The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-02-20
SENATOR REED SHOOT TAKES
 FLOOR IN HIS OWN DEFENSE

V kk40 VVA OAsA A4v0A nous status before the manifesto! This problem was a serious one
 Extended olive Branch.
 All that time all of the machinery Of the courts in the territory was in the has1ds of non Mormon officials who had been vigorous in the prosecution of poIygamous relationships. These recognized the vexed nature of the sit- uation and extended the olive branch, as 1t were. As relief in this dilemma came an exercise of forbearance on the part of the prosecuting officers. The general sentiment among the non-Mor- mon population was that the best and quickest way to get rid of the whole question was to let the old time reia- tions end in death. There was Q gen. eraf acquiescence by the people in this method of solving the problem and this method is working out complete ana final solution.
 nAt the time the manifesto was .adop- ted there were 2.f51 polyamous house. holds in the church. Careful statistics have been taken and preserved and will be found in the testimony which snow that this number has gradually de- creased until there was at the time the testimony closed not to exceed 500 such households in existence
 There were twenty-sjx general au- thorIties of the Mormon Church. includ- ing the first presidency, patriarch, apos- tIes first council of seventies. and pre- siding bishopric. In 1890 this list of officials was composed of twenty-five poiygamists and three monogamists
 "The first presidency and council of apostles, prior to my selection as an apostle in 1900, was, composed of ten polygamists and five monogamists. In 1906, these. same quorums comprised i've pclygsmists and ten monogamists Of the fourteen general authorities chosen since 1890. only two were polys- emists. the other twelve being naono- gamists.
 omly one PoIysamssa.
 "of the seven apostles chosen since April, 1900, when I was named, only one was a polygamist, the other six be- Ing monogamists The only polygamist chosen an apostle since 1897 is now 75 years of age and entered into that re- iatianship before the manifesto. He has been a member of the church for over half century. performing faithful and distinguished church service during most of this long period. It was on ac- count of this long faithful service that voted for him to be an apostle. Moth ing would have induced me to have vot- ed for him if he had been guilty of talk. ing a plural wife since the manifesto.
 ''Of the ninety -six members of Pres idencies of Stakes (ecciesiastical sub diyisions) in 1890, forty-seven, or about such prominent chtirch oflicials in 1906 ---the increase in number being because Of the creation Of new Satisfactorily sixteen or less than 10 per cent were polygamists.
 Hut, Mir. President, 1t is claimed that there have been new cases of poiyga. nous naFriages since the manifesto and thfs presents altogether a different question. I have no hesitation in de- ciaring to the Senate and to the Amer ican people that in Hly. opinion, any man who has married a poiygamous wife since the manifesto should be prosecut- ed, 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 re- ceive the punishment pronounced by the law against his crime.
 Rave Been Plural Marriages.
 '%fhe testimony taken. before the committee tends to show that there have been some polygamous marriages since the manifesto. l believe sincere ly, MT, President, that such cases have been rare. They have not received the sanction or the encouragement of the sanction or the encouragement of the IT submit that it would be remark rightfulDess of polygamy was taught and tts practice was encouraged in Utah. It is no longer taught and it's practice no longer encourageh. But able thing, and, if. in the course of T respect to the thoroughness of sixteen years there should not have been occasional instances of new poly gamy
 Tn respect to the thiroughness of the search made by the committee for such violations of the law, a witness befoEe the committee testified that zhs had been employed since 1898 in hunt F ing down such cases. that he had taTt- douhtedly the closest information pos slbie' on this matter. This witness gathered and presented all the ru- mors, tntimations, and suspicious he could. discover of new polygamous re- 1ation in the Cniteh States. Canada, Mexico or elsewhere and the whole nuB1Ber thus suggested, though mot proved. is less than an average of two cases for each year since the manifesto in al these communities, numbering over s.800 pOpie. In most of the cases such persons are and have been fugi- ttves ff0f justice and the alleged marriages have none of them been charged. to have occurred within the jurisdiction of the United States. Tn but one instance was there di- rect proof of the plural marriage, and this. it was testified, occurred in Mex leo.
 "If any of these cases arc actually eases of attempting assumption of poiyRanous relations. such attempt is Rot only without the sanction and approval of the Mormon church. but is in the face of. and in defiance of it's most solemn obligation which 1t ton. ko Il Ieeed reasonable obIivation which it Is sought to claim is part of the Nor moa endowment ceremonies. The senate will understand that these ceremonies are of a sacred character to those participating in them and are therefofe not hivulged. These were in- stttuted in the Mormon church py Joseph Smith, sometime prior to his death. and are yet given as part of the temple ceremonies, being of a religious