The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-05
INCREASE OF PoLYGAMISTs.

. NHlIc IcSLlJNI III lH' '2lh'V' N"'N
ut Washington, President Joseph j.
Smith of the Mormon church gave what
he considered and declared TO be of
ticfal statistics in the number of polyG-
amous families existing Mt different per
iods Among other things, he said that
in 1902 there were S9T polygamists in
the Mormon church. Upon this point
he was examined by Colonel Worthlng-
ton. special counsel for Smoot and inc
Mormon church. Here is the testimony
as to this particular point, as found on
pages 324 and 325 of volume l Of the
proceedings:
Mr. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS., OF the S9I po-
lygamis,s In the United States belonging
to the church In 1902, can You give us
Approximately how many Of them llFe III
Utah?
Joseph L. Smith no. sir. The state
mcnt covers every church organization
that we have In the United States.
do not know how many Of IheTg Sc are 0o,.or IN
Utah. or how they are divided. However
Mr. Worthington.-Yery we'll
Joseph f. Smith.-In little time
Mr. WorthinGton.-Do these figures
for instance the figures of 1907 S9T po-
lygemists, include men and women or
only men?
think, the famllies-the heads OF families
Mr. Worthlngton.-The men only?
Joseph +. Smlth,-The men. In other
words
whether or not. since the date OF that
census in 1902. the decrease mas gone on
in about the same proportion 10 the pres
ent time?
Joseph II. Smith, think Mr., Chair
man. that the decrease has gone on in
greater ratio. for the reason that these
elderly men are continually getting Older
and they are more rapidly passing away.
The Tribune has published the names
of thirty-two new polygamists who
have taken plural wives since the mani.
festo. We have presented tho conscrv-
ative calculation that where ono has
become known a scoro remain hidden.
| That is evident on account of tho i'm
penctrable secrecy with which such IL
| legal marriages are surrounded. Multi.
| ply thirtytwo by twenty and we have
640: then add the thirty-two, and the
total is 672-new ones, remember. If
there has been n rapid decrease In the
number Of old polygamists, and there
having been but so7 of them III 1902,
then undoubtedly in 1909 there are a
larger number OF new polygamists than
old ones
AS to Joseph +. s assertion that the
practice is dying out as tho elderly
men are continually getting older and
they are more rapidly passing away
let us produce n type or two of these
"elderly men, Henry S. Tanner is
one Of them. He is Just at the age when
he considers himself TO be the ladies
man nonpareil. When not away from
here, looking after a big tract of fruit
| land which he acquired suddenly after
he had broken the law, he struts up and
down along the streets of Salt Lake,
stroking his mustache in evident self
satisfaction, leeriug into the faces OF
tho damsels who pass, and playing the
GAY Lothario and "masher' generally
doubtless seeking still other conjugal
consorts Sam Newton is another one OF
these "elderly men" He is good for
at least twenty years, barring accident
Joe Musser has not long been emerged
from knickerbockers. Frank Y. Tay-
lor is practically in his primo, as, in
fact, are the great majority of the thlr-
ty-two new polygamists whom we have
heretofore named. o, yes; "polygamy
is dying out" with vengeance!
Another item. "However, could get
that information, said Joseph +. OF
course he could. He also has all in
formation with respect to these new
polygamists. And he knows that to
be true.