The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-14
ROOSEVELT AIDED
SHOOTS ELECTION
Charge is Made By Senator
Dubois of Idaho
DISCUSSES RIGHT TO SEAT
Polygamous Relations Being Sustained
In Mormon Church by President
Smith and Most of the
Apostles, He Says.

Washington, December 13-President
Roosevelt was directly charged in the
Senate today with using his influence for
the election of republican Mormon can
didates in the recent election in Idaho and
Utah. The charge was made by SEN
ator Dubois in the course of a speech
in which he discussed the right of Reed
Smoot to a seat in the Senate.
Mr.. Dubois ASSERTED the control of the
Mormon church to be complete in the
hierarchy, consisting of the presidency
and the twelve apostles of which Mr..
Smoot was one. This control, he MAIN
tanned. was ecclesiastical political and
commercial. and was exercised complete
ly over followers who come principally
from foreign countries.
Polygamous relations were being sus-
tanned, Mr.. Dubois said. by President Joe
Smith and a majority of the twelve
apostles, Continually there was contract
ing of new polygamous marriages surrep-
titiously arranged by the church in Can
ada Mexico, or on the high seas. Poly
gamists, he said, occupy the highest po
sitions, politically and in the church, and
constitute the wealthiest and most power-
full members of the church organization.
Aristocracy of Polygamists.
This is a change, he asserted, from the
old days when polygamy was entered
into indiscriminately. Now the polygam-
lists are selected by officers of the church,
and in this way is being built up cult
and aristocracy of polygamists But no
record of polygamous marriages is kept
which is available for the American peo-
pie Because of this he pointed out the fu-
tility of passing "a national law prohibit
ing the practice. Politically, he said, the
Mormon church holds absolute sway In
Utah. and is extending its control In
Wyoming, Idaho and Oregon. AS to Sen
ator Smoot, he said, it made no differ
ence whether he was or was not poly
gamiSt. The senator was pillar in the
church and in control of its temporal,
spiritual and political policies and was
selected for the Senate because of this po-
sition in the church.
"Smoot," he said, represents the church
and not the state. and would do the bid
ding of the church before he would serve
the real interests of the state or of the
nation. BY being an apostle of the church
Smoot is a member of this high conspir-
acy. He is one of the chief c0nspirators
and by his acquiescence supports the
plans and aims of the conspiracy"
Sent Taft to Idaho.
Turning his attention to the campaign
preceding the recent election, Mr.. Dubois
read the press dispatches of October D.
which stated the President had sent Sec
rotary Taft into Idaho to speak in ad-
vocacy of law and order. AT that time
Mr.. Dubois said he had telegraphed the
President that the only issue In Idaho
was the desire of the Mormon hierarchy
to continue to dominate the politics of
the state and that the President had
been misled il he thought there was
any other issue. The republican state
platform. he said, was absolutely si-
lent regarding law and order, and not
withstanding the democratic platform had
denounced the murder of Governor Stou-
benberg and demanded the conviction of
the guilty party, none of the democratic
speakers had discussed any subject save
that of Mormonism, hence there was no
other issue in the Idaho campaign.
A majority of great committee of the
Senate, after patient and exhaustive re-
search, have reported that Reed Smoot
is not entitled to his seat as senator.
1t was not a partisan report. 1t should
not be a partisan subject No Presi-
dent heretofore has made it matter of
partisan politics.