Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-07-14
SENATOR sMoor.

We nina the following appreciation OF
the senior Scndt1r from Utah In a
special Washington telegram to the
| Piusburs Dupotch of JuIy 3, by stan
correspondent OF That paper, Mr.. l..
W. Straycr The writer discusses the
death OF senator Daniel OF Virginia,
! aud the career and work OF Senator
smoot. and of the latter he says,
Reed Smoot. the Mormon senator.
| has returned to his home iu ttun after
| "a very busy session iu which ne has
! taken prominent part lu the leg.sla-
! ton enacted by Congress Tho eNptr-
fence OF senator Smout in public life
! has been marvel To those VINO have
watched his progress and thu know OF
tho obstacles hc has mad To overcome.
iis advent i'm the senate was met with
| IL protest against his right 90 sit in
that body because Of his allegiance
10 the Mormon Church. of which he
is one Of the apostles, and his trial
before the Committee ON Privileges
and Elections is sin fresh In the pub
uc mind. When the question was de-
cIdcd lu his favor and his status was
hNcd for good and all, Smoot bore
himself with becoming modesty and
In manner 10 win the respect OF his
colleagues.
a curiosity To visitors because Of the
uotoriety that had come to him through
his case before the Senate, but me
plunged into the duties OF his Office
and In a short while his ability and
tremendous capacity for work attract
ed the attention Of Senators Aldrich
and Hale and other leaders of that
body. They realized that in this quiet
unassumng Westerner they had
among them a force that was bound
TO be felt ana consequently they gave
him work 10 do. He did II well He
had the confidence Of the Roosevelt
administration and sustalns the same
relations with President TAFT. Under
his leadership the copyright laws were
revised. He put through the enlarged
homestead act and other legislation OF
great value TO the West. During the
tariff session he was Aldrich's right
hand man. SO In seven short years ne
has come tn be Chairman of the Com
mittee on Printing and 20 be a member
Of the Committee on Finance. the COM
mittee on Public Lands, the Commit
tee on Pensions and the Committee on
Claims. as well as Of several other less
important committees.
Few Senators have made such a
record In such brief period and none |
have done better starting under such |
q isadvantageous conditions as he, |
Smoot is less than 40 years OF age, |
which Is young in the United States
Senate. and he Yields "a larger IN
Gucucc than many of his colleagues
who have been In that body more than |
twice as long, lie Il not an orator |
though he makes n very interesting |
speech on any subject he undertakes |
20 discuss; but he has great capacity |
for work and his experience In active |
business has given him "a good grasp
upon practical AFFAIRS.
"Smoot Is Just as loyal Mormon as
he ever was though he does not OBJ
trudc his ., Ilgious views upou his COLI
leagues. IN dealing with public af-
fairs he Is very careful TO do nothing |
that might be construed NJ showing [
any religious or unconditional bent.
lie comedies 10 everyone else the same
RI ght as he claims for himself. the
right 20 hold the Views upon religious
questions that most appeal 10 him But
u few weeks ago, he accepted an in
vitation from the Thursday Night Club
Of Boston, one of the most exclusive
OF that exclusive city, 10
address q on 'Mormonism.' He went
10 Boston and made his talk for which
be- was thanked by the club. While
there he was entertained by the Gov
'rnor Of Massachusetts,, the president
" Harvard College and others who
showed him the most courteous atten-
ion.
''Smoot Of Utah IL already "A power In
he Senate and his influence Is grow
ng, The rank he has attained among
Ms colleagues has been earned by hard
work. and with the passing OF Hale
md Aldrich at the close Of the present
Congress smoot win he "a still larger
igure In national affairs
As the News" has had occasion to
say before, Utah is well represented IN
congress and It Is particularly graf
fvng 20 notice that the merits OF the
senator who was opposed because Of
MS religion, are attracting attention
both in the Senate and outside that
BODY.