Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-12
REPORT EXPOSES
MORMON CHURCH
REASONS GIVEN WHY SM00T
SHOULD GO
Positive Statement Hade That Her.
archy condones Plural Mar
riage and Controls State
Politics
BY Associated Press

BY Associated Press
WASHINGTON, d. c., June 1.-THE
reasons for the action of the senate
committee on privileges and elections
In declaring by a majority vote that
Reed Smoot is not entitled to a seat in
the senate as senator from Utah are
stated in report submitted to the
senate today by Chairman Burrows and
signed by Senator'S Burrows, Dolliver,
Dubois, Pettus, Bailey, Overman and
Frazier to be as follows.
THAT Mr. Smoot is one of a self-per-
petuating body of men known as the
first presidency and twelve apostles
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints, commonly known as the
Mormon church; that these men claim
divine 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 past
exercised by the said first presidency
and twelve apostles as to encourage
the practice of polygamy and poly
gamous cohabitation in the state of
Utah and elsewhere, contrary to the
constitution and laws of the state of
Utah and the land.
Church Controls State
\ And the said presidency and twelve
apostles do now control and for a long
time past have controlled the political
affairs of the state of Utah and have
thus brought about in sail state
union of church and state, contrary to
the constitution of said state of Utah
and contrary to the constitution of the
United States, and the said Reed Smoot
comes here not as the accredited repre-
sentative of the 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 func-
tions of the state in said state of Utah.
The report says it is shown beyond
reasonable doubt that the authority of
the first presidency and twelve
apostles is so exercised over the men,
bers of the Mormon church as to in
culcate a belief in the divine origin of
polygamy and polygamous cohabita
tion.
Quotations from the Book of Mormon
and other publications are cited to pre-
sent alleged Mormon belief that the
revelation on the subject of polygamy
is Of higher authority than the mani
festo forbidding the practice.
Leaders Condone PoIyaamy
1t is very evident, the report says,
that il polygamy were diseountenanced
by the leaders of that church it would
very soon be thing of the past among
the members of the church.
On the contrary it appears that since
the admission of Utah into the union
as state the authorities of the Nor
mon church have countenanced and-en-
couraged the commission Of the crime
of polygamy instead of preventing it,
as they could easily have done.
A sufficient number of specific in-
stances of the taking of plural wives
among officials of the Mormon church
since the manifesto of 1890 have been
shown by the testimony, says the ma
jority, Ito demonstrate that the leaders,
the first presidency and the twelve
apostles connive at the practice of TAX
ing plural wives and have done so ever
since the manifesto was issued which
purported to put an end to the practice.
Take PoIygamous Wives
ut has been shown by the testimony,
so clearly as to leave no doubt of the
fact, that as late as 1896 one Lillian
Hamlin became the plural wife of
Abraham Cannon, who was then an
apostle of the Mormon church.
George Teasdale, another apostle of
the Mormon church, contracted plural
marriage with Marian Scholes since the
manifesto of 1890. 1t is also in evidence
that Walter Steed, a prominent Nor
mon, contracted plural marriage after
the manifesto of 1890. Charles e. Mer-
rill, bishop of the Mormon church.
took a plural wife in 1890, more than a
year after the issuing of the manifesto,
the ceremony being performed by his
father, who was then and until the time
of his death an apostle in the Mormon
church.
1t is also shown that John w. Taylor,
another apostle of the Mormon church,
has been married to two plural wives
since the issuing of the manifesto.
Matthias F. Cowley, another of the
twelve apostles. also has taken one or
more plural wives since the manifesto"
Married Near Los Angeles
1t is asserted that Abraham H. Can
non and Lillian Hamlin were married
on the high seas, off Los Angeles, by
Joseph F. Smith, now president of the
Mormon church.
while the proof that Apostles Tay-
lor and Cowley have married plural
wives since the manifesto may not be
so free from all possible doubt as in
the proof In the case of Abraham II.
Cannon. the fact that the proof pre-
sented to the committee showing such
marriages by Taylor and Cannon stands
wholly uncontroverted, and the further
fact that Apostles Taylor and Cowley,
instead of appearing before the commit
tee and denying the allegation. evade
service of process issued by the COM
mittee for their appearance and refuse
to appear after being requested to do
so, warrants the conclusion that the
allegation is true and that said Taylor
and Cowley have taken plural wives
since the manifesto"
Taylor and cowIey Dropped
Taylor and Cowley have recently been
dropped from the list of apostles, and
this action of the church is offered as
amounting to an admission by the first
presidency and twelve apostles that
Apostles Taylor and Cowley have each
taken one or more plural wives since
the manifesto
The reason why the said witnesses
left the country and have refused to