The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-10-13
THE CHAMPION
POLYCAMY
FIGHTER
President Smith Talks
on TraducerS of
His Father,

This man is the worlds champion
against polygamy," said Elder F. NJ
| Sheehy, of the Reorganized Church Of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in.
| Producing a representative of the Ad-
vertiser to President Joseph Smith, the
ecclesiastical leader of the church and
| the eldest son of Joseph Smith, the
Prophet. President Smith has writ
/ ten, g preached and lectured more
| against that crime than any man 1iv-
/ ing
| And in the lengthy interview which
followed with the president the main
/ topic was the question of polygamy
ed by the Mormon church of Utah, a
church with which the Reorganized
church is frequently confused by the
! public.
President Smith is seventy-five years
old, but carries his years well, being a
| man of magnificent physique, straight.
tall and broad shouldered. He has a
strong but a kindly face and is most
affable and pleasant in his manner In
some respects he resembles his cousin
Joseph F. Smith, the Prophet, Seer and
Revelator of the Utah Mormons, but
his features are less stern than his
cousins
"And why shouldn't they be less
stern?'' he asked, when this fact was
mentioned. HE has six wives to look
after and I have only one. And find
that looking after one is quite task"
The president summarized his long
life last night by saying that he had
been born Buckeye, raised a Sucker
and was now a Puke. He was born
in Ohio. at the time his father, Joseph
Smith, was just beginning to be noticed
by the world at large; he went from
one state to another as the Mormons
were driven first from one locality to
another, the members of the new sect
finally building their city of Nauvoo
in Illinois, where his father met his
death at the hands of a masked mob.
a lad in his twelfth year and his re- |
of that tragedy is as vivid |
today as it was during those days |
when the death of their leader throw |!
the Mormons into confusion, resulting |
in the split in the church, when the |
majority followed Brigham Young |
across the plains to found the city of |
ST. Lake and reclaim the arid lands |
af V%al
year following the death of his father,
the president lived with his mother
and Immediately family for many
years, finally moving back to Missouri,
where the first temple of the church
lad been built.
In 1860 he took his present position rs
read of the church., succeeding his
ather. having received the authority
o do so from his father prior to his
leath. His life's work has been to
combat the claims of the leaders of
hat section of the Mormons who To-
ated in Utah, founding their church
lpon the doctrine of polygamy and
laiming as authority a revelation sup
osed to have been received by Joseph
mith. That such a revelation was
yer received by his father or that
,
enied emphatically by his son. The
lleged revelation was not promulgat-
4 by Brigham Young until some years
fter the death of the Prophet and.
ccording to the assertions made by
resident Smith last night, was never
roven in any way nor properly SUBJ
lifted to the church membership as
as done with any other of the num- :
1Ia+ ,fal, 70
lie bulk of the Mormon theology. The =
.velation was not included among the :
violations in the Doctrine and Coven- q
1ts, the official Mormon publication, Z
ntil 1876, and then on the arbitrary =
citation of Young.
The legal status of the Reorganized
lurch as the successors of the Nauvoo
ganization has been established in ,
veral lawsuits and is a c1nstaLt =
urce of dispute between the two z
anches. President Smith and his son =
NJ Smith. who will be the Z
xt president, have issued numerous :
to the leaders in Utah to
eet them in debate on the many =
estions at issue between the church, !
i their challenges have passed un- 2
swered. mS
II was only twelve years old at 4
e time that Brigham Young claimed =,
e leadership of the church. I was Y
ly lad but my memory Of the y
is clear. It is altogether
} good for those fellows and they 4
ow it, I have visited Utah many Z
aes, however, and I have many 4
ends among the people there, but i
ne of our challenges have ever been Z
Continued ON Page Eleven.l Q