The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-07-06
AT riumph of Intolerance
From the BROOKLYN Eagle

| ing seven signatures, the other five.
| They are from the Committee on Privi-
legcs and Elections, the majority report
contending that Reed Smoot should be
| sent back 10 Utah private citizen, and
| the minority holding him to be clearly
] entitled to a seat In the Senate. The
| petitions urging action adverse 70
| Smoot break all records. They All forty
| five volumes. one for every State in the
| Union, and Il is predicted that should
the case remain for disposal at the next
| session, the signatures will by that
| time have been ten times multiplied.
| that they Will have ewelled into a sort
of avalanche which the Senate will not
| dare 70 trific with
The head and front OF the Smoot Of
| Tending, SO called. IS not in doubt He
| is described as one Of the twelve apos-
| ties OF the Latter-Day Saints. common
| ly known as the Mormon church. These
apostles claim everything in and out
| Of sight. They control the members
| OF the church, by what they allege to
be divine authority, such control ap-
plying 10 affairs spiritual as we'll 90
| temporal. Moreover. there can be no
sort OF doubt that this control has not
been exercised to the detrlment Of po-
| lygamy. which is practiced not only
| IN defiance OF the organic law OF the
| nation, but of ths constitution OF tho
State of Utah. by which II is prohibited.
| Smoot has OF course, participated in
| the deliberations of the twelve. II is
| alleged against him that he knew OF
! the polygamous practices of President
Smith and other high officials OF the
church, that at no time did he file a
protest against such a violation of ths
| State and Federal constitutions. but
| that on the contrary he has Sustained
! them by his silence" Moreover, he he's
taken the endowments,' which means
an oath to avenge the blood OF the
= l.
, same to his children's childrens chill
dren unto the third and fourth genera
ton. all OF which Is sufficiently blood
curdlng, not to say calculated to dis
turb the soundest sleep.
This Is the head and front Mean
while. Smoot manages TO worry along
without plurality OF wlves-posstbly
he has discovered that one Is more than
enough Taking the "endowments"
seems to be fearful thing to do. Nat
urally, IL causes each particular hair to
stand on end after the approved fash
ion Of the quilts upon tho fretful porcu-
pine, but Shylock had an oath in heav-
en-. He swore he would have a pound
OF flesh and didn't get an ounce there
OF. On the contrary, he lost his ducats
and his daughter. In spite of his muy-
derous aff1davit. Smoot has not become
an avenger. He has not tried to ex-
terminate the United States. Nor is he
drilling his children in the back yard.
Nor Will he marshal his children's chill
dren with all the pomp and pageantry
of war.
To come down to earth, Smoot became
a Senator after a fashion strictly orth-
odox. He has right to take any oath
he pleases, just as others do on or about
the first OF January. He has a right TO
swear that he Will put out the fires OF
the sun and that he will take unto him
self twenty wives, but It Will be an
entirely different matter should he take
more than one-the law would then
have hold upon him. Not for what he
says, but for what he does is II custom
ary TO hold a man accountable. 1t is
when wicked words are translated into
dlreful deeds that policemen take 9
hand In the game Up to date. Smoot
has been harmless enough.
There are more than individual In
terests at stake The Federal Consti-
tuition says that the Senate Of the
Senator'S from each State. chosen BY
the Legislature thereof. Smoot wa:
chosen by the Legislature of Utah
which Is sovereign State, and which
is undoubtedly entitled to representa-
ton at the capital OF the Nation. There
may be lawbreakers at Salt Lake City
but Smoot is not one Of them. Never
never been convicted thereof Hi!
status before the law is unimpeach'
able as that OF any member of the
Senate The status OF the State 1:
equally invincible.
Possibly Smoot Is at heart a polyga.
mist Possibly he believes that no mar
can have too many wives, providing
he can support them or get them &c
support him. To such belief, pre-
suming him to entertain It. he is clear
ly entitled. Also. he Is entitled to the
belief that no man can have too many
Affections or that earth is square oil
the moon alive. These are irrelevan-
cies. They are not germane. They
are not competent or admissible, 1t 4:
not even pertinent to say that Smoo
Is as a matter of fact man Of fine
character and fine abilities. His whole
case is focused IN the statement thai
he is not an offender. that there Is nc
proof against him Of such delinquen-
cies az forfeit his right TO n seat ir
the Senate OF the right Of the State tc
his service there. Petitions alter these
facts not In the least.
We are not living in medieval days
There Is no burning for witchcraft
now The Latter-day Saints are held
In esteem In Utah. but other Saints
are exalted and divine powers arc
claimed elsewhere without provoking
resentment or disqualification. Mean
while the commonwealth concerned is
as a commonwealth. lining up with the
rest of the States. telling the same
story of progress, of development OF
advancement Polygamy is dying a
natural death. 1t fed on isolation and
seclusion and the breath OF It's life Is
going. Many who have an eye to the
main chance in Utah wa with the HUI
NOR OF the expiring times there. tax
ing the endowments Just as other arti-
cles. not excluding some of the thirty
nine, are swallowed. So runs the self
ish world away
THE DIFFIDENCE OF RUCKsKIN