The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-10-16
PECULIAR STAND
TAKEN BY HEPBURN
"Calls the Mormcns Down."
Still Willing to Deceive
the Public.
REPUBLICAN MACHINE
DOES NOT Sci CLEARLY
Situation in Idaho Is Such That
Hierarchy Is Really
''Up Tree"
Special to The Tribune.

Special TO The Tribune.
BOISE, Ida, Oct. l5.-Senator W. B
Hepburn has thrown a bombshell int,
the Republican camp by notifying th'
Mormons in 2 public speech that they
must cease their polygamous practices
and their subserviency to the hierarchy
in politics. In speech at Montpelier
a few nights ago the Senator served
notice on tho Mormons that he woule
not apologize for them or defend then
unless they made his word good by liv
ing within the law and acting indie
pendently of their ecclesiastical supe
riors in politics.
At the same time Senator Hepburn
sign6ed his willingness 10 assist the
Mormons in deceiving the public fol
the next four weeks. He urged them
to proclaim to the public through ev.
cry possible medium from now until
election that they are not practicing po'
lygamy, and that they are free agents
in politics, in order that the public
might believe him and other party
orators when they asserted that the
, Mormons were law wabiding citizens and
free people.
Hepburn S speech has caused feel
ing of anger and disgust in Republican
State headquarters. 1t is construed as
a revolt on his part. AS matter Of
fact. Hepburn has taken the bit in his
teeth, and refuses TO do the dirty work
of the Mormon hierarchy on the stump
unless the Mormons make some pre-
tense of living up to the manifesto.
Chairman Brady and the machine insist
that Hepburn should wilfully deceive
the public as to Mormon practices, and
that Hepburn refuses TO do.
iloo wi rh,,r 70
peier speech, and his utterances have
Just leaked out. Nine-tenths of his
audience was made up OF Mormons, but
Hepburn waded into the Mormon queS-
tion boldly. After complimenting the
Mormon people he said, in substance:
Plain Talk This.
81 am going over the State denying
the charges that YOU have not sepa-
rated church and state, and have not
abandoned the practice of polygamy,
because I have entered into a con-
tract with you Gas part of the Gov
ernment), that you should do this.
Your PRESIDENT Woodruff, received the
revelation, and it was taught in every
schoolhouse. 1t is charged that polyga-
nous relations are being or have been
lately entered into in this and other
counties, and / an denying IL because
! have your word.
Then Senator Hepburn told his audi
ence that the law could not touch their
belief, but that it could deal with their
practices, If such practices were unlaw-
ful.
"If polygamous relations are being
entered into, he declared, "'you must
compel them to cease
He then declared that he was deny.
ing on the stump that the Mormons
act politically at The dictation of the
hierarchy, bccause he had their word
that they would act as free political
agents, Then he turned his meeting
into an old.fashioned exhortation meet,
ing and pleaded with the Mormons to
make his word good, and to announce
through their newspapers and through
all their mediums for the next four
weeks that they were in no way bound
politically to the heads of their church.
1.-The Republican party has pursued
you once" he exclaimed, ''and it will
do so again If need be-
Hepburn showed in every word he