Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-19
FOR HIMSELF
Smo0t Defends His Claim to d
Seat in the Senate.
DECLINE OF P0EYGAMY
Declares That the Church Has Ac-
cepted the Law.
WOULD PUNISH VIOLATIONS
Owes No Allegiance to the Church
Above That Which He Owes
to the Nation.
WOULD PUNISH VIOLATIONS

Senator Smoot made his long-eNpected
speech on his own case in the Senate to-
day. He spoke for only about half hour
and his address proved to he straight
forward statement which he read from
desk in the center of the Senate chamoef.
The speech was devoid of oratorical effort
and the Senator's voice was at no time
raised much above the conversational tone.
There was oaly fair attendance OF Sen
ators and the galleries were not half hliea.
The meagerEess Of the audience was Que
to the fact that the Senate met at the TN
usual carly hour of II O'Clock and that the
Utah Senator's speech was one or ihe
earliest features of the days proceedings.
Although he was not interrupted by any
one while he smoke Mr.. Smoot was warmly
congratulated by many senators when he
took his seat He was followed immediately
by Senator Dillingham;. who made an ar
gument in support of the Utah senator.
In beginning Senator Smoot said that
he would not go into the record OF all
the testimony. much of which n I'd been De
fore the Senate for two years. and that ne
was almost tempted to stand on the record
and not speak at all. but there were some
points that in justice to himself ana the
Mormon Church lie thought he ought 10
cover
II desire" he said. ''to state, as | have
repeatedly stated heretofore, that | am not
and never have been a polygamiSt. L never
have had but one wife. and she is my pres
ent wife.
s.There has been a more or less prevalent
opinion that the doctrine OF polygamy was
obligatory upon the members or me MOT
mon Church whereas. In truth ana TACT 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originally made and as always interpreted,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 ol
the adherents of that faith have ever been
polysamfsts The vast majority of the
adult members OF the church from its foun-
dation to the present time have ben moAos-
amiStS.
The Law Accepted.
1.-THE Mormon people. however. regarded
this doctrne-athough permissible in char
atcer-as part of their religious faith. and
when the law was passed Cenouncing It's
practice, the execution of the law was re-
sisted on the ground that it was unconsti-
tutional, as being an interference with their
religious liberty Appeals were taken to
the highest courts of the land. every phase
of the subject was tested in the courts and
the law was upheld Then the church
adopted the manifesto against polygamy,
which was ratified by the general confer
ence of the people. and thereupon the prac-
tice of polygamy for the future was aban-
doned
This manifesto adopted in 1890 discontin-
uing plural marriages has been presented
and discussed in church conferences re-
peatedly, sent out in the church book, The
Articles of Faith and in many other pub
lea tons issued by the church, such as text
books for the various quorums. manuals
for the Mutual improvement Associations,
Sunday schools, primaries, conference pro-
ceedings etc, and in that way has been
much more widely circulated than the orig
inal revelation on marriage Consequently.
its text. tenor and purpose in prohibiting
marriages violative of law known to
every member of the church in every part
of the world.
at the time the manifesto was adopted
there were ,, 4Jl polygamous households In
the church. Careful statistics have been
taken and preserved. and will be found in
the testimony. which show that this num-
her has gradually decreased until there was
at the time the testimony closed not to eX-
coed 800 such households in existence.
Would Punish Violations.
But Mr.. President, it is claimed that
there have been new cases of polygamous
marriages since the manifesto. and this
presents altogether different question. l
, have no hesitation in declaring to the Sen
ate and to the American people that in my
opinion any man who has married a polyg-
amous wife since the manifesto should be
prosecuted and II convicted should suffer
the penalties of the law. and [ care not
who the man might be. or what position he
might hold in the church. he should receive
the punishment pronounced by the law
against his crime.
THE testimony taken before the commit
tee tends to show that there have been
some pOlygamous marriages since the mani
festo. l believe sincerely. Mr.. President.
that such cases have been rare They have
not received the sanction or the encourage
ment of the church.
Loyalty Of the Mormons.
LAS to the loyalty of the Mormon people,
we will pass by the incident of the Mormon
exiles from Nauvoo furnishing battalion
for the United States army in the war with
Mexico; the action of the Utah pioneers in
raising the American flag in the Salt Lake
valley when that was Mexican soil; the
fidelity of Utah to the Union during the
civil war, and come to the period Of the
Spanish American war and the insurrection
in the Philippines.
1.-The state of Utah came into the Union
eleven years ago.
scarce two years had passed when there
appeared on our national horizon the cloud
of war with Spain. Side by side, shoulder
to shoulder. with every other state in the
Union, Utah furnished her full quota of
American soldiers and offered more.
There was question of religious Is
tinction or dispute then. The Utah Light
Artillery was composed of men of differing
religious beliefs. including orthodox Nor
mons. who had partaken of their church
rites known as the endowment ceremonies.
Mai. Richard w. Young. the commanding
officer of the Utah Light Artillery. was one
of these. Sergt. Harry A Young AMI
others who gave up their lives for the flag
were of this number. And in so far as these
endowment ceremonies may have relation
to this government as unreseryed and IN
| disputably accurate Interpretation is given
by the record of the Mormons mustered
, into the Utah Light Artillery. which served
in the war with Spain and during the sub
seauent Philippine instruction No man
has a right to question that Interpretation: