MORMONS EXPOSED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13146, 7 April 1906, Page 2 (Supplement)

MORMONS EXPOSED.

POLYGAMY STILL TAUGHT AND : *Jj PRACTISED. :;$| TuK'resumption in the States of the Sena- , ; ,J ( tor Smoot case, after a year's suspension, is ; 1 bringing out some mow remarkable evidence | concerning Mormonism, its precepts, and its :' i practices. The case is an inquiry by the '"' ■ United States Senate Committee into Senai- ' , \ tor Reed Smoot's right to retain his seat in the Senate while continuing to hold his position as Mormon apostle. The two most serious charges-, says the Leader, brought | against Smoot are that-his oath as an "Apostle"'contains a clause disloyal to the ' \'[ Union; and that the Mormon Church, in spite of its manifesto to the contrary.in .'f 1890, teaches and practises polygamy. Most of the public attending the inquiry are women. One of. Ihe new witnesses is Prof. Walter Mr. Wolfe, formerly teacher of geology in Brigham Young College, at ' j Logan, Utah ; and tltis'is his account of the -■. \:xi i oath which the Mormon apostles have to take:— . --j''You and. each of you do covenant and -■■■;§; | pray and never cease to pray God to avenge. ;:g the'blood of the prophet on this nation.'' /:■;< On this oath rests the charge of disloyalty : ;- against Senator Smoot. As regards poly- . .':. gamy, Prof. Wolfe quotes Apostle ■ John Henry Smith as saying about the anti-poly. , i; g I gamy" manifesto : "It is a trick to beat the /.';. | devil at his own game." "The manifesto," he also quotes another prominent Mormon as declaring, " enables the Church to exclude men who ought not to have more t'naa one wife, and gives to worthy men an opportunity to take plural wives The effect of Prof." Wolfe's testimony is that polygamous cohabitation, has increased "very materially" since Utah was admitted to the Union. Another "apostate" witness against Salt Lake City regime is Mr. C. A. ■ Smurthwaite, a business man of reputed wealth, who contributed freely to the. Mormon Church for years, and had a fallingout with President Joseph F. Smith less ;. than a year ago because the latter would -rf not make any. ACCOUNTING OF THK MILLIONS. HE CKCKIVED .=?; from church members in the titheing fund. The intimation at the time was that somebody was "grafting" in a most approved fashion, and Smurthwaite demanded to know the truth of the assertions or have a denial of them. President Smith just " sat down upon him" by declaring him excom- i municated from the Mormon Church, without any redress, or without any interest in the church property to which he had contributed so lavishly for- years. Consequently he has turned all his talents as a successful business man from support of the Church to Opposition, and has taken the point of view that the thousands of Mormons who, like himself, have been contributing for years to the upbuilding of the '■ Church, have a right to know what has become of their money. It is notorious that, as an industrial trust, there is nothing in all Utah like the Mormon Church. - Senators on the committee know this to be a fact from President Smith's own testimony before them three years ago. After testifying that he was the father of 42 '. ;C> children. Smith testified that he was either president or director of some 27 industrial enterprises, and then added, with an air of weariness, that he couldn't remember them all! Smurthwaite alleges that Smith received from 1,500.000 dollars to 2,000,000 "" dollars annually in tithes, and he (witness) never heard of any account being given of the money. Smith coolly offered as the reason for his opposition to business competition with the Church that the Mormon president was the earthly representative of the Deity, and that setting oneself up in competition with God (for the 'sale of salt and so on) was sacrilege ! "We don't know | how much money you may have," said - Smith to Smurthwaite, when the latter started an independent salt works, "but we will ruin you ' ,f;