The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-01-15
JUST HISTORY ABOUT
change Of. FRONT
Hopkins's Defense of SmoOt and
Polygamous Hierarchy
Recalls 1t.
SALT LAKE JURIST IN
A REMINISCENT MOOD
Does Not Understand How Re-
publicans Can Defend a
PolygamOus Hierarchy.

Strange. is il not, " said we'll
known lurist to The Tribune, Sunday,
Chow the Republican party has
changed front on the Mormon ques-
tion7h HIS remark was brought ont in
kins of Illinois in defense of Smoot
and the polygamous hierarchy
''This defense, - continued the iurist,
''leads me to believe that the charge
so frequently made, that a compact
publican leaders outside Of Utah and
the hierarchy, by which the State was
TO be delivered TO Roosevelt in 1904 IN
return for Administration support of
Smoot in his effort to retain his seat
in the Senate, is true.
.'The several platforms of the Repub
Leans since the birth OF the party in
1886 have always been against the po-
lygamisrs II was in 1856, in the first
ntterance Of the Republican party. that
the question of polvgamy was de-
nounced. The third plank in the plat
form of that year read;
TT is both the right and duty of Con-
sress 10 prohibit in the Territories those
twin relics OF barbarsm. polygamy and
slavery
"From that time on the Republican
party, as a party, has always been ar
rayed against the polygamous hlerarchs
until within the past three years.
''When the political parties in Utah
were formed, back in the early 90s,
practically every member of the Nor,
mon church was Democrat. IL could
not be otherwise. They had been prose
cuted by Republican officials; the State
pcnitentiary was filed 10 overfowing
with convicts sent there for living their
religion in defiance of the laws of the
country, sentenced there by Republican
officials Yet in single hour one-half
of the church became Republican, the
other half remaining Democratic.
Look AT the plank in the Republi-
can National platform in 1876. 1t is
severe, Here is how it reads;
II is the right and duty OF Congress to
prohibit and eXtirpate in the Territories
that relic OF bhrharIsm. polygamy; and
we demand such legislation as shall Sc
cure this end and the supremacy OF Amer
lean Institutions in all the Territories.
THAT was the thirteenth plank in
the platform. Again, in 1880. the Re-
publican National platform, IN its fifth
plank. declared;
That slavery having perished in the
States It's twin neutrality-suspicious.
must die in the Territories
''But it did not die then; it is not
dead now. 1t is as much tenet of
the church as ever, and IL is, as you
know. practiced openlv, fiagrantlY and
defantly as ever by the church. This
too, in face Of the compact entered
into by the polygamists and Nation
prior to Statehood being granted
Again, in 1884 The Republican Nation
al platform contained this plank:
That IL is the duty Of Congress 10 enact
such laws as shall promptly and effect
ually suppress the system OF polygamy
within our Territories and divorce the
the so-called Mormon church; and the
laws so enacted should be rigidly en-
forced by the civil authorities, Ii possible;
by the military II need be.
'tstrong plank, is it not7 Military
to he used; Republicans demanded it.
Four years later. at the Republican Ma
tional convention, the party again went
upon record against the polygamists.
The plank adopted was written by
Utahn. | was at the convention.
Judge Charles S. Varian was the dele
gate from Utah. When the committee
on resolutions met to formulate the
platform, Judge Narian and | were
present. When the call for suggestions
as to what the platform should contain
reached the Territories. the delegate
from New Mexico, who assumed TO act
rs spokesman for all the Territories.
stated that they had no suggestions to
offer.
INSTANTLY Judge Varian was on his
feet protesting He said Utah had a
suggestion, and theu. taking an en-
velope from his pocket. he wrote upon
the back of it this resolution:
The political power OF the Mormon
church in the Territories as exercised
In the past. is menace 10 free lnstitu-
tions. danger no longer 10 be suffered
Therefore we pledge the Republican party
10 appropriate legislation asserting the
sovereignty OF the Nation in ali Terpi-
tories where the same is questioned; and
In furtherance Of that end 20 place upon
the statute books legislation stringent
enough to divorce the political from the
ecclesiastical power and thus stamp out
the attendant wickedness OF polygamy.
"This resolution was unanimously
adopted by the committee and became
plank In the National platform. 1t
pledged the Republican party directly
upon the question to divorce political
from ecclesiastical power and stamp out
polygamy. No platform of the Repub.
lican party has ever changed that
declaration, 1t still stands as a tenet
Of RepuhIcanism. Therefore I saw
that the position OF Senator Hopkins.
TO me. is unaccountabie, save for the
reason | gave you before. That Re
publican Senators, in view of the de-
clarations, promises and pledges made
and reiterated in the platforms Of the
party for fifty years, can stand up
snd defend the polygamous hierarchy
which dominates the State of Utah
which lives in defiance Of human and
divine law, Is beyond my ken"
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