Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-03-05
AN INDEPENDENT OPINION.

The New York independent Of Feb IS
comments ON the admission Of Senator
snoot" TO the Senate as follows:
Against the Judgment and honest
prejudice OF many of our readers we
have favored the admission OF MI.
Suioot to the United states senate. we
have done this because as we believe,
he presents the new and not the Ola
Mprmonisin. II Is true that no ~ 4
Mormon. but the majority ~ the clti-
zens Of Utah arc Morupns, and have
the right to choose their Senator. IL is
true that he IL an Apostle In tho Nor
mon Church, but that Is ln itself no
more objection to his admission than
the fact shat other Senators have been
elders, deacons and Clergymen. me
only question which II was right to In
truducc was whether he was himself q
polygamlst or was tho defender ana
representative Of a social system con-
domned by the conscience and laws OF
tho nation, But such he WAS not. lie
has never had more than one wife. and
he has constantly and consistently
opposed polygafny. 1t is true that he is
a member Of board OF Apostles, some
OF whom had married polygamously be-
fore Congress admitted Utah ON The
basis OF monogAmy, and before The
Mormon Church forbade future poly
gamouS marriages; but polygar1ly IL
uylNk INSTITUTION ana ire neN anu Npil-
trolling MormontHn opposes and for
bids it; and II there have been any
polygamcus marriages since the laws
and the revelation which forbade It,
they have not had the sane
ton of the Church and are exceptional,
like such cases that occur In the rest of
tho country. Tho only difference Is this,
that the old men who took plural
wives many years ago have not usually
selected one OF their wives and discard
ed she rest. They do not choose 10, and
they do not think II right These old
men and women are dying off, and the
institution is coming TO an end gradual
ly The trend. the purpose. the sure
conclusion is right, even though casuis-,
try may defend the continued relation
In there exceptional cases. Mr. Smoot
in an unm peachable speech, solemnly
uttered his long and consistent oppOsi-
ton to polygamy in theory and practice
and declared with equal ecclesiastical
oath which ntertered with his complete
loyalty to the nation. The Senate be-
Heved him, and so do We
This conclusion Of the Senate con-
dennis the campaign of the women who
have tried 10 prevent his admission on
the ground that he is a Mormon and an
Apostle. We think that they are badly
advised They did not fully understand
the historical Importance of the act by
which the Mormon Church renounced
poygamy. That was revolution
which could not go backward. Nor did
they understand the relation of Mr..
Smoot 10 the United States laws. They
meant well. but their campaign OF let
ters ard appeals to the Senate was inn
proper as addressed TO the Senate act
ing as a court to Investigate facts and
not TO enact legislation"
This, on the whole, fair representation
OF the situation in Utah, proves that
the money spent and strenuous efforts
made by bigoted preachers and I'M
scrupulous politicians to defanle this
State and the majority OF the people
here, have not awaited everywhere.
The Independent is one OF the best ed
tied and most influential weekly publi-
cations of this country. and 1t is evident
that 1t has refused to be drawn into the
vortex OF agitation that was started
here for sinister purposes. We have
no doubt that the agitators will contin-
NC their efforts, as long as they can get
hold OF the contributions Of credulous
audiences, but from the tone of the
respectable press OF the country. we
are justified in concluding that the
day Of successful lying about the Nor
mons" is declining. The sun is setting
over the place where so many an
antl-"Morinon" Ananias and Sapphire
had hoped to live glorying in their
success.