The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-06-19
SMOOT SAFE FOR A WHILE,

|
vast relief to the Apostle-Senator. II
must come upon him somewhat in the
nature of a reprieve before execution
and, as The Tribune has stated hereto
fore, the effect of the postponement
Will not be altogether one-sided. The
proba bility is that Mr.. Smoot and his
| machine Will lose quite as much as
they viii gain by this postponement;
perhaps they VIII lose a great deal
| more.
There is very active discussion In
| the newspapers Of the country OF inc
Smoot case We print on this page
this morning an editorial from Seat
tie paper giving a fairly accurate dag
uosis OF the situation.
We wish 10 take note here Of some
remarks made by the New York Even
| ing Post In its review Of the case
which arc at once impartial and which
go TO the root of the whole matter. The
| Post wonders that such diametricallS
| opposite conclusions could have been
| arrived at by the different members OF
the committee from the same presen-
tation OF facts and the same evidence.
! The Post recalls some portions of Mr..
Shoots testimony in his own case, and
| concludes its review In these words,
| which are remarkable In their keen In
sight and In that they fully recognize
| the dominant fact OF the political con-
| troll by the hierarchs OF the vote of
| their people In all this Rocky Noun
| tain region.
In all the months OF general testi-
mony before the committee, Mr'
| Smoot namo was scarcely mentioned,
and il Is fair to say that nothing there
stated was so damaging 10 him as the
speeches he has since made 10 Mormon
audiences. Thus. his sweeping and en-
thuSiastic eulogy OF the first presi-
dency. delivered after the confession
that majority Of the high officers of
the church were living in polyGamy,
did more, IN our opinion, TO connrm
the charge that Smoot is AN insep-
arabic part" Of that governing body
than any Of tho testimony OF anti
Mormon witnesses.
Other recent developments outside
the committee room, too have proved
more interesting than anything In II.
The two apostles shown to have taken
plural wives since the manifesto OF
1890 have been dropped by the church
has also publicly announced its retire
ment from its large business enter
prises. But even while II is going
through this ostensible self-purif1ca-
ton. the political aspects of its future
have been looming larger The Repub-
licans unquestionably fear that Shoots
unSeatIng VIII cause the loss of the
group OF Rocky Mountain States where
the Mormon vote holds the balance of
power. 1t is little hard to believe
that the Mormons would punish
lukewarm party by rushing TO the
arms OF the actively hostile Democ-
racy. Still. there Is not any doubt that
the Republican managers want the
case to rest until another election is
over But whenever that considera-
ton is raised 1t Is fairly drowned by
the threats of the vengeance which the
conscience vote" of the country Will
wreak on the party that dares to tritlc
with this great moral issue Mr'
SmootS personal status Is a question
OF little moment by comparison.
The Rochester Democrat and Chron-
icle, noting the conclusions of the COM
mIttec. is firm in the opinion that Mr..
Smoot should not be allowed TO re-
main In the Senate Of the United
States, It's reasoning on the case is as
follows.
The authority of the twelve apostles
over the consciences and lives Of Nor
mons is practically absolute. The evil
dence has shown, In the language OF
the report that these men claim d.
vine authority TO control the members
of said church in all things, temporal
as well as spiritual: that this authority
Is and has been for several years so
exercised by the said first presidency
| and twelve apostles as TO encourage
the practice of polygamy and polyga-
nous cohabitation In the State of
Utah and elsewhere, contrary TO the
| Constitution and laws of the State of
| Utah and the Jaw Of the land; that the
| said first presidency and twelve aDos-
ties do now control and for long time
| past have controlled tho political af-
! fairs OF the State OF Utah, and have
| thus brought about in said State
union OF church and state, contrary TO
| the Constitution of the said State of
| Utah and Constitution of the United
States, and the said Reed Smoot comes
| here, not as the accredited representa-
tive of tho State of Utah in the Senate
| OF the United States. but as the choice
of the hierarchy which controls the
| church and has usurped the functions
| OF the State In said State of Utah"
II such conditions exist, and Smoot,
] as declared, does represent in the Sem
| ate power and an interest regarded
| by him as greater and more manda-
| tory than the Constitution of the
| United States. then he should not oc
cupy the seat and be entitled to eXer-
else the powers OF Il Senator The fact
| that personally he is not a polygamist
| has nothing to do with the question
| fl ON that point Of view. 1t is in evil
dence that he owed his election TO his
standing in the Mormon church, and
| that he could not have been elected il
| he antagonized the first presidency and
| the twelve apostles IT is in evidence
| that several of the persons with whom
| he Is thus associated and 10 whose
| favor he owed his election are living
| in polygamous relations 1t Is In evil
dence that they and their church have
| In the past been openly hostile 20 the
| Government OF the United States and
| have never offered satisfactory proof
| OF reformation. II was shown that he
passed through the endowment house
| and took the oath in that ceremonial
which bound him never TO cease to