The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-06-11
POLYGAMY IN THE OPEN.

You must understand that the husband
is not expected TO take q second wife un
iii the first is perfectly willing. The
authorizes also have to pass on whethe
ho is capable of supporting another fam
ly.
1t would seem that n Mormon apostle
ought TO he able to properly interpret
Mormon doctrine. but Mr.. Smoot fail:
in this matter, rs he failed TO "vindi
cate the gospel in the halls Of Con
gross. He Is not truthful when hC
says that a Mormon elder is obliged
10 ask the consent Of his first wife
before entering into the polygamous
status. As agninst him is the recognized
best authority namely, Joseph f
Smith, the file leader of Smoot. In his
testimony at Washington (soe official
record. volume |, page POLY, Mr.. Smith S
presentation was as follows:
senator Bailey-She is commanded TO
consent, but If she does not, then he is
| exempt from the requirement?
Joseph +. Smith-Thcn he is at liberty
| TO proceed without her consent under
| the law.
Senator Bevcrdgc-In other words. her
consent amounts 10 nothing?
Joseph +. Smith-lt amounts TO moth
| ing but her consent.
| Senator ReveridCe--So that so far as
| there is anything In there concerning her
consent. 1t might well not be there.
| That this is a truthful statement of
the facts may be proved in the majority
of cases Sometimes the elder contracts
his unlawful liaison unbeknown TO the
first wife by even tho slightest sug.
gestion: and many times the poIygamous
relationship is assumed in the face Of
strong objection of the first wife. 1t is
known, for instance, that Elder pha
j. Higgs, who was associated with Jo-
scph f. Smith i'll the publication of
the Improvement Era (thc official
periodical Of the Mormon Mutual I'm
provement Associations). ruined the hap
piness Of his good first wife by running
away with Bessie Badger after one of
the brothers of the wronged girl had
given him sound thrashing, with
promise of more TO follow if be re
maincd in the State. His sin was
committed without the knowledge, let
alone the consent, OF his first wife.
Miles 4. Romney is of stripe with
Higgs. because he ran away from
Mexico and came TO Utah to take on his
fourth coniugal partner in the Manti
temple
Probably one of the most interesting
points in this outgiving of Apostle
Smoot through the Boston Traveller is
wherein he saws that the authorities
also have to pass on whether he is cap.
able of supporting another family InI
part. Aposte-Scnator Smoot is accurate
in this particular. The authorities, as
The Tribune has always contended, pass
upon all polygamous marriages, They
know OF and give consent 10 these uulaw-
ful unions; but capabIity for supporting
additional families does not enter into
the consideration at all. The truth is
that If an elder of the Mormon church
has met all the requirements Laid
upon him in the way of quorum
duties, tithe payments, and meek |
submission to authority, he can go
to the bishop and demand a
recommend emitting him to the con
of the president of his stake, |
and the president of the stake can do
no other thing than to pass the Iecher
along to the president Of the church. |
The chief polygamist can, if he so de-
sire, deny the application; but he does
not do so, as may be seen in the |
hundreds of cases of new polygamy that |
exist in the church. It is proper, |
however, to have this certain admis-
sion from Reed Smoot-it is an open |
confession of the fact that the polyga- |
nous recrudoscence has the approval |
Of distinguished Mormon authority, and |
that it is the intention to encourage this |
class OF law breaking 10 the utmost. |
AS those who were acquainted with cir
at the time will remember,
when Joseph i. Smith was given charge |
Of the work in the old endowment house |
he was most untiring in his activity |
to drag all the men and women of the |
church into poIygamy that he could pos
sibly induce. There was never any con
sideration of the ability of the men to
support the added families More than
otherwise the slave concubincs kept the |
lazy harem owners. Women and children |
worked in the felds-they MIXED the
COWS, fed the pigs, harvested the hay. !
the grain and the vegetables, while |
paw loafed around the Coon store
and spat tobacco Juice on the store
stove. The numerous women and |
children were huddled together in ono
house more frequently than that they
had separate homes. In fact, the |
very best that the polygamists pre-.
tended TO do at one time here was to
have house with as many front en-.
frances as there were wives. Some of
these old structures are standing TODAY.
and may be seen by any investigator
who cares TO examine into The Trib.
une s accuracy.
The Boston Traveller also saws that
according to Mr.. Smoot, in most cases
there IS only the pleasantest of feelings
between the different wives" AS
against this we here give the testimony
OF Brigham Young, as printed in the
Deseret News of October l, 1856:
And my wives have got 10 do one Of
Two ihings. either round up their shouI-
~ n II 0 RAJ