Los Angeles herald., 1906-02-09

to Mexico to take a plural wire
Nicholson told the witness he was
going where he could live his re-
lieion."
John p. Holuger of Bear River city
Utah, q member Of the Utah legisla'
ture from 1899 to 1908 testified that ne
voted against the Evarts bill promo
iting the first wife from testifyine
against her husband in polygamy pro-
Ceedings. He was defeated after this
hut said he thought that 1t was not ms
vote that defeated him. He said ne
took the endowment house oath 10
| 1889. He repeated the oath OF ven
seance and as he remembered 1t ne
agreed to avenge the blood OF both
Joseph and Hiram Smith.
Charles A. Smurthwaite of ogden,
Utah. testified that he had been ex-
communicated by the Mormon church
In April, 1905. He is a director in the
Beck Salt works and told of having
been called to Salt Lake City to see
President Joseph f. Smith and meme
bers of the first presidency, which held
the controlling interest in the Inland
Crystal Salt company. In company
with Richard Taylor, Mr.. Smurthwaite
met the first presidency he said, and
was told by President Smith that "
he remained In the salt business in
competition with the church he would
De Eulncus
II told President Smith," said the
witness, that / had the power to
crush my child, but not the right. Mr..
Smith replied that this was business,
and I told him that thought business
meant profit"
The witness then detailed the entire
interview, which resulted in no agree
ment, as the church insisted that none
of it's members should enter into COM
,I,,t ,sYI, Ia.
waite was communicated, he said,
owing to this disagreement. He spoke
against the church being in business
and had told his bishop that as Jo-
seph Smith was the executive agent of
God in the church, it's participation in
business was equivalent to God being
in business. Finally. he said, he had
publicly disclaimed Smiths authority
as a prophet and spoke against his
testimony upon the subject of polyga-
nous Capitalization, and was tried on
charges of apostacy and unchristian-
like conduct and found guilty.
a recess was taken until u. m.
Henry w. Lawrence of Salt Lake was
the first witness at the afternoon ses-
sion. He left the Mormon church in
1869 because he became doubtful of the
church system. Concerning the en-
dowment house ceremony, which he
said he took early in life, he said an
oath was administered obligating him
to covenant and agree before God to
avenge the blood of the prophets. He
said that as administered to him the
oath did not stipulate that the ven
geance must be taken upon this ma
tion," and in that respect the oath
was ambiguous. He said no person
could go through the endowment
house without taking the oaths. These
were administered orally, he said, and
that as different parties officiated 1t
was likely that the wording of the OBJ
legation might vary at the different
ceremonies.
Tyranny of Priesthood
During his testimony DR.. Lawrence
referred frequently to the tyranny of
the priesthood that existed during his
in the church, and Chair
man Burrows asked if that tyranny ex-
listed today. The witness said that
there was liberality shown now, but
that man who desired to continue
i'll good standing in the church must
obey the leaders in all things. In re-
gard to teachings of the church he
said that nowhere in the books was
there to be found anything directing
loyalty to the government and that
they sang a song containing the lines
:. Brigham y ounG is our king" He
SID from the readings he had heard |
he believed that the achings were the
same today. He said the revelation of
polygamy was believed by a good
church member whether he practiced it |
or not, for to suspend one revelation
would be to suspend them all.
Mr.. Lawrence testified that he had |
been creditably informed that the |
woodruff manifesto had been opposed !
by quorum of the apostles and there
fore was of no force and effect. He
declined to reveal the name of his in
fcrmant on the ground that it would |
injure him, and was permitted to with
draw his statement.
c. NJ. owen, who has been employed |
liz getting evidence against Mr. Smoot |
was then called. Mr. Carlisle submitted |
a list of members of the constitutional |
convention, all of the members of |
legislatures, state officers, ETC., who |
have held offices since Utah was adj |
lnitted to statehood.
Mr.. owen marked the list showing
that of those represented every gov
eTnor, secretary of state, treasurer,
auditor and superintendent of schools
had been Mormons; that two-thirds of
every legislature were Mormons, and
that in each legislature there had been
Siii NiiN ~ 'Sii 'OiS SolhiSIS, anu III
the constitutional convention out of 115
members there were seventy Mormons.
thirty-seven of whom were polyga-
mists.
The supreme court was gentle, he
said, and the other courts mixed. Mr..
Worthington sought to show that two
thirds of the Utah population was
Mormon, but Owen said he did not
think this was true at the present time.
The committee adjourned until 10
O'Clock tomorrow.
Mr., Carlisle said he thought he could
close the protestants' case at the fore