The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1908-02-07
The SmODt Case

] have been criticised because
declined to cast my vote III favor OF
Reed Smoot. 1t has been charged
that by voting against mis- retaining
n seat in the United States senate
broke with my party, and / violated
a. principle OF the republican party
and was ennis in the ties of fealty
The republican party more than IF
ty years ago declared as two of its
d dinal Fundamental principles an
t~i-slaVery and anti-MormoniSm and
anti-pol! icamy. Slavery was cluni
mated from his country at the ter
rifle cost we all can only dream of
Countless lives and millions OF treas
ure were spent in tho elimination of
that institution. TIL" cardinal prin~
cirle of the republican party estab-
fishing anti Mormonis,n and anti-pol-
| gam is with us today, and it re
mains a princiDl" of th2 republican
party just the SAM" as IN the lays
of the beginning. for never has the
republican party declared in favor of
polygamy or MormoniSm or of Reed
proposition that / broke with my
party because more OF them voted for
Smoot thar against him let me say
TIA each man was permitted to Vot"
in accordance with his judgment and
| his conscience. without q party eau
Gus To biilu MIN u t' h'Eti mine ms
course, and deny tina ! shall be
criticized because my voI" was given
III accordance with my Judgment of
the facts and the law. in accordance
with the dictates of my conscience,
and | deny that any mar has the
right to shield himself behind the
principles of the party Of the feaily
OF his membership in order to es-
cap his vote upon tina proposition.
CApplausc.)
In 1862 the first law Of his land
nas enacted against p0lygamy and
Mormonism in lSS2 an amendment
to hat law Wa enacted calling upon
thi~ great government Of ours to ei-
intimate ~pulygdmN and M~ornonisn
from the face Of the earth.
Fight Against Polygarny,
In 1897. spurred on by the taunts
of the Norruts church and its cad
ers. tn" Edmunds-TuCker law was en-
acted. and when that was put upon
the statut" books doom's day had an
rived for the Mormon church and
polygamy.
Some provisions Of thai law are
Most interesting, but ] cannot read
1t. My eyes are too poor 1t proyid-
ed. among other things that every
man convicted of the crime of big
amy and ~polvealay w3s so defined,
should Toe sentenced 20 prison, and
should forfeit his rights to citizen
ship. The Law further provided that
the property of tn" Mormon church
cheat to the state for the benefit of
the school fund. and In the most
stringent terms and words the pfoVis-
ions of this law were enacted.
Following the enactment of that
law prosecution after prosecution
was instituted, and the result was
that the jails of the federal govern
H,.nt We're filed, and the men re-
sponsihle for that condition were in
Jail or about to arrive there. Then
in that smooth sleek way OF the Nor
o people, they Frustrated them
selves before the government. In
1890 they offered 10 President Har-
rison, then the president Of the Uni
ted States, thai if all should be for
given. Mormonism should be swept
away, ~polygamy and unlawful poly
gamo,s rehabilitation mould cease,
and the end Of all that denomination
should ONE. President Harrison, in
the great goodness and wisdom Of hia
heart, moved by the considerations
that these men presented, for they
riighted their honor TO the obedience
and faithful performance Of those
VOWS, forgave them tneif past, Then
they isSued the manifesto, with
hich all perhaps are acquainted, In
which the people Of the Mormon
church were directed to refrain; from
their p~olygamous practices and live
TIE upright pure lives hat the citi-
z.nS of this republic should.
Scarcely had that been done when
they applied to the federal aovsnn-
ment that the state OF Utah m16ht be
created. that congress should pass IN
enabling act permitting that TERRITORY
TO become a state. and congress, sttll
believing in the statements made by
these people, gave them the right to
be admitted into the union, but upon
condition that the, should Insert in
their constitution a provision hat
Mcrmonism and ~poi.Qaraous prac.
tees should forever cease
And SO i'll 1896 tne state OF Utah
became onc Of the great sisterhoOd
of states. Scarcely had Utnh been
admitted when those people returned
10 their old practices, and conliuu, Il
the relations which hed openly been
severed, and the United States gov
eminent Wa absolutely powerlessI to
prevent or procure the enfor0e, nent
OF the laws Of the Unit"G states, Tor
II was then . state and not d terri
tory, ami Cannon and other men at
the head Of the Mormon church and
responsible for its mana cement and
the members Of ii were subject to
state and nor 10 federal laws; and
to federal laws in that regard.
so that when Smoot was present
ed to the Senate it was determined
by me that the only remedy the Uni.
ted States government had In that
case was to say to those people; '
- You cannot have a seat on the noor
of this senate for one Of your apOs-
ties until those abominat1ons shall
tApplause)
But what has this to do with
Smoot? you ask. Why, SmoOt be-
came an apostle Of Tho Mormon
and he was elected D men
whose combinad harem nnanbened
sixty women. and Mr.. SzA0O4 m k1s
vote elevated Smith, the present head
or the church. and Smith. according
to his own testimony, was the huy-
band OF FIVE wives and the father OF
forty-two children. and white
senate was considering tie case of
Smoot, Joseph Smith sar by the Grad
10 of q child presented to him by his
wife. the forty-third child In all,
after he had signed the mani
festo and prayed the forgiveness of
the government. (LAughter.e And