Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1908-02-06
The Snoot Case

have been criticised because /
/, declined to east my vote in favor or
, Reed Smoot. 1t has been charged
! that by voting against his retaining
! a seat In the United states senate l
/ broke with my party. and ! violated
/ a principle of the republican party
| and was remiss in the ties OF realty.
| The republican party more than nj
| ty wears ago declared as two OF It's
/ cardinal. Fundamental principles an
| ti-slayery and anti Mormonism and
| nti-pol, l.amy. Slavery was eaimi-
mated from this country at the ter
| rifle cost we all can only dream of.
| Countless lives and millions of treas
| ure were spent in the elimination of
| that institution The cardinal prin-
| ciple of the republican party estab-
l fishing anti Mormonism and anti-pol-
/ ygamv is with us today. and 1t re-
| mains principle of the republican
! party Just the same as in the days
| Of the beginning, for never has the
| republican party declared in favor of
polygamy or Mormonism or of Reed
| S,ioot. CLaughter.} Upon the other
nrcnosition that broke with my
marty because r7ore of them voted for
Smoot than against him let me say
| that each man was permitted to vote
in accordance with his judgment and
his conscience, without party eau
!
course, and I deny that / shall be
criticized because my vote was given
/ in accordance with my Judgment OF
| the facts and the law, in accordance
with the dictates of my consclence,
aud / deny that any man has the
right to shield himself behind the
principles of the party of the fealty
] OF his membership in order to es-
cape his vote upon that proposition.
| (Applausc.)
In 1852 the first law of this land
was enacted against polygamy and
/ Mormonism in 1882 an amendment
to that law was enacted calling upon
| this great government of ours to ell
| inmate polygamy and Mormonism
from the face of the earth
Fight Against Polygaany.
! In 1887, sDurred on by the taunts
| of the Mormcs church and it's lead
ers the s-Tucker law was en-
Iacted. and when that was put upon
the statute books doom's day had ar
rived for the Mormon church and
pofygamy
Some provisions of that law are
most interesting, but I cannot read
lit. NV eyes are too poor. 1t provid-
| ed, among other things that every
man convicted Of the crime of big
amy and polygamy was so defined.
should be sentenced to prison, and
| should forfeit his rights to citizen
| ship. The law further provided that
/ the property of the Mormon church
| should be escheated, it should es-
| cheat to the state for the benefit OF
| the school fund. and in the most
stringent terms and words the provis-
| 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
| r,cnt were filed, and the men re-
sponsible for that condition were in
| Jail or about to arrive there. Then
| in that smooth sleek way of the Nor
non people, they Frustrated them
selves before the government. In
1890 they offered to President Har-
rison, then the president of the Uni
| ted States that If all should be for
given, Mormonism should be swept
away, polygamy and unlawful poly
gamous rehabilitation should cease,
and the end of all that abomination
should come. President Harrison, In
the great goodness and wisdom OF his
heart, moved by the considerations
that these men presented. for they
plighted their honor to the obedience
and faithful performance OF those
vows, forgave them their 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 polygamous practices and i've
the upright pure lives that the citi-
gems OF this republic should
Scarcely had that been done when
they applied to the federal govern
ment that the state of Utah might be
created. that congress should pass an
enabling act permitting that territory
70 become state. and congress. still
believing in the statements made by
these people, gave them the right to
be admitted into the union, but upon
condition that they should insert in
their constitution a provision that
MCrmOnism and polygamOus prac-
tees should forever cease.
And so In 1896 the state Of Utah
became one OF the great sisterhood
&c states. Scarcely had Utah been
admitted when those people returned
to their old practices and continued
tho relations which had openly been
severed and the United States gov
ernment was absolutely pOwerleSs to
prevent or procure the enforceme mt
or the laws OF the United States. for
It was then q state and not terri
tory, and Cannon and other men at
the head OF the Mormon church and
responsible for its management and
the members Of It we're subject to
state ana not to federal laws: and
| not to federal laws in that regard.
SO that when SmOOt was present
| ed to the Senate II was determined
| ~ ME that the only remedy the TINT
ted States government had In that
case was to say to those people:
az this senate for one Of your apos-
IflTN nnffl those ahO1ninafi0na shall