The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-12

| tine law OF my state. 1t is not the law
of Congress under which I am living and
| by which am punishable, The law OF
| my State and the courts of my State have
competent jurisdiction TO deal with me
In my offense 10 the law, and the Con-
gress OF the United States has no busI-
ness with my private conduct any more
than II has with the private conduct of
any citizen OF Utah or any other State.
| II is the law Of the State to which | am
| amenable.
Smith Defes Government.
1t will be observed that Mr.. Smith
! denies the right of the United States to
interfere with his private conduct as a
citizen of the State of Utah touching
the violation of her lsws, affirming that
| he is amenable only TO the laws of the
State and subject only to the iurisdic-
tion Of her courts. He evidently under
stands the strength of his position, that
| he can have FIVE wives or fifty within
| the limits of the State of Utah, and
| that the United States has no power to
| interfere TO suppress the crime or pun
ish the criminal. He knows that Con
| gress has no power, and that the State
has no disposition TO interfere. With
| the national Government impotent and
| the State Government under the master
| full domination of the hierarchy, no
wonder he is emboldened to declare
| that it is his purpose 10 persist in his
career of crime and take his chances of
punlSnment IN lne courts OF StaIe
which are made and unmade at his SUI
| preme will,
For years he has lived in the capital
city Of Utah, going in and out before
her people in open defiance of the law,
unquestioned and unmolested. So long,
! therefore. as this hierarchy can con
tinue It's domination, just so long may it
| be expected that these crimes against
| society and Che State Will continue and
| the offenders go unwhipped of Justice.
| But what excuse is proffcred for this
| continued criminal life2 1t is declared
that the manifesto of 1890 only inter
| dicted future plural marriages, and that
those who had entered into polygamous
relations prior to the manifesto were at
| liberty to continue coha with
their several wives. But this conten-
tion is futile in face Of the fact of the
| declaration of Wilford Woodruff him
| self, through whom it was promulgated.
who declared that cit was intended to
stop polygamous cohabitation as well as
| future plural marriages. in which in
| depreciation the succeeding polygamous
heads of the church, including Joseph
| T. Smith himself, have reluctantly con
cured.
In reply to question by the junior
Senator from Texas, Mr. Bailey, Mr..
| Smith said;
The manifesto declared positively the
| examination before the master of chan
| Gerry the president OF the church and 9TH
| er leading members of the church agreed
| that the spirit and meaning of that reve-
| lation applied to unlawful cohabtatlon as
| well as To plural marriages.
Senator Bailey-1 understand you. both
| plural marriage and unlawful cohab!tation
| are forbidden by the statutes OF Utah
| and the revelation OF God. Is that true2
| Mr.. Smith-That is the spirit of IT,,
sir,
Any other construction of the mani
festo is not in harmony with the under
standing of the two Presidents from
whom amnesty was obtained The am
nesty granted both by President Harri-
son and President Cleveland proceeded
upon the supposition that not only the
practice of plural marriage, but polyga-
nous cohabitation had been prohibited
and was abandoned. Joseph f. Smith
In reply TO a question put by the la
mented Senator from Massachusetts,
Mr.. Hoar. then Il member Of the com
mittee, admitted that by continuing to
cohabit with his plural wives, though
taken before the manifesto, he was not
only violating the law of the land, but
the mandate Of the Almighty.
President Harrison, in his proclama-
ton, declared:
Whereas Congress defined the crime OF
and aHd il HnIaWfe is EeUrs
sented that the adherents OF such church
have abstained from plural marriages
and ''polygamous cohabitation''
and the officers OF said church have ap
piled for amnesty, pledging their faith
ful observance OF the laws against plural
marriage and unlawful cohabiration' g.
and whereas, amnesty has been
granted to individual applicants. condi
TONED upon their observance of the law
against unlawful cohabitation"
therefore, |. Benjamin Harrison, grant
full all liza ahlo n
altes by reason Of unlawful cohabita-
tion' and who have since November /,
1890. abstained from unlawful cohabita
ton"
President Cleveland's proclamation
of amnesty was equally explicit upon
the question of polygamous cohabita-
tion. More than this, when the mani
festo was issued 1t was given out, in
the public press and In interviews with
the heads of the Mormon church, that
"polygamous cohabitation, as well as
the taking of new wives, was included
in the manifesto.
Continues to Defy Law.
Ard vet this head of the hierarchy
declares his purpose 10 continue TO defy
the law of the land and public decency,
submitting only to the laws Of the
State government under his complete
thralldom. backed by public sentiment,
which he declares is content TO permit
him to revel IN the debaucherIes of his
harem unquestloned and mmolestcd.
But this is not the head and front Of
the offending. Not only is it estab-
lished that a majority of the hierarchy
is living In polygamous cohabitatlon.
but the evidence points with unerring
certainty To the fact that at least FIVE
Of these apostles, George Teasdale,
Abram II. Cannon. John w, Taylor, NJ.
f. Cowley and Mariner w. Merrill
have taken additional wives since The
manifesto in open defiance of its ex-
press prohibition.
Aside from this. il is shown by the
testimony, beyond all controversy. not
only that the majority of the apostles
are living in polygamous cohabitation,
including the president Of the twelve
but that this practice prevails TO an
alarming extent throughout Utah and
in adjacent States and Territories. As
TO the extent of tins practice nothing
definite can be known, Plural mar
riages are performed in secret in dark
oned rooms on the highways remote
from habitation. and frequently in Mex
leo and other places without the iuris-
diction of the United States. The guilty
parties then returning to Utah. and
there following the example of their
president and a tlaiority of the apos.
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