Smith, Presi-
dent Lorenzo Snow President Wilford
Woodruff and others when they testi-
fis1 In the escneat case that the church
had come wholly within the law and
wos no longer In an attitude of opposi-
tlon TO the statutes or to the sentiment
of the United States,
He represents the polygamous cult
which is dominant in the church, and
which has never been given up by the
present leaders. In spite OF all protests
TO the contrary. He represents the
control of both the main political par
ties in this State by the hiararchy-a
control which is arsoiute, positive. and
is exercised at will. giving the victory
first to one party and then to the other
according As the rulers think that the
church interests may best be served
For instance. ut the city election hers
in 1893 the Republican party WAS wl2aa
out by the church command. In 1904
the Republican party was tremendous
~ In the ascendent, by church favor
In 1905 the Republican party was
again put to grief by the ecclesiasts,
il polling less than one-third OF tho
vote given to that party In this city
the year before.
Senator Smoot represents In the Sen
ate Of the United States all the bro
ken pledges, all the false pretenses,
ali the evil tendencies Of the selfish,
arrogant and dominant hierarchy. He
represents an alien civil and temporal
government set up by priestcraft. and
maintained by terrorism. He repre-
sents tho hostility of that government
and its priestly dictation TO the Gov
ernment and people of the United
States. He represents the sentiment at
the bottom of that theocratic. alien.
hostile government which says that
the government instituted through
them by the Almighty is the only legal
government on the fact OF the earth
ard that all others must go down be-
fore it. He represents the reasonable
oaths which these priests glory In hav-
ing taken and imposed upon others.
He represents the common feeling of
hostility to the Government and peo-
pie of the United States which has
been so widespread in Utah. and which
this dominant priesthood desires and
undertakes still to keep up. He repre-
sents his own selfish ambitions, which
care nothing for the interests of the
State of any political party therein. or
public, so long as he has the govern
ing hierarchy at his back and they
have the absolute dominion over tie
people, controlling their votes and
commanding their support to one par
ty or the other without regard for
principle, but merely because these
wicked leaders wish to exercise and
manifest their brutal control, to the
evil fame and the affliction of Utah.
Senator Smoot in the Senate OF the
United States represents an alien force
there, something utterly unknown to
his fellow Senators from other States.
ard something abomnable in the sight
OF the American people. And 1t Is
strange that a great newspaper should
undertake to say that men and women
have no right to petition the Senators
against this allen and hostile intrusion
into the highest lawmaking body Of
the Republic.
The men and women who have for
mulated and signed these petitions and
protests against Senator Smoot get
to the core of the whole matter, They
see clearly the public peril OF yielding
place and power To hostile forces, such
as Smoot represents. they see that the
Constitution never contemplated or in
tended for one moment to construct a
Government that would be self-de-
structive. that would embrace within
itself such antagonistic clements aS