The Idaho scimitar. [volume] (Boise, Idaho) 1907-1908, 1907-11-02

pie to their God and their compact with the peo-
pie of the United States you continued to cohabit
with all of your wives, with the result that twelve
chi1dren-perhaps more-have been added to your
family since the manifesto. And before the COM
mittee on privileges and elections you repeatedly
confessed that you (and are) breaking the
laws of God and man. And your only excuse was,
to quote your words, Because my wives are
like everybody else's wives.
Now candidyy President Smith, wherein were
your wives entitled to consideration than other
plural wives who, in honest obedience to the mani
festo, compelled to live apart from their hus-
bands? And wherein were you entitled to more
consideration than other men who conscentiousy
obeyed the laws of God and men? Honestly, wasn't
it act of unparalleled cowardce in you to at
tempt to shield yourself from merited con-
tempt by hiding behind the skirts of five women who
would have been entirely willing to observe the laws
of God and men had you, yourself seen fit to sacr-
flee your entirely human passions the altar of
obedience to the same laws?
"In your testimony before the Senate committee
you gave statistics showing a marked decrease in
the number of po1ygamous families since the mani
festo was issued. Those statistics were given as
evidence that the Mormon people were observing
the covenant they entered into through their leaders
"a covenant implied in the manifesto, and unequvo-
Cdlly maze III the petition amnesty and the
evidence before the Master in Chancery-to the
effect that thereafter they would obey the laws of
the United States In that testimony you again
sought to hide your sexual crimes behind the ODE
dience of your people, and to divert attention from
your personal pledge that you would abandon po1vg-
amy and unlawful cohabitation in consideration of
amnesty. Relying on your manhood and sense of
honor President Harrison answered your prayer for
amnesty. In your testimony before the Senate COM
mtee you brazenly confessed that you had ignored
your personal covenants with the President of the
United States and defantly intinated that you in
tended to continue pledge-breaker In the light
of such inexcusable and infamous treachery should
not Benedict Arnold be forgotten?"
your attention is now respectfully asked while
the question of your interference in the politics of
Utah is being discussed. And with your permis-
sion you will be called as the first witness
You will doubtless recall having made the fol-
lowing unequivocal statement in Provo in April
of 1896:
The fact of the matter is, when a man saws YOU
(Joseph f. Smith) direct me spiritually but
not temporarily, he lies in the presence of Cod
that is, if he has got intelligence enough to know
what he is talking about The unmistakable mean
ing of the above paragraph is that if any Mormon
comedies your right to direct him in spiritual
things he must, forsooth, concede your right to
direct him how, when and where to cast his vote
railing to concede the latter he lies in the presence
IT Cod Therefore, whoever comedies your right
o direct him temporarily becomes your political
slave That is, he is either slave or a liar, and
an take his choice of your epithets direct and i'm
'hed And in the face of your self-asserted right
be the political boss of the Mormon voters YOU
lad the unadulterated gall, in reply to Mr. TAYLOR,