The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-01-12
SENATOR HOPKINS MAKES
STRONG PLEA FOR SMOOT
illinois Senator Insists Utah Man Should
Not Be Deprived of His Place
In the Senate.
his Set Speech Is Interrupted by Other Senators and Many IN
teresting Colleagues Follow

! delivered
Dy senator Hopkins of Illinois.
Mr.. Hopkins took the position that SEN
SatoIs were not federal officers to the ex-
tSut Ihat the senate could pass upon
/ their qualtcatons and eligibility or i'm
! peach them for high crimes or nisde
Iheahors.. III senator was to be punished
| II must be done by the state or federal
! courts. Only the federal Officers he
maintained were impeachable. and tbis
| impeachment must be for acts committed
I as such federal officers
e,,I ne precedent cited was the unsuccess-
I dul effort TO impeach Senator BIount of
IehhesSee charged with reasonable COR
lTeSpondence with a foreign nation moro
s INA 100 years ago. The conclusion then.
MI hopkins said, had never been re-
NeFseu. and that was that the senate had
no right to try the case. as Senator
66iount was not an officer of the United
Mr.. Hopkins said II was unnecessary for
| nm to multiply evidence to demorstrate
Ms point that individual states have no
afor ., ~ 10, aaq any qualification to sen
SSSor otner than those prescribed by the
leoeTaI constitution. Referring directly
10 Mr.. Smoot he continued:
~ IS conceded by the chairman of the
committee on privileges and elections thar
senator Smoot possesses all the uuaIifica-
IONS spoken IN the constitution itself
l Is also conceded, not only by the able
| chairman of this committee. but I think
0y all VINO are al all familiar with the
| case that Senator Smoot is not a polvr-
amist; that he has never married plural
t MiIe ana mas never practised polygamy;
that he is a man i'm his personal relations
as son. as husband. father and citizen
ABOVE reproach: that in all Of the rela-
IONS OF citizenship he has lived a sim
quarry pure and upright life
Why ExpeI Him?
Why then" he asked. should he no
expelled from this body. disgraced and
oiShonOred Tor life, a, stigma placed uDon
his children. his owTf life wrecked and Tho
happiness OF his wife destroyed? He is a
ShrlStlan gentleman, and mis- religious be
lief has taken him into the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints COM
monty called the Mormon church"
Mr.. Hopkins said he felt sure those rem
reese tese1nQilng the protestants would not con
TEND that there was an apostolic oath
which had been taken by Mr.. Smoof
whch would prevent him from discharg-
sympathized. he said. with The dennncia1
ton OF poiygamy made by Nv. Burrows
IN a recent speech. 1t was. he said
reno re g OF a barbarons age and destroyer
OF the ideal American home and he had
no sympathy with the practice
Never before in the history Of the
government. he declared with great en-
phaslS. has the previous life or career of
a senator been called in question 10 deter
mine whether he should remain in the
senate or not.
IF members Of any Christian church
were to be charged with ali of the crimes
tnat have been committed i'm its name
where is the Christian gentleman in this
body who would be safe in his seat?''
History of the Church.
An extended history of the Mormon
church was given by Mr. Hopkins. who
concluded that the testimony takeIf be-
fore the committee Showed n radical
change for the better and that Senator
Smoot represented the higher and better
Mormonism. He denied that the protest
ants mad made good i'm any of the charges
against Mr.. SmOOt After reviewing the
charges and the arguments TO sustain
them at length, Mr.. Hopkins concluded
with the declaration that he would be
raise TO his oath as q senator If he voted
to eNpel MIR. SmOot from the senate.
Mr. Beveridge supplemented Mr.. Hop
kins' speech by the statement that the
country should be informed that Mr. |
lyEamist.
Senator Fulton asked Mr.. Hopkins
whether the Mormon church had recog-
nized the twenty polygamous marriages
which the evidence shows had taken place |
since the manifesto of 1890.
Mr. Hopkins said the church had not
the laws of the Mormon church today
such marriages were not permitted and |
that the parties contracting them knew
they We're violating both the. civil law
all of these marriages had been consum-
mated in Canada.
Mr.. Dubois asked if Mr.. smoot had
done anything TO bring these persons to /
justice.
No Obligation on Smoot.
Mr.. Hopkins held that there was no
more obligation on Mr.. Smoot in this re- !
spect than on anyone else He main !
tanned that Mr.. SmoOt had In his Dosi- |
ton in the church. done more to stamp |
out polygamy than any thousand other
men, and yet you propose to punish him |
Tor this by expelling him from the SEN |
ate" 0
Mr.. Dubois wanted to know where and
when Mr. Smoot had ever publicly placed |
himself on record as condemning polyg- |
amy.
Mr.. Hopkins replied that Senator Smoot
had twenty or forty times stated his no.
sition before the committee and that his
whole life and every fibre of his being
was a protest against polygamy. II was
not necessary. he maintained for Mr.
SmOot 10 shake his fist i'm the face Of any
man and announce his position. nor was
Ii necessary for him 10 rise in the taber-
nacle and denounce President Smith of
the Mormon church.
The senator himself" replied Mr.
Hopkins, dare not stand up here on this !
floor or any other place and say that |
Reed Smoot has not been persistent on
Donent OF the practice OF polygamy"
Mr.. Dubois demanded to have pointed
out in the committee testimony whore
Mr. Smoot had stated his position Mr. +
Hopkins. however. took his seat. and Mr. |
cuilom was recognized to call up the
legislative appropriation bill, and no an
sWer was made to Mr.. Dubois