Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-02-19
SENATOR SM0OT
ADDRESSES SENATE
lcontlnued from pase ono0

united
was there direct proof Of the plural
marriage, and this. 1t was testified, oc-
Cured IN Mexico. II any OF these cases
are actually cases of attempted assump-
lion OF polygamous relations. such at
tempt is not only without the sanction
and approval Of the Mormon Church,
but is in the face of. and In defiance OF
its most solemn protest and admoni-
ton.
PLURAL MARRIAGES STOPPED.
The Mormon Church has stopped
plural marriages and no polysamous re-
latlon assumed subsequent to 1890 is
with the permission, sanction or APP
prevail of the Church; that is final and
fixed, Every such violation OF the law
has the express condemnation of the
Church. The manifesto of 1890 was
submitted to and approved by the con-
ference Of the Church-which means by
the body of the members of the Church
and 1t remains the law of the Church
binding upon every officer thereof,
however high. 1t cannot be repealed,
modified or suspended. except by the
same power that enacted it,
RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES.
Preference has been made to am al
legged reasonable obligation which 1t
is sought to claim is a part of the
Mormon endowment ceremony The
senate will understand that these cere-
monies are of a sacred nature TO those
participating in them, and are there
fore not divulged. They were in
stituted in the Mormon Church by
Joseph Smith some time prior to his
death. and are yet given as part OF
the temple ceremonies. being of q re-
ligious, spiritual character they are
for the living and the dead-a part Of
the Mormon belief being vicarlous per-
Torrance of ordinances and ceremo~
MES.
There does not exist in the endow-
ment ceremony OF the Mormon Church
the remotest suggestion OF hostility or
of antagonism to the United States or
to airy other nation. They are of
purely religious nature. wholly be-
tween the person taking them and his
God. and, as with the ritual of various
fraternal organizations regarded as
sacred and secret.
THEIR CHARACTER.
"Adverting to the religious and
spiritual character of those ceremo-
MES. it is conceded that such cere-
monies often have an influence on the
conscience and conduct of the persons
concerned. There Is not q solitary
instance where that influence in the
endowment ceremonies has been dis
played in an act of hostility to the
government. If any effect has been
welded 1t has been for the most de.
voted loyalty to our own nation.
LOYALTY OF THE MoRMoNs.
The application In this respect, as
to the loyalty of the Mormon people
can be brought home readily. We will
pass by the incident of tho Mormon
exiles from Nauvoo furnishing a bat
talon for the United States army for
the war with Mexico; the action of
the Utah pioneers In raising the Amer
lean flag In the Salt Lake valley when
that was Mexican soil; the fidelity of
Utah to the Union during the Civil war
and down to the period of the Span
ish-American war and the Instruction
In the Philippines. The State of Utah
came into the Union ii years ago.
Scarcely two years had passed when
there appeared on our national hori-
son the cloud of war with Spain. side
by side. shoulder to shoulder, with
every other state in the Union. Utah
furnished her fun quota OF American
soldiers and offered more.
UTAH LIGHT ARTILLERY.
There was no question of religious
distinction or dispute then. The Utah
light artillery was composed Of men of
different religious beliefs, including or
thodox Mormons who had partaken of
their Church rituals known as the en-
dowment ceremony. Maj. Richard w.
Young, the commanding officer of the
Utah light infantry, was one of these;
sergt, Harry A. Young and others who
gave up their lives for the flag we're
among this number. And In so far as
those endowment ceremonies may have
relation to this government an unre-
served and undlsputably accurate in
depreciation Is given by the record o..
the Mormons mustered into the Utah
light artillery which served in the war
with Spain and during the subsequent
Philippine insurrectiom No man has
right TO question that Interpretation,
no true American will do It; 1t is in.
scrbed in letters OF fire by the history
OF many a battlefield.
FALSE CHARGE HURLED BACK.
And here IN the senate of their
countrymen, upon the lncontroYortible
witness borne by the brave survivors
and tho heroic dead OF the Utah light
artillery. ! hurl back the charge OF
the defamer that there ever was a
word or breath of hostility or disloyalty
In the sacred religious ceremonies I'm
which they or any other persons particl-
pated az members OF the Mormon
Church.
1T Is not an infrequent occurrence,
Mr. Presden, for somebody. often a
person of prominence, 10 come out with
a declaration that this or the othor
thing is 'menacng the life OF the re-