Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-02-26
SMOOT DENOUNCES
PLURAL marriages
UTAH SENATOR STRONGLY CON-
DENIS POLYGAMY IN SPEECH
BEFORE COLLEAGUES.
DEFENDS HIS RIGHT
TO A SEAT IN BODY.
Declares He Has and Never Had But
One Wife-says He Has Taken No
Oath inconsistent with That to
Nation,

One Wife-Says He Has Taken No
Oath Inconsistent with That to
Nation.
Washington, Feb. 20.-"I have no
hesitation in declaring to the senate
and to the American people that in
my opinion any man who has married
polygamous wife since the manifesto
should be prosecuted, and, if convict
ed, should suffer the penalties of the
law. l care not who the man might
be, or what position he might hold in
the church, he should receive the pun
ishment pronounced by the law against
his crime. l owe no allegiance to any
church, or other organization, which
in any way interferes with my SUI
preme allegiance, in civil affairs, to my
country-an allegiance which freely,
fully and gladly give"
These were the declarations of SEN
ator Reed Smoot of Utah Tuesday in
his speech in the senate in defense of
his right to retain his seat in that
body. Senator Smoot made an elo-
quent and powerful plea in reply to
those members of the senate who are
seeking to GUST him on the ground
that he is member of disloyal and
law-breaking hierarchy-the Mormon
church. He was followed Immediately
by Senator Dillingham;, who made an
argument in support of the Utah SEN
ator.
smoot Denounces PoIygamy.
Senator Smoot condemned polygamy
in the strongest terms and declared
emphatically that he had taken no
oath inconsistent with that he has
taken as senator. Mn Smoot spoke in
part as follows:
Mr.. President: The senate is en-
titled to know my personal attitude
upon the subject of polygamy and upon
the subject of loyalty to this govern.
ment Upon these two matters shall
express myself briefly, but with en-.
tire candor.
First, | desire to state, as l have
repeatedly heretofore stated, to the
senate and to the country, that / am
not and never have been a polygamist.
] have had but one wife and she is my
present wife. There has been more or
less prevalent opinion that the doc.
tr1ne OF polygamy was obligatory upon
the members of the Mormon church,
whereas, in truth and fact, no such
obligatory doctrine has eyer existed.
The revelation concerning polygamy,
as originally made and as always in.
terpreted, is permissible and not man.
datory. AS matter of fact, only a
small percentage of the adherents of
that faith have ever been polygamists.
When the law was passed denounc-
ing the practice of polygamy the eye
cution of the law was resisted on the
ground that it was unconstitutional.
When the law was upheld the church,
In 1890, adopted the manifesto against
polygamy, which was ratified by the
general conference of the people, and
thereupon the practice of polygamy
for the future was abandoned.
Grave Problem Is Heritage.
But the practice which had pre-
vailed in the period previous to 1890
left heritage for the succeeding pe-
riod that was a grave problem. There
were in 1890 about 2,451 male mem
Ibers of the Mormon church who had
polygamous families. That these were
placed in position of difficulty was
recognized by all who were familiar
with conditions
The present conditions in refer.
ence to polygamous cohabitation have
grown out of past conditions, and both
must be considered together to fully
understand the liberation exercised by
most Of the people of Utah, Mormon
and non-Mormon alike. The general
sentiment among the non-Mormon pop-
tulation has been that the best and
quickest way to get rid of the question
was TO let the old-time relations end
in death. There was a general ac-
Auiescence by the people, in this meth.
od of solving the problem, and this
method is working out complete and
final solution.
At the time the manifesto was
adopted there were 2,451 polygamous
households in the church. Statistics
show that at the time the testimony
was closed not to exceed 500 such
households were in existence. There
are 26 general authorities of the Nor
mon church. In 1890 this list Of Off
!cials was composed of % polygamists
and three monogamists"
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