No time to judge, every reason to love

The author, Eugene Brice, in one of his books ( Books That Bring Life (Net Press, 1987)), tells of a controversy that took up a lot of time in the United States Senate many years ago. It was around whether or not to allow the newly elected senator from Utah, a man called Reed Smoot, to take his seat. At that time, the Mormon church (to which Smoot belonged) still allowed the practice of polygamy. And although Smoot had only one wife, some of the more difficult members of the Senate argued that he should not be allowed to take his seat, given the beliefs of his church. But the issue was settled when another Senator came forward and looked directly at some of his colleagues who, though married, were known to "womanise" quite a bit. He stated strongly, "I would prefer to have seated beside me in the Senate a polygamist who doesn’t polyg than a monogamist who doesn’t monog." Beyond the humour it’s a sharp and perhaps uncomfortable statement because it reminds u...