The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-29
THEY KNOW THE CRIMINALS.


lygamists, and furnish proper proof
against them, these offenders against
law shall be prosecuted and punished,
1T is merely necessary TO recite feW
instances in order to show the hypocrlt'
ical nature of the barrier behind whch
the challengers now safely mako their
pharisaical proposal.
When the case Of Apostle Smoot was
being inquired into by the Senate Com
mittee on Privileges and Elections, one
of the witnesses who was subpoenaed TO
testify before that body was the re-
corder Of marriages in the Salt Lake
temple. Notwithstanding the powers
which were vested in the Senate com
mittce. it was impossible to secure the
presence in the committee room OF the
books containing such records. And
when it came to a personal questioning
of the custodian of those records, his
mind was perfect blank as to the
identity of persons engaging IN mar
riage in the temple, as well as to the
numerical status of any given marriage
ceremony,
If the records of that temple were
at the disposal Of the carpers, they
would forever hold their peace about
the proofs-unless, as may be suspected,
they have become so accustomed to
ecclesiastical subornation as to render
them as glibly false as are the hic-
rarchical perIurers themselves, There
are four of such temples in Utah-one
each at Salt Lake, Logan, Mantl, and
st. George-and the tale which their
records could unfold would be Won
drous one indeed, The high priests of
the Mormon church know precisely
where the proofs are. The chief of the
whole brazcn lot could lay his finger on
them at his will 1t might almost be
said that, so well does he know every
new polvgamous law breaker, that ne has
his record off by heart-cven if he did
testify in Washington that he despised
a "spotter'' He is thus collusive
party to these crimes,
1t is well known that, as a defense
Of Apostle Smoot 8 seat in the Senate of
the United States, Apostles John W.
TAYLOR and Matthias L. Cowlcy were
dropped from their quorum. The hie-
rarchical announcement as TO the cause
of their designations was TO the effect
that they were 'tout of harmony with
their quorum. Can The Tribune IS chal~
lengers say what that means! Can
they say that 1T means anything at allf
Are they so well verscd in the lore Of
Mormon priestcraft that they arc able
TO tell the public what definite mean
ing attaches TO the term "out of har-
mony?' Or have they absorbed unto
themselves the Mormon prerogativo to
make their own interpretations?
Apostle Smoot testified at Washing.
ton that he understood - that Taylor
and Cowley were being, or were to be,
investigated under charges of new po-
lygamy since the manifesto. When
Apostle Smoot said that he ''under-
stood'' that TO be the case, Apostle
Smoot meant that he knew that these
men were new polygamous law break
ers, and that the supposed investiga-
ton of their conduct was for no other
purpose than to make showing that
Reed Smoot countenanced the presence
of no such offenders in his quorum
with the hope or saving his OWE face be-
fore the Senate and its distinguished
committee.
The Tribune, IN company with the
sensible portion of the public here,
knows that not only had these men
taken new wives since the manifesto.
but that they had been promscuously
handing around polygamous wives to
others since the inbibitive document
was issued. The leaders of the church
know the details of the offending of
these two men, as well as that of MANY
others. But, conGning the situation TO
these two alone, have the cock.sure
questioners of The Tribunc's s state
ments heard of any movement ON the
part of these leaders, who alone in all
the world possess the absolute proof
to lnaugurate prosecution against the
law breakers, with view TO having
them punished under the law? On the
contrary, the lick.spittle apologists for
criminal immortality, who offend de.
cency with their braZen and insolent
defense OF hierarchical high-handedness,
know that the only existing proofs of
polygamous law breaking are concealed
by the pious frauds who hold them; that
the perpetrators of crime in the name
Of the Almighty are sheltered, pro
tected, and encouraged by the spurious
prophets whose shameless swaggcrings
the truckers ape.
Read the testimony of Joseph F..
Smith with regard to the marital status
Of every man i'll the higher official cir
cles Of the Mormon church, whom he has
known since infancy. In every case he
denied knowledge OF the family rela.