The Washington herald., 1907-02-20
SHOOTS PLEA HEARD
Utah Senator Defends His
Right to Senate Seat.
NEVER PRACTICED PoLYGAMY
Declares That Any Mormon who Has
Taken Plural wife Since Manifesto
should BE ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Oath Not Hostile TO Government.
Vote To BE Taken To-day.

Reed SmOot spoke for himself yester-
day. The long and dignifed silence he
has maintained during the four years that
his fitness Tor a seat in the Senate has
been on trial, was at last broken and his
voice was heard in his own defense.
he took the floor shortly after the
opening. Although the time Of meeting
was an hour earlier then customary. al
most every Senator was in his seat. The
man who for four years has been almost
constantly In the public eye as a result of
demands by organizations throughout the
country that he be excluded because Of
his church connections, moved from his
place in the rear of the chamber to the
main aisle where he could be plainly
seen and clearly heard by every Senator
on the floor, and every spectator in the
galleries.
He read his speech from manuscript and
consumed hardly half an hour in its
delivery. Senators followed every word:
There were no interruptions. When he
concluded, Senator Aldrich, the tactical
Republican leader, was one of the first
to congratulate him. The speech was
characterized by a spirit of dignity and
franlIness, without a tinge Of bitterness
against those who have been fighting to
have him unseated.
Has But One Wife.
First, I desire 20 state" he said, Ito
the Senate and to the country that 1 am
rot. and never have been. a polygamist
never have had but one wife, and she is
my present wife"
Taking up the charge that there have
been polygamous marriages since the
manifesto, Senator Smoot said with en-
phasis:
Il have no hesitation Mr. President. in
declaring 10 the Senate and TO the Amer
lean people that. in my opinion, any man
who has married a polygamous wife
since the manifesto should be prosecuted.
and If convicted, should suffer the pen
alties 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 COM
uittee tends 10 SNOW that there have
been some polygamous marriages since
the manifesto. ] believe that such cases
have been rare. They have not received
the sanction, o. the cncOurd cement Of
the Church. They have been sporadic,
and not systematic DO their occurrence"
Senator SmOot then entered into a dis
cussion OF the famous endowment oath.
which il has been charged disquaifies
him for the Office OF Senator
THE Senate viii understand" he said
that these ceremonies are Of a sacred
character 10 those participating in them,
and are therefore not divulsed.
No Hostility 10 Government.
There does not exist In the endowment
ceremonies the. remotest suggestion Of
hostility or OF antagonism to the United
States or TO any other nation. They are
of "a purely religious nature, wholly be
tween the person taking them and his
God, and, as with the ritual of various
fraternal organizations, regarded as
sacred and secret.
There IS not a solitary instance where
the influence of the endowment ceremo-
MICS has been displayed in an act Of nos
tility to the government. II any effect
has been welded. it has been for the
most devoted loyalty to our own nation.
The Senator then paid a tribute to the
patriotism and loyalty Of the people Of
Utah in the war with Mexico, the civil
war, and especially in the Spanish-Ameri-
can war. and subsequent fighting in the
Philippines.
Il formally and solemnly aver" de-
clared MI Smoot, in conclusion that in
every vote and action as United States
Senator, I shall be governed in the future,
as / have been IN the past, only by my
convictions of what is best for the whole
people Of the United States. I have never
taken any oath or obligation. religious or
otherwise, which conflicts i'm the slightest
degree with my duty as a Senator or as
"a citizen. I owe no allegiance TO any
church, or other organization, which in
any way interferes with my supreme ale
glance, in civil affairs, TO my country-an
allegiance which I freely, fully, and glad
~ give"
Dillingham; Defends SmOOt.
Senator Dillingham;, Of Vermont. who
joined in the minority report. followed
MT. Smoot in defense Of the latter's right
to his seat. He declared that the fight
against Senator Smoot had proceeded on
the false assumption that he was a polyg-
amist Mr.. Dillingham; read the testi-
mony Of DIT. Buckley, OF the Methodist
Episcopal Church. who visited Utah and
made an investigation which resulted in
convincing him Dillingham; that SEN
ator Smoot was personally above re-
proach. Even Senator Burrows. who
presented the report against Senator
Smoct, admitted the latter was not a
pOlygamist.
The Senator from Vermont said it had
been sixteen years since the Mormon
church received a revelation" indicat-
ing that in commercial political and
church matters, the Mormon brotherhood
no longer claimed 20 act purely upon
revelations given 10 them through their
priesthood.
Tie Senate viii vote at ( O'Clock this
afternoon on the question whether Mr..
SmoOt is entitled 10 retain his seat Sen
atar Dubois will open the debate, and
Senator Burrows viii close. Among the
others who viii speak are Senators Bev-
eridge, Faraker, SpOoner, and Dolliver.
IT is conceded that Mr.. Shoots right 10
his seat will be upheld by a large
majority.
REGRET PRFCTOFNT'C ATTTTUnF