The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-25
SHOOTS LAWLEsS POSITION.

SHOOTS LAWLEss POSITION.
! The position taken by Mr.. Reed
Smoot with respect to lawbreaking is
rather strange one for a Senator OF
the United States. He is sworn, as
we all know, to support and maintain
the Constitution OF the United States
and all the laws of the land approved
Hereunder Ee is supposed to facili-
tate in every way the enforcement of
those laws. and to advocate in the gen.
eral citizenship the highest respect for
them. But even in defense of his own
seat In the Senate he appears to have
been afflicted with the old Mormon
hierarchial thought that the law counts
| for nothing as against what he would
I choose TO call religious conviction. Here
is one part Of his testimony in behalf
Of himself. as it is TO be found on page
293, volume 3, Of the official record:
The ChaIrman-I understood YOU to say
you would have voted for him had you
known him 70 be a polyGamist
Senator Smoot-Under the cIrcum-
stances that he was married before the
/ manifesto.
! The Chalrman-Then the fact, il Il
were true, that nc was living In polyE-
amous cohabitation would have made no
difference with your vote?
! Senator Smoot-WeN. / knew nothing
/ as 70 that, OF course.
The Chairman-Suppose il 10 be true
that he was. and you had known he was,
/ living in polygamous cohabitation since
I the manifesto; you would have still sup
! ported him.
! Senator Smooth a church position.
! The Chairman-I beg your pardon.
] Senator Smooth church position.
! The Chairman-Well, this was a church
/ position.
Senator smoot-This was church
! The Chairman-so that would not have
/ deferred you from voting for hlm2
Senator Smoot-I hardly think so.
Mr.. Smoot was testifying concern
ing the induction Of Charles w Pen
rose into the apostolate Of which he.
Smoot, was and is a member. His an
swer that he knew nothing of the po-
| lygamous cohabiration of Penrose was
simply dishonest evasion. because he
could not help being aware of fact
that was in common knowledge. But
the surprising matter in his testimony
/ is that he, as a Senator of the United
States. should have the temeriIy TO
say that he felt il to be any part OF
]
any position. whether civic or ecclesi-
astical. 1t is only proof of the per
/ versive nature of some Mormon teach
/ ing. From his youth up Reed Smoot
/ had been taught that he was to obey
and sustain the Mormon priesthood in
/ all things, it being no part OF his bust
ness to Judge as to whether any or all
Of those things were right OF wrong
! He has been taught what the conse
quences Of disobedience to that priest
| hood are. He holds political posi-
I tlon by grace of the chief priests. He
I does not dare to offend the chief priest
I hood by discountenancing one OF their
number, no matter how lawless may be
/ mis- daily life. He approves and sus-
[ tains as his ecclesiastical coadiutors
/ Joseph F. Smith, John Henry Smith
/ Francis NJ. LYMAN, Heber J. Grant and
| Charles w. Penrose, all OF whom are
not only well-known lawbreakers. but
who are openly defiant in announced
determination TO continue their lawless
conduct.
! And then there is the matter Of new
polygamy (meaning cases wherein
! Mormon elders have taken new plural
wi since the manifesto Of 1890 when
/ it was covenanted TO the country and
/ the whole world that the practice should
| cease). The Tribune has named one
/ hundred and ffty-seven such cases;
/ from no Individual among the number
| has come denial. We have learned
of perhaps one in ten of all the actual
! crimes of this character. because of
/ the secrecy observed and the protection
afforded by high church officials. Reed
Smoot IS aware of the prevalence Of
the new polygamous crime in his
church; but he has never yet made one
move against it. Instead of recogniz-
ing the truth, and proceeding against
| the offenders, as he is in duty bound
to do as one Of the highest public of
fcers in the land. he rather enjoys tell
ing people abroad that there is no re-
newal of the polygamous practice, and
that those who know that there is such
recrudescence, and consequently cry
out against it. are prosecuting a peo-
pie on account Of their religion.
Reed Smoot is Senator OF the Unit
ed States by permission of criminals,
and it is natural enough, under the
teaching he has received, for him to
enormously conclude that it is mis- duty