The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-08-03
THOSE INDICTMENTS.

The Tribune, for two days past, has been
harping on the fact that an indictment was
once found against a candidate on the
Democratic ticket and is assuming a
virtue in that it refrains from publishing
the presentment. Did impudence ever run
to such extremes! Was there ever more
disgusting exhibition of ''galln! Our con-
temporary either assumes that its readers
are downright fools or that they have lost
their memories and are not likely to re-
cover them. The candidate to whom the
Liberal organ refers is Hon. ELIAS A
SMITH, Democratic nominee to the house
of representatives. Just previous to the
last municipal election Judge SMITH, with
other prominent members of the Peo-
ple's party, was Indicted on some trumped
up charge in connection with an Office he
had held. 1t was the rankest kind
If Liberal grand jury which found the in
dictments, and Mormon and Gentle con-
ceded that the indictments were political,
pure and simple, their purpose being to in
f1uence voters. And right here we may be
excused for asking If Judge Powers the
head and front of Liberalism, did not at
the time, say in effect that the finding of
those indictments was mighty bad politics!
That the allegations could not be proven.
and the reaction would be against the
party! Whether or not he said this, as
clever politician he could have said il. be-
cause the result has been exactly as pre-
dicted. Did the Tribune refrain from pub
fishing the indictment. Not much 1t
loil no oh no
for weeks, treated the accused as il
they were guilty as charged, and only
ceased to harp on the matter when the
Liberal prosecutor went into court, and on
his own motion, had the indictments
quashed. These are the facts, and they
occurred so recently that one is astonished
that even so reckless newspaper as our
contemporary should refer to the matter.
knowing that its own disreputable
record in the case would necessarily
be recalled. And now, as to the
outcome of those socalled prose
cutions, the indictments were no sooner
presented than the defendants announced
themselves as ready for trial. At every
term of court, as we remember the matter.
they demanded hearing, being most per-
sistent in counting the fullest possible in
vestigation, but the Liberal prosecutor
was never ready to proceed. In fact he
could not go ahead He had no case. and
knew it. The indictments had been found
for political effect, and having been en-
ployed 10 their utmost for CAMPAIGN
purposes no further use could be made of
them. Finally, the district attorney could
not in decency longer keep the indictments
hanging over the heads of the accused: he
could not longer deny the mems appeal for
an investigation or a discharge, and as
there was no evidence upon which to 20 to
trial, nothing that jury would accept as
indicating guilt be went into court and dis
missed the cases. Judge SMITH and
associates compromised nothing; they
entered into no bargain with the
prosecution 20 let them off without trial:
they paid no fine, they gave 10 money into
court; they stood squarely upon the ground
of innocence, that they were prosecuted
because of their politics, and finally the
very party which had found these political
indictments. had pursued these gentlemen
for the purpose of gaining votes. was
forced to confess, through failure to
prosecute, that it had been malicious in the
cases.
We are not surprised that the Tribune
has not on this occasion printed the indict-
ments, but we are astonished that it was 80