The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-04-24

either Gentiles or Mormons. President
Joseph f Smith admitted that lie had
five wives since pledging himself to obey
the revealed" manifesto of 1890 forbid |
ding polygamous relations. Apostle
Francis Marion Lyman. who was next
in succession to the presidency, made a
similar admission of guilt. though in Il
lesser degree SO did John Henry Smith
did Brigham II. Roberts and George Rey-
| nolds. presidents of seventies. So did a |
| score Of others among the lesser authori- |
| ties. And they confessed that they were
| living in polygamy in violation OF their |
| pledges to the nation and the terms OF
their amnesty. against the laws and the
TO the revelation of Cod by which the
doctrine of polygamy had been withdrawn
from practice in the church;
that he was violating the law OF the
state. He was asked: is there not n
| revelation that you shall abide by the
| answered Eyes, sir" He was asked
| "And IL that is revelation, are you
not violating the laws of God?" He an
| swercd: II have admitted that. Mr. SEN
| ator q great many times here"
New Polygamous Marriages.
But this was not the worst. There
| had been new poygamous marriages.
| Bishop Charles r. Merrill. the son of
an apostle. testified that his father had
| and that he had been living with both
| wives ever since. A Mrs Clara Kennedy
testified that she had been married to
| polygamist In 1895 In Juarez. Mex. by
Apostle Brigham Young, Jr.. In the home
| OF the president OF the stake. There was
testimony to show that Apostle George
Teasdale had taken plural wife six
years after the manifesto" forbidding
| polygamy. and that Benjamin Cluff. Jr..
president of the church university, had
other less notorious cases were exposed
including those OF NJ. w. Merrill, an
apostle. and ]. M. Tanner, superintendent
Of church schools. 1t was testified that
| Apostle John w. Taylor had taken two
plural wives within four years. and that
Apostle Nj. +, Cowley had taken one.
country In order to escape summons to
appear before the senate committee. %"
How Mormons Muzzle the Law.
In short. il shown by the testimony
given and the evidence introduced not
only that the church authorities persisted
polyeamous marriages were being con-
tracted, but that the church still ad
hered TO the doctrine Of poygamy and
taught it as a law OF God ="
Il A striking example Of the power Of the
church as against the power OF the ma
tion was given to the senate committee
temple In Salt Lake City. He had failed
to produce some Of the temple marriage
records for which the committee had
called. lie was asked whether he would
bring the books the order OF the
senate of the United States il the first
presidency OF the church forbade, him to
not" He was asked: And II the SEN
ate should send the sergeant arms of
the senate and arrest you and order YOU
to bring them Che records with YOU.
YOU would still refuse to bring them. un~
less the first presidency. asked you to?"
He answered, Yes. sir;
i II was shown that classes Of instruc-
Il tion in the Mormon religion had been
forced upon teachers In a number of
public schools in Utah by the orders OF
the first presidency, tThese orders were
withdrawn after The exposure before the
committee.) Church control had gone
so far in Brigham City. Box Elder coun-
city council and the electric lighting
company of the city. the local ecclesias
tlcal council interfered. In the same city.
two young men built dancing pavilion
that competed with the church owned
; opera house: the ecclesiastical council
"counseled" them to remove the pavilion
and dispose OF "the material in its con-
struction;" they were threatened that
they would be dropped" IL they did not
obey this counsel, and they compro;,
the net earnings OF their pavilion into
the church's stake treasury
Smith Rejects Her Appeal.
In Monroe ward. Sevier county. Utah.
in 1901. q Mormon woman named Cora
BirdSall had n dispute with a man named
james u. Leavitt about title TO land.
LeaWtt went into the bishops court and
got decision against her. She wrote to
President Joseph +. Smith for permission
either to appeal the case direct to him or
"to go TO law in the matter: and Smith
advised her ito follow the order provided
of the Lord to govern in your case" The
dispute was taken through the ecclesias-
tical courts and decided against her. She
refused to deed the land TO Leavltt. and
she was accommodated by order Of the
high council OF the Scvier stake OF Zion.
| She became insane as result OF this
punishment. and her mother appealed to
the stake president TO grant her some
mitigation.
He wrote in reply: Her only relief
will be in complying with President
Smiths wishes. You say she has never
broken rule of the church. You forget
that she has done so by failing to abide
by the decision of the mouthpiece of
God - She finally gave up a deed 10
the disputed land and was rebaptzed in
1904. Letters OF the first presidency
were, however. introduced TO show that
IT had been the policy of the presidency
particularly in President Woodruff's day
mot to interfere In disputes involving
titles to land)
On June II. 1906, a majority of the
declaring that Apostle Smoot was not en-
titled TO his seat In the senate. They
found that he was one of self -perpetu-
atng body OF fifteen men, uniting in
themselves authority in both church and
state. who so exercise this authority
as to encourage belief in polysamy as
a divine institution. and by both percept
and example encourage among their fol-
lowers the practice of polygamy and po-
lysamous cohabitation; that the church
authorities had "endcavored to suppress.
and succeeded in suppressing, a great
deal of testimony by which the fact OF
plural marriages contracted by those who
We're high in the councils Of the church
might have been established beyond the
shadow OF n doubt" and that aside
from this il was shown by the testimony
| that a majority OF those who give law
| TO the Mormon church arc now. and have
been for years, living In open, notorious
and shameful polygamous cohabitation.
Two Opinions Of Smoot.
Concerning President Woodruff's anti
| polygamy manifesto of 1890, the majority
/. OF the committee reported that this
manifesto in no way declares that the
principle of polygamy TO be wrong or alb
rogatcs il as n doctrine of the Mormon
church, but simply suspends the practice
OF polygamy, TO be resumed at some more