dent Woodruff's manifesto. He said that he accepted President
Woodruff's manifesto as a revelation from God, but he objected to having
it called "a law of the Church;" he insisted that it was only "a rule
of the Church." He admitted that the manifesto forbidding polygamy had
never been printed among the other revelations in the Church's book of
"Doctrine and Covenants," in which the original revelation commanding
polygamy was still printed without note or qualification of any kind. He
admitted that this anti-polygamy manifesto was not printed in any of the
other doctrinal works which the Mormon missionaries took with them
when they were sent out to preach the Mormon faith. He claimed that the
manifesto was circulated in pamphlet form, but he subsequently admitted
that the pamphlet did not "state in terms" that the manifesto was a
"revelation." He finally pleaded that the manifesto had been omitted
from the book of "Doctrine and Covenants" by an "oversight," and he
promised to have it included in the next edition!

[FOOTNOTE: He did not keep his promise. The manifesto was not added
to the book of revelations until some time later, after considerable
protest in Utah.]

In short, it was shown, by the testimony given and the evidence
introduced, not only that the Church authorities persisted in living in
polygamy, not only that polygamous marriages were being contracted, but
that the Church still adhered to the doctrine of polygamy and taught it
as a law of God.

President Joseph F. Smith denied the right of Congress to regulate his
"private conduct" as a polygamist. "It is the law of my state to which
I am amenable," he said, "and if the officers of the law have not
done their duty toward me I can not blame them. I think they have some
respect for me."

A mass of testimony showed why the officers of the law did not do their
duty. During the anti-polygamy agitation of 1899 (which ended in the
refusal of Congress to seat Brigham H. Roberts) a number of prosecutions
of polygamists had been attempted. In many instances the county
attorney had refused to prosecute even upon sworn information. Wherever
prosecutions were had, the fines imposed were nominal; these were in
some cases never paid, and in other cases paid by popular subscription.
It was testified that in Box Elder County subscription lists had been
circulated to collect money for the fines, but that the fines were never
paid, though the subscriptions had been coll