Los Angeles herald., 1907-01-23
DEFENDS SHOOTS
RIGHT TO SEAT
SUTHERLAND COMES TO AID OF
COLLEAGUE
Declares Polygamy ls Frowned Upon
by Mormons-Gives History
Of Rise and Fall of
Theocraoy
BY Associatcd press.

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WASHINGTON, Jan. Ex-senator
Sutherland today came to the defense oi
his colleague, Senator Smoot of Utah
defending his right to retain his seat III
the United States senate Prefacine
his argument with observations on the
gravity of the charges against Mr.
Smoot, the Junior Utah senator said
there were extreme views held in his
state on both sides OF the.question. lie
said he did not expect to satisfy either
of these extreme classes.
II am not here to justify wrong do.
ing i'm my own state" he said, ANY
more than | am here to Justify wrong
doing in any other state. Whoever may
be thus employed must bear his own
responsibilities"
He said that If Smoot was a violator
of law, either as principal or accessory,
or recognized any allegiance to any
power paramount to tie allegiance he
owed his flag or country, or If by reason
of his conduct he was unfit. his con-
tinued presence i'm the senate would
bring reproach or shame upon 1t, he
should not retain his seat; otherwise
he should.
Continuing. Mr. Sutherland denied
Smoot was a polygamist and notwith-
standing the fact that this charge ori-
ginally made by one man had been
repudiated by everybody connected
with the case, it vas still asserted in
the newspapers and was given general
CredenCe throughout the country.
In all probability this belief that Mr..
Smoot was a polygamist had much to
do with the vast number of petitions
which have been presented to the sem
ate. Mr.. Sutherland declared that how
ever numerous these petitions, senators
Chould not afford to be swayed from a
just determination of the case on its
merits. Each of them must render his
Judgment after a passionless Consid-
Grafton of the evidence and a judicial
determination of the truth.
Denies Smoot Took Oath
Discussing the charge that Smoot
had taken an oath as an apostle that
conflicted with his duties as a senator,
the speaker said this charge had orig
mated with the same man who had
charged Smoot with polygamy. and
that of the five witnesses who charged
Smoot with it, four had been shown by
uncontradcted evidence to be persons
of bad repute, drunkards, or of unsound
mind. There was a large amount of evi,
dence, he said, given by thoroughly
reputable citizens to the effect that no
oath was taken, and taken altogether
this testimony was utterly discredited.
The two charges remaining were
that poygamy and polygamous CO.
habitation were still being practiced
by adherents of the Mormon church,
and that the church interfered in polit-
ical and temporal matters AS to the
first charge the speaker traced the
history with reference to the growth
of polygamy until its final abandon
ment by the church in 1890. .s
The thing which the government of
the United States, as well as the Gen
tiles in Utah have been striving for,
said Mr.. Sutherland, was to get rid
of the institution of polygamy. He
took the position that it was recog-
nized, in the main, that the people who
had entered into this unlawful rela-
tion did so under a religious delusion
that they We're good men and good
women, though, of course, utterly mis-
taken in their views respecting this
matter, and said:
Erroneous Belief Hard to Combat
"An erroneous religious belief is the
most difficult thing in the world to