The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-15
KNOX SPEAKS
FOR DEFENSE
Pennsylvania Senator FavorS
Shoots Retention Under
All Circumstances.
0MITS MANY VITAL POINTS
DECLARES sANCTITY OF AMERl.
CAN HOME is NOT AT STAKE.

CAN HOME is NOT AT STAKE.
Washington. Feb. 14-Senator Knox
today addressed the senate in opposi-
ton TO the resolution reported from the
committee on privileges and elections
that Reed Smoot is not entitled to a
seat as a senator Of the United States
from Utah"
+ Purged by His Election.
Mr.. Knox said should the senate
cxpel Senator Smoot. and Why" and
answered his own question, saying; "He
should not be expelled for believing the
Mormon religion. The irrevocabIe or
dinance expressly. and with Mormons.
i'm view guaranteed religious federation
i'm the state Of Utah. He should not DE
expelled for being a member or officer
of the Mormon church for the same
reason. He should not be expelled for
the vindication of Utah's law. violated
by certain MormOnS continuing pOlyga-
nous relations with Senator Shoots
consent or approval. suppOsing he did
consent or approve; for Utah, without
being ignorant of the facts. elected
him. and the senate would not be iusti-
respect for the formally expressed will
Of Utah, embodied i'm its laws against
polygamcus relations. by defeating it's
later expressed viii shown i'm it's elect
ing SmOot"
State Laws Prevail.
After arguing that there is no FED
eral law against pOlygamy or polyga-
nous Capitalization applicable to Utah.
now Utah is state. and when she was
admitted TO the union of states IL was
known that there would and could be
none. Mr.. Knox again asked and an
swered his pointed question. His an
swer was:
Because. first Il is claimed he is
wicked in this. that some OF his friends
having cohabited with several women
/ before Utah became a state, are con-
tinuing 10 do so CStI death. and that
he approves OF them as officers OF
church which does not chastse them
for so doing; and, second, because ne
is a Mormon and the Mormon church
! is a hierarchy dislOyal 10 our institU-
/ tons whose will he is bound 70 obey"
Shoots Qualifications.
Mr.. Knox said that he bad intention
ally referred TO the proposed action
( against Senator SmoOt as expulsion, as
/ he did not think the senate would serir
!
! volved except that of expulsion. He
] contended that there is no question OF
Senator Shoots possessing the quail
! fcatiOns prescribed by the constitution.
and therefore he could not be deprived
Of his seat by a majority vote. He de-
clared that II is not in the power Of the
( senate 10 say TO the states these are
not enough. we require other qualiica-
tiOns, or to say that we cannot trust
the Judgment OF the states in the selec-
ton Of senator's, and we therefore claim
! the right to disappUOve them for any
] req son"
Subject to the limitations imposed by
/ the constitution, said Mr.. Knox, the
states are left untrammeled I'm their
right to choose their senators. He re-
/ cited the fact that the constitution en-
bles the senate 20 protect itself against
improper members by eXpelling them
by a two-thirds vote if they are
guilty of crime. offensive immortality.
disloyalty or gross improperly during
their term of service. He specified
these reasons, he said. because he could
not imagine the senate expelling p
member for a cause not falling within
one of them.
Quaydom and the Constitution.
Calling attention TO the fact that
/ PENNSYLVANIA was the first TO take
steps TO approve the constitution. he
prayed that she will be the last TO ac-
nuiesce i'm the invasion OF rights in
| volved IN this heresy of senatorial
power 10 add TO the constitutional quail
ificati Of senators and kindred mod
ern neresies of constitutional construc-
ton"
Continuing. he said:
THE perfection Of human liberty un-
der law will only be attained under the
American constitution when each of the
dual sOvereignties within it's sphere ex-
erts its powers to the utmost for the
Iublic welfare and the artificial bodies
they have created cease TO deny and re-
sist the rightful and full exercise of the
i national power over national affairs:
when there are no attempts to encroach
upon the undeniable reserved powers
Of the states for the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF
national power: when the people dis
criminate between wise policies de-
signed TO meet the imperative needs OF
modern conditions and demagogic as
suits upon the foundations OF the re-
public for political or personal pur-
poses: when the people shall not be
vexed by unnecessary legislation about
their daily affairs and normal condi-
Continued on Page 2.