The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-08-28
SENATOR OWEN ON sMooT.

OF Arizona because Of the initiative,
referendum and recall. especially the
recall Of judges. We have noted hith.
erto the predieament which Senator
Owen put Sutherland in on this score,
derstand the constitution of his OWL
State of Utah.
| In the course of that speech, Apostle
Senator Smoot performed his usual butt
in, and got his ears very soundly
cuffed on account of it. Senator Owen
articles of former Senator Cannon of
Utah. as published in Everybody's Mag
azine He showed that, in these ar
ticlee. Smoot is openly charged with
membership in an organization com
prising "0ue Of the most powerful po
litical machines, religious hierarchics,
and commercial oligarohies ever estab
lished on earth Smoot on this boiled
over with rage, vilifying Mr.. Cannon
as man "utterly unworthy of being
believed in any way, shape, or form;
and he denounced the Cannon state
ments as absolutely uncalled for, IN
founded, and untrue" Senator Owen
reioined that. If they are untrue, "they
ought to be demonstrated to be un
true He called attention to the wide
publicity of these articles, and to the
fact that no denial had been made OF
them. He stated that elf it is true
that Senators are named to this floor
by the prophet OF the Mormon church,
the Senate OF the United States ought
to know it, and the country ought
to know it. II it Is not true, the
charge ought 10 be answered, ii ought
to be denied, it ought to be shown
to be absolutely false. because it AT
fects the good name of the Senate of
the United States.
Smoot repeated his denial, and he put
his reply in the form of an interroga
tory: because there is no denial of
published articles which are written
by a man for whom no one in his own
State has any regard or belief in his
word, are they to be accepted as truef'
He further asked If Senator Owen
could, always be followed by denial;
and he again made a denial Of their
truth.
Senator Owen asked whether Smoot
did not think that the facts ought to
be inquired into. To this Smoot re-
piled that he had expressed no opinion
on that point. He said.
am not here to defend the Mormon
church, / was elected by the people OF
the state OF Utah irrespective OF their re-
ligious belief. and / represent every man
and woman In that State. I do not care
what his or her religion may be, I am
here as citizen Of the United States.
from Oklahoma ever dared go In main
tanning every principle OF liberty. and a
clean, an honest, and q representative
Government
And this is the man who pronounces
Cannon to be liar. utterly unworthy
of belief, and who is not believed by
anybody in Utahl After a statement
of that kind from Smoot it is difficult
TO understand on what ground he him
self expects 10 be believed. Smoot
knows perfectly well that he was sent
to the Senate by the leaders OF the
church. He was promised the Sen
atorship by President Snow, in order
TINT prophecy might be fulfilled. Pres
ident Smith testified that he gave
Smoot leave 10 go to the Senate, and
that otherwise he could not have gone.
He knows that his political machine,
so called, is the church machine, that
he operates through the church ec-
clesiastics politically the same as he
does through them religiously as an
Apostle. There is no distinction in his
mind or method of action between his
ecclesiastical activities and his polit.
ical activities. He uses the same means
as the strength of his machine, herd
ing in, 70 be sure. to his help, some
persons in unecclesiastical spheres. But
the ecclesiastical machine is the
strength of his political activity all the
time. and without it he would be moth
ing.
Senator Owen received Smoot IS dec
larntion with pleasure. but rean
nounced his opinion that the matter
should be inquired into. He called re.
newed attention 20 the fact that the
initiative, referendum. and the recall
have been in the constitution Of Utah
for many years, and no legislation Civ
ing them life has been enacted. And
he asked Smoot whether he approved
Of these provisions in the Utah constitu-
tion or NOT.
Smoot lodged; he said, "I have
taken 20 part in this discussion, nor
do care ~ do so OF this time He
supposed - that when the time comes
for vote. the Senate will know where
he stands. And he added. "I have
been in the Senate long enough for
the Senator himself TO know that what
ever I believe ] so vote" Save and ex-
ecpt that he carries out the terms OF
his ecclesiastical commission whether
he believes in the application OF the
terms AZ he IL directed nr not A.