[Reed Smoot to Joseph F. Smith]
That same evening [April 8, 1908], at the appointed time, Joseph [Howell] presented our side of the case to the President [i.e., Theodore Roosevelt]. ... He asked Mr. Howell if he believed that the Church was sincere in preventing further polygamous marriage, and we Joseph said that it was, the President remarked that he was also convinced that the Church was sincere in this matter. ... He [i.e., Roosevelt] stated that he thought I should have resigned my position as an apostle before coming to the Senate in the first place, and he thought it would be for the best good of the Mormon people to have me temporarily resign my position in the Church now, and that if I did so, it would take the sting out of the criticism of the ministers and demagogues of the country, and whatever opposition would arise, would certainly fall flat. He stated, however, ... if the people of Utah saw fit to send me again, he will stand by me again, but thought that it would be best for the Mormon people not to give the opposition the chance of making a fight.
[Reed Smoot, Letter to Joseph F. Smith, as quoted in Minutes of the Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1835-1951, Electronic Edition, 2015]
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