The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-01-13
SPECIAL PLEADER HEARD
IN DEFENSE IF SNOOT

er than all the other inhabitants com
hined -
Referring to Senator Burrows s
charge that Reed Smoot was a member
Of criminal organization, Senator
Hopkins said:
Hopkins Splits Hairs.
"I do not think the Senator from
Michigan attempted to mislead tho
Senate on the proposition that this is
a criminal organization. Ny point is
that he did not discriminate sufficient
ly in his own mind to make 1t clear to
the Senate and country the difference
between really criminal Organization
aud the fact that members of the or
ganization violated the law
Another gem that fell from the lips
Of the Illinois defender of Smoot was:
"'There is nothing in the Constitu-
ton OF the United States that pre-
vents State from having an cstab-
lished church.
Hopkins asserted that there had
| been only twenty plural marriages in
| Utah since the manifesto.
Senator Fulton. of Oregon inquired 2
''Can the Senator say that no plural
marriages have been performed by the
Mormon church?F
saying:
"'Even the plural marriages Of the
apostles referred to were solemnized in
| Canada. The Mormon church in Utah
does not recognize or validate them.
They are regarded as an adulterous re-
lation.
Senator Dubois asked: ''Has the
church punished these men for the
adulterous relations?'
Defender Is Puzzled
Hopkins hesitated. After = pause
he said;
81 will answer that by asking the
Senator from Idaho a question, / read
the other day that member. of
Western church committed bigamy.
Does the Senator know whether his
church punished him1"
This was such a knoch-down argu-
ment that Dubois sank back into his
chair roaring with laughter, and Bev-
eridge famed himself vigorously.
Senator Scott of West Virginia,
Smoot advocate, who had Just mustered
three votes for the Craftsmanship OF the
National Republican committee, lnclud-
ing his own, perpetrated the follow
ing:
H'Does the Senator believe that be-
cause the creed of the Presbyterians
damns infants (laugnter)-I mean, be-
cause the creed of the church favors
infant damnation, that all Presbyte-
rians should be blamed whether they be-
lieve it or not2'
Nobody takes Scott seriously, and
even Hopkins sidestepped this question
with the remark that he knew lot OF
good Presbvterians.
Yet Brigham Young has been dead
long time. - continued Mr., Hopkins.
land the Mormon church has improved
wonderfully. ...
Senator BeveriGee exclaimed:
Yes. and the Senator from Illinois
may say that not only has Brigham
Young been dead long time, but that
Senator Smoot, who is being tried IN
the minds Of the people and in the
minds of the Senate as polygamist
and defender of polygamv, is not now
and never was polygamist. "
Charges Are Clear.
"Just a moment, shouted Dubois.
" Reed Smoot IS not being tried In the
minds of the people or in the minds
of the Senate for being a polygamist.
The charges against him are set forth
in the protest printed IN the Record -
Mr.. Hopkins took the position that
Senators were not Federal officers to
the extent that the Senate could pass
upon their qualifications and eligi-
bility or impeach them for high crimes
or misdemeanors, II a Senator was to
be punished, IT must be done by the
State OF Federal courts. Only the Fed
eral officers, he maintained, were I'M
peachable, and this impeachment must
be for acts committed as such Federal
officers.
The precedent cited was the unsuc-
cessful effort TO impeach Senator Blount
Of Tennessee, charged with reasonable
correspondence with foreign nation,
more than 100 years ago. The conclus-
ion then. Mr., Hopkins said. had never
been reversed and that was. that the
Senate had no right to try the case, as
Senator Blount was not an officer of
the United States
Mr.. Hopkins said it was unnecessary
for him 10 multiply evidence TO demon
strate his point that individual States
have no power to add any qualification
to Senator other than those prescribed
by the Federal Constitution Referring
directly to Mr. Smoot, he continued:
Lavish Praise Of Smoot.
O. II is conceded by the chairman of
the Committee on Privileges and Elec
tions that Senator Smoot possesses all
the qualifications spoken in the Con-
only by the able chairman of this com
mittee, but | think by all who are at
all familiar with the case, that Senator
Smoot is not polygamist; that he has
never married a plural wife and has
never practiced polygamy; that be is a
man in his personal relations, as son,
as husband, father and citizen, above
reproach; that in all of the relations OF
citizenship he has lived singularly
pure and upright life.
Why, then" he asked. "should he
be expelled from this body, disgraced
and dishonored for life, a stigma placed
upon his children, his own life wrecked
and the happiness of his wife dc,
stroyed' He is n Christian gentleman,
and his religious belief has taken him
into the Church of Jesus Christ of Lat
ter-day Saints, commonly called the
Mormon church,
Mr., Hopkins said he felt sure those
representing the protestants would not
contend that there was an apostolic
oath which had been taken by Mr..
Smoot which would prevent him from
discharging his duties MS Senator. Mr.
Hopkins sympathized, he said, with the
denunciation of polygamy made by Mr.
Burrows in recent speech. 1t was
he said, a relic of barbarous age and
destroyer OF the ideal American home,
and he had no sympathy with the
practice.
Denies Any Precedent,