Page "Reed Smoot hearings" Paragraph 12

The four-year Senate proceeding created a 3, 500-page record of testimony by 100 witnesses on every peculiarity of Mormonism, especially its polygamous family structure, ritual worship practices, " secret oaths ," open canon, economic communalism, and theocratic politics.

The public participated actively in the proceedings.

In the Capitol, spectators lined the halls, waiting for limited seats in the committee room, and filled the galleries to hear floor debates.

For those who could not see for themselves, journalists and cartoonists depicted each day's admission and outrage.

At the height of the hearing, some senators were receiving a thousand letters a day from angry constituents.

What remains of these public petitions fills 11 feet of shelf space, the largest such collection in the National Archives.