Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-05-08
SENATOR BORAH'S STATEMENTS
ON POLYCAMY RECALLED BY
THE RECENT OUTbURSTS

/ that their remuneration was forced and
insincere. That is not my understand
/ ing of good faith, and must represent
them as / believe them to be, sincere
and lawabiding people both in their
hearts and their conduct, their minds
and their practices. take the respons-
ibility of placing them in that light be-
fore the world by my vote.
Never Doubted Remuneration.
Further along / the running debate
the senator said:
Mr.. Borah-Mr. President, the bill
reads at present 'or persons who ADMIT
their belief in the practice of poly
gamy.'
The senator from Missouri would
change 1t so as > read "or persons Who
believe in, advocate, or practice poly
gamy."
Mr.. President, I agree entirely with
what the senator from New York (Mr.
Root) has said, that In its practical
operation thera will be very little differ
ence whether the amendment goes in
to the law or Is lef: out; but i think
it makes a very great difference as to
the construction whic44 will be put up
on the good faith Of the tens Of thou
sands of people who live in the great
Rocky mountain country who are len
titled with the Mormon church. / have
no right to speak, of course, in the way
of advice to the senator from Utah
/ (Mr. Smoot), but l am satisfied he
could not do his pr >pf a greater ser
vice than to say that they were ready
to be put to the test as to their belief
in polygamy. 1t would seal the lips and
silence the tongue of the last and bit
terest critic OF his church.
Polygamy in the United States is de-
Of the people of the United States be-
lieve that 1t Is crime. The great Nor
mon church has acquiesced in that de-
nunciati IN Of polyFamy and has stood
solemnly before the people declaring as
a result of its conference that it re-
nounced the doctrine Of polygamy.
Some Of us have had to meet that ques
ton upon every political rostrum In the
west, and those who have defended the
Mormon people and the Mormon church
have done so because they believed
they were acting in good faith. The
senator from Utah knows that the good
faith of some of US has been challenged
! pSSESuoS lazy LlSA5LGu lIldl We huGW lEdL
the Mormon people were not acting in
good faith. 1t has been said that we de-
Tended them out of political necessity,
knowing that tn were in their hearts
defiant OF the laws of their country,
As ! said moment ago, since tie
president Of the Mormon church an
nounced that polygamy has been re-
nounced by the church / have never
i doubted
acting in perfect good faith, and know
Ing the natural disposition of the Nor
mon people to obey the law, | did not
hesitate for moment to take the posi-
ton that they wee acting In good faith
and obeying this law.
But now, Mr.. President, the senator
from Missouri offer an amendment
which goes to the question whether or
not they believe in that which in this
country is denounced as a crime. and
representing, as I do, some seven or
eight OF ten thousand, perhaps twelve
thousand Mormon people, am not
willing to vote to the effect that those
constituents of mine believe In a crime
ana reruse to practice 1t simply be-
cause the law makes 1t dangerous to do
So
Let us make no mistake about this.
Mr.. President. Those people are Just
as honest, just as industrious, lust as
patriotic, just as loyal to their country
ana to their flag as any people who
i've within our state, and would fust
as soon think of saying the other people
IN my state believe in the commission
OF crime as to say that they believe in
II or to say that they continue to be-
lleVe in that which they have before
the world renowned.
agree witt tie senator from New
ork (Mr Root that the adoption of the
amendment makes very little difference
except as to the imputation which It
places upon those people and upon the
senate.
Wants to Be Shown.
II was contended during the discus
ION that the Bible taught polyr my
md the effect of the amendment would
De 10 smut out those who believed the
Bible 10 this St lator Borah replied:
Mr.. President, SO far as the teach .ngs
OF the Old Testament are concerned.
should like to hive some one point me
10 paragraph which teaches poly
gamy. The old Bible tells us of that
which we inhibit, to wit, the practice of
polygamy, but nowhere in that sacred
DOCK have | been able to find anything
which teaches it or recognizes 1t as
practice worthy of defense or other
than mistake of those people in those
early days. When Sarah complained of
the presence of Hagar. Hagar, Though
mother, was sent into the wilderness
to die. The patriarehs never fought to
defend their practices, much less to
erect their mistakes into a creed or
hallow them as a faith.