Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1907-02-21
SAYS HE is NOT AND NEVER
HAS BEEN A POLYGAMIST.
PRACTICE NOT MANDATORY
No Hostility to the United States in
Endowment Ceremonies of Nor
mon Church-Renews Declaration
of Loyalty-Duty to Whole People
Shall Govern His Actions.

in his own defense and incidentally
on the general subject of mormonisn
and declaring emphatically that he
had taken no oath inconsistent with
that he had taken as senator. In part
he said: i
In what shall say do not intend
to analyze the voluminous testimony
taken before the committee or to
make an argument thereon. The
greater part of this testimony has
been before the senate for more than
two years, and all of it for nearly one
year It has been fully argued by the
distinguished senators who have al
ready spoken upon this question My
own testimony covering more than
125 pages of the record, is before
you, and | do not feel that | should
trespass upon your time by indulging
in any extended discussion Indeed
| should have been content to submit
the case upon the record and speeches
made by others, without saying any
thing myself, except that there are
certain matters which can be known
only to myself; and | think that the
senate is entitled to a frank state
ment from me as to my personal at
titude respecting these matters. The
senate is entitled to know my per
sonal attitude upon the subject of
polygamy and upon the subject Of
loyalty to this government. Upon
these two matters | shall express
myself briefly, but with entire candor
First, l desire to state, as | have
repeatedly heretofore stated to the
senate and to the country, that | am
not and never have been a polygamist,
| have never had but one wife and She
is my present wife"
Speaking Of the doctrine of polyg-
amy Mr.. Smoot declared that there
has been a more or less prevalent
opinion that the doctrine of polygamy
was obligatory upon the members of
the Mormon church whereas, in truth
and fact, no such obligatory doctrine
has ever existed. The revelation
concerning polygamy, as originally
made and as always interpreted, is
permissible and not mandatory. AS a !
matter of fact, only small percentage
of the adherents of that faith have
ever been polygamists The vast ma
jority Of the adult members of the
church from its foundation to the
present time have been monogamists |
The senator then reviewed the his !
tory Of mormonism and polygamy dur
ing the past 16 years, the manifesto
of 500, the heritage of the time
prior to that date when 2,451 male !,
members of the Mormon church had
polygamOus wives, the status of those
mon in their relation to the national
government and of the peculiar situa- /
ton when the non-Mormon court
came to deal with the question after
polygamy had become an outlawed !
practice in the nation. He told how
the practice had decreased so that
holds, as there was in 1890, there are
now not to exceed 500. He said that
in 1900 when he became an apostle
of the church that of the seven mem
bers only one was polygamist. Con-
tinung Mr. Smoot said:
But it is claimed that there have
been new cases of polygamous mar
riages since the manifesto and this
presents altogether a different ques-
ton. | have no hesitation in declar- |
can people that in my opinion any
nan who has married a polygamous
wife since the manifesto should he
prosecuted. and if convicted, should
suffer the penalties of the law; and I
care not who the man might be, or
what position he might hold in the
church. he should receive the punish
ment pronounced by the law against
his crime
He then told of the efforts that had
been made to find instances Of viola
ton of the law and of the general I'M
successful efforts of the search. Then !
referring to an alleged reasonable F,
obligation which it is sought to claim |
is part of the Mormon endowment !
ceremonies he said that the senate
will understand that these ceremonies
are of sacred character to those par
ticipating in them. and are therefore !
not diyulged There does not exist in /,
the endowment ceremonies of the ,
Mormon church the remotest sugges.
ton of hostility or of antagonism TO |
the United States or to any other ma
ton. They are Of purely religious
nature wholly between the person !
taking them and his God and as with |
tn ritual Of various fraternal organi-
cations, regarded as sacred and Sc
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