The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-02


the church the revelation directing the
practice of polygamy, which Furnishes
disobedience Of the same with eternal
damDationl That is exactly what Reed
Smoot does as an apostle of the Nor
mon church, and he docs not even mod
ify that teaching by the publication
in any standard work of the church
Of any document, modifying or inhibit,
ing the teaching and practice,
And as TO his acquittal cf the charge
of personal practice of polygamy. True,
he was not proved TO be a polygamist;
but there are tens Of thousands OF pco-
pie IN Utah, whose information is close
and whose instinct is alert, who believe
that Reed Smoot has stood as husband
in more than one marriage ceremony
within the endowment house or temples
of the Mormon church, These point
to the facts that never until Reed
Smoot, was there an apostle of the
Mormon church who was not a polyg-
amist: that hundreds of other men
have been in polygamy for years, with
no ability on the part OF the public to
prove the crime; that certain kind
Of ecclesiastical and other advancement
has never been known 20 attend upon
a mans life In the Mormon church un-
less he was a poygamist; that after
Reed Smoot s induction into the quorum
other young apostles-supposed TO be
nogamists-entered into the relation
of plural marriage; that Joseph f.
Smith, the present head Of the church,
has publicly declared that the man who
denies the divinity of polygamy has
denied the whole mission of Joseph
Smith and the gospel of tho Mormon
church; that Joseph F. Smith has
taught continuously that only through
plural marriage can any man or wo-
man be eternally exalted; that he has
never been known to support with
friendly zeal any man who was not
polygamist- The Tribune recently
called attention to the case Of an apos-
tie younger than Reed Smoot, That
young apostle died some time ago Dur
ing his lifetime he had not been public
ly charged with polygamy, although it
"ao bbO StuCbdI vie" hUlDHR
that no man could be long an apostle
without becoming polygamist-pas
experience having confirmed the gener-
al accuracy Of this view. Almost i'm
after this, young apostle s
death, which occurred during the in
tensity of the Smoot case at Washing,
ton, it was found that he had left a
plural wife and child that had been |
born to him by that young woman. Af. |
ter his death, no reason existing for
further 'coDcealment in his behalf. the |
facts became currently known and were
not denied That young man was in
Lhe full fellowship of the quorum, Of
which Reed Smoot is a member If he
lad been the Senator in place of Reed
Smoot, and if he had lived, the same
ienials would have been made for him
oy the church as have been made for
APOSTLE Smoot. 1t would have been lust
is impossible to prove him to be a po-
ygamist as it is now to prove that
'moot is polygamist; and he would
'ave been acquitted and sustained by
uch Senators as Knox, Foraker, Hop
lns and Beveridge, and publicists in
his country, who would have accepted
he judgment of Senators sitting in the
ase.
The Tribune does not charge that
iced Smoot is polygamist. If this
aper knew the name Of Reed Smoot's s
lural wife, and knew the names and
ges Of their children, this paper would
robably not then make the charge of
olygamy. Here is the reason: A plur-
wife, called as q witness in the Smoot
ase, took the oath before the Senate
ommittee on Privileges and Elections.
almly admitted the birth and age Of
er child and denied that she had a
usband. When polygamy is thus pro. {
'cted; when the church which holds
le evidence denies the existence of the ;
Vidence; when the woman victim pre-. '
'rs to appear before the world in dis :
onor and to burden the brow of her ;
illd with perpetual heritage OF
lame, rather than involve the father
worldly prosecution, and to ieopar. ,
re her own eternal salvation by break n
g the oath of secrecy given to the v
lurch-why, what's the use9 g
Believing in the Springfield Rcpub. a
IAN s ability, courage and truth, The a
ribune commends to that distinguished ?
urnal the use Of less positive state u
ent than that Reed Smoot is not a I
'lygamist and does not defend DO. s.
gamy. There are hundreds Of ad S
lrers of the Republican in Utah who =
not agree with that great newspaper
this point.