The Cairo bulletin., 1907-01-12
SMOOT UPHELDAS
A MODEL CITIZEN
HOPKINS COMES TO THE DE.
FENSE OF UTAH MEMBER
IN SENATE SPEECH.
OPPOSED TO POL LYCAMY
And Has Done Much to Stamp Out
its Practice, He Declares-Oues-
tions Senate's Right to Pass
Upon Eligibility.

Washington, Jan 1.-THE first
speech in defense Of the right OF Reed
Smoot to a seat in the senate was
| delivered today b. Senator Hopkins,
of Illinois. Hopkins took the position
! that senators were not federal Off
GERS to the extent that the senate
could pass upon their qualifications
and eligibility or could impeach them
for crimes of disdemeanors It sen
ator was to be- puni: he'd it must be
done by the state o. federal court, he
said
Only the federal officers he main
tanned were impeachable and this i'm
peachment must be for acs commit
ted as such federal office S. The pre-
cedent cited was the unsuccessful ef.
forts to impeach senator Blount, of
Tennessee, charged with reasonable
correspondence with a foreign nation
more than 100 years ago The con2lu-
sion. then, Hopkins said. had never
been reversed and that the senate
,had no right to try the case, as Blount
was not an officer of the United
States senate.
Reviews Smoot's private Life.
After citing other cases, Hopkins
entered upon a review of Smoot's
private life. declaring that "Smoot is
met a polygamist, that he has never
married a plural wife and has never
practced polygamy, that in his per
sonal relations as son, husband,
father and a citizen are above re
proach and that in ali relations of
citizenship he has lived a singularIy
pure and upright life.
Hopkin. denied that the proteetants
had made good IN amy Of the charges
agairat 3moot and 'A'n,clHdee ~siihl
the declaration that he would be false
to his cath as sena;9r if he voted to
expel Smooth from the senate. He
maintained that Smoo, had, in his
position in the Mormon church. done
more 70 stamp out polygamy than any
thousand other men and yet you
propose to punish him ior this by ex-
pelling him from the senate
Dubois wanted to know where and
when Smitt had ever publicly placed
himself on record a. cOndennms
polygamy.
An Opponent of PoIygamy.
Hopkins replied that Smoot had 90
or 10 times stated his p3si'i-n before
the committee and that his whole life
and every fibre of his being was a
protest against polvgamv 1t was not
necessary he maintain for Smoot to
+ hakc his fist in the face Of any man
and announce his position, nor was It
for him TO arise in the
and denounce President
Smith. of the Mormon church.
THE senator himself said Hop
kins. addressing Dubois, dare not
stand up here on this floor or any
other place and say that Reed Smoot
has not been persistent opponent of
the practice of poygamy.'
Many Pension Bills Passed.
The house today in an hour and
thirty-fve minutes, passed CPS private
persion bills, exceeding the highest
record over made before. The housa ]
also passd bill to increase tie limit /
of the five light house tenders. max !
ing the total limit 100000 instead OF
sf25.0O0.
ON account of he absence Of a
quorum. the house adjourned at 1:55
until Monday.
The general service bill passed the
senate today, VIII If it becomes a
law. will give to the survivors of the
Civil and Mexican wars, who have
reached the age Of G2. st2 per month, !
s15 to those of $40 yeas and $50 TO (
those Of - yeas.
The legislative appropriation iii
wa taken up and read Amc- dnelts /
20 this measure including the pro- /
posed increases in The salaries OF the I
vice president, speaker. and the c1bi. /
net members. were considered today /.
but will be taken up later.