The purpose of this study was to determine how methods of support functioned in the senate debate on the seating of Reed Smoot. In order to clarify the directions of the study, answers to the following questions were sought:1. How extensively were methods of support used by each side?2. What was the frequency of supports per assertion by each side?3. How was the use of support materials distributed among the speakers?4. How many different methods of support were used by each side?5. What were the most frequently used methods of support by each side?6. What were the least frequently used methods of support by each side?7. Did the methods of support which were used differ from the methods discussed in public speaking textbooks?8. Did the winning side differ in the use of methods of support from the losing side?

abstract: My dissertation project, Mormons at the World's Fair: A Study of Religious and Cultural Agency and Transformation looks at a pivotal period of transition within the American religious and political national culture (1880-1907). Using Mormonism as an important focal point of national controversy and cultural change, this dissertation looks at the interconnections between Mormon transitions and the larger national transformations then under way in what historians call the "progressive" era. Prominent scholars have recognized the 1893 World's Fair as an important moment that helped initiate the "dawning" of religious pluralism in America. This national response to American religious diversity, however, is limited to a nineteenth-century historiographical framework, which made real religious pluralism in the next century more difficult. Bringing together into one narrative the story of the anti-polygamy crusades of the 1880s, the ambivalent presence (and non presence) of Mormonism at the World's Fair of 1893, and the drawn-out US Senate Hearings and ultimate victory of Mormon apostle and Senator Reed Smoot in 1907, this dissertation offers new insights into the meaning and limitations of American religious liberty, the dynamics of minority agency, as well as a deeper understanding of America's developing national identity. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Religious Studies 2012

In the year of 1903, the right of Reed Smoot to take his seat in the United States Senate was challenged in a protest signed by nineteen prominent citizens from Utah. The protest was submitted to the Senate Committee of Privileges and Elections, a member of which was Fred T. Dubois, Senator from Idaho. The protest charged that the Mormon Church was still practicing polygamy and exercising political domination of its members and that therefore Reed Smoot, an Apostle and leader of this church, was unfit for senatorial obligations. Dubois, believing the worst concerning these charges, took it upon himself to head the movement against Smoot. He surreptitiously organized national sentiment and caused an investigation of the charges contained in the protest by bringing public pressure to bear on the United States Senate.The Mormon Church turned out to be more the object of the investigation than Smoot. It looked for awhile as though Dubois would be successful in unseating Smoot, but as the case wore on the opposition of the Republican Party, the press, and President Theodore Roosevelt proved to be too much for him. From the time he took up this anti-Mormon fight his lack of success in politics seems to parallel his unsuccessful efforts to get Smoot kicked out of the Senate. In 1906, just prior to the time that the Senate voted to retain Smoot, Dubois himself, was defeated in his bid to be returned to the Senate.Dubois' anti-Mormon fight was a popular issue everywhere but in the west and particularly Idaho. He had plenty of warning that such was the case but he couldn't be reconciled to the fact that the people of Idaho wouldn't accept his anti-Mormonism. His self-deception relative to the iniquities of the Mormon Church were absolute and sincere but fatal to his political asperations.President Roosevelt undoubtedly contributed most to Dubois' defeat. But, it wasn't just his defeat. To the very end he had the sentiment of the women's organizations throughout the country behind him. This probably contributed much to his reluctance to accept the "handwriting on the wall."Dubois used this Smoot controversy for political purposes, but more important than this was the fact that he sincerely thought he was on the side of right and that in the end it would be victorious.

The Laie Hawaii Temple majestically overlooks the beaches of Oahu and has stood as an emblem of the Latter-day Saint faith to the world since 1919. Although the structure is iconic and highly significant to Latter-day Saints, a comprehensive history of the Laie Hawaii Temple has never been published. This thesis provides such a history from the conception of the temple until its dedication. The history of this particular temple is important for several reasons. At its dedication, the temple in Laie became the fifth operating temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the first dedicated temple outside of the state of Utah (following the exodus) and outside of North America. It was also the first temple built in one of the missions of the Church. It was a pioneering temple as one of the first that catered to a large number of patrons from different cultures speaking different languages. Its multi-cultural, multi-lingual integration is something that would not be seen in other temples for several decades. Over the years, the temple and the attractions built around it have drawn millions of other visitors as well. Its location has made it an internationally recognized edifice and a valuable tool for the Church to introduce its message to the world. This history is also compelling because of what the temple in Laie, Hawaii represents in terms of the Latter-day Saint conception of the doctrine of the "gathering." As the first temple built outside of the traditional centers of Mormon colonization, this temple became an early prototype of a method of gathering that does not appear to begin taking hold Church-wide until the mid-twentieth century. Ahead of its time in other ways, the temple was built in a place where, according to the thinking of the time, Church membership was not yet sizable enough to warrant a temple. This thesis explains why the temple was built in Hawaii. These aspects of the temple's history produced ramifications that continue to impact the Church today, nearly 100 years later. As with many temples, a folk history of oral tradition has developed around the story of the Laie Hawaii Temple. This thesis will also provide a review of the historical record and offer clarity in sorting through that tradition.