The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-20
Utah's most remarkable Republican


Utah's most remarkable Republican
constitutional convention, evidently
fearing that fame is an impossibility,
seems determined to achieve notoriety.
Its various capers and idiosyncracies
will furnish food for wonder and
laughter to the delving student of any
succeeding generation who shall be
sufficiently enthusiastic to read the
verbatim notes taken by the official
stenographer But no page will offer
more food for thought than that one
which chronicles a gratuitous insult
to a leading menber of the convention
Simply because he is a Democrat
Such an insult TO Moses Thatcher
and the final approval of it by the
Republicans as a party We're the lead
ing events in yesterdays proceedings.
The thing was started by Coray, of
Juab county, WHO moved 70 strike out
the letter of Mr.. Thatcher from the
minutes, at the same time stating that
it was not proper being pol. teal bun
coRbe." This was instantly resented
byfEvans, who asked for an explana-
ton of such a remark about the dis
tingpished gentleman. Ccray would
say q 9th;ng. Later il the day Evans
detef1fined that the matter should not
be allowed to pass without some ac-
ton 1t was too raak an exhibition
of extreme partisanship.
IN this line he introduced o. resolu-
ton asking that Coray be brought oe-
fore the bar Of the house and be re-
quired to explain such utterances, and
IF sufficient Nyra1o ne
vouchsafed, that he be required to
Withdraw them. While Evans was
waiting for the chair to put the mo-
ton, so that he could speak upon it,
President Smith, who should have been
most determined TO have such a matter
cleared up, as well because tho letter
in question had been submitted to the
convention by him and because the
author of il is bound to him by ties
which no craftsmanship is supposed to
break, took Evans off his feet and
recognized Dennis Eichnor to. submit
a motion to lay the resolution on the
table.
The record Of the proceedings at
this point is suggestive Evans, as
soon as he could interrupt the haste
of the president to put such a motion
to the house. protested against such
summary action. He said it was his
right to speak on the resolution and
he should not have been taken off his
feet for the admission of anything else
However, the president seemed deter
mined to bind the insult upon the
records of the convention and he ruled
Evans entirely out of order. The vote
was put and the roll call showed al
most a strict lining of the parties.
Only Farr, of Weber, among the Demo-
Gratis. voted to table the resolution.
while HeybOurn and Mcfarland, OF the
Republicans. jumped the traces and de-
cliAd to father such thing.
Taa action taken is most important
because it places once foD alb the Re-
publicans on record as being partisan
to the very core. The only motive
which Coray could have had in moving
TO strike out the letter was one of
partisanship. The only motive the Re-
publicans bad in laying the resolution
on the table was one of partisanship,
because they did it to uphold the
partisanship OF one OF their party dele
gates.
Further than that the party is
placed in most unenvia.ble position
The letter Of Mr. Thatcher was a per
kntal one to President Smith. It was
transmitted to him with the message
that he could read it or not, as he
chose President Smith was RESPONSE
BILE for the document being laid before
the convention. After it was read it
was Squires a Republican, who moved
InaL l. De SpTedQ upon Inc minutes.
The Democrats. while fully concurring
in the idea that the letter was worthy
of preservation took no action in the
matter, realizing it might be charged
that thew had been actuated by part-
san motives.
Under such circumstances President
SIN n. as a matter Of personal honor,
should have been the first to have
resented the insult Of Coray He was
entirely responsible for the action that
had been taken. Common courtesy,
outside Of the ties which bind him 70
Mr.. Thatcher. should have made him
an ardent champion of the action
moved to place the letter in the
minutes. should have been scarcely
less jealous in rigllting such wrong.
Yet when the test came President
fzrith ruled and Squires voted so that
- insult was taken M by the Re
publican party. instead Of being
promptly dlsclaimed by it.
Surprise at the action Of President
Smith is justified. too, by the fact
that the Democrats have endeavored
in every way to aid him in coming to
proper understanding of his duties.
He stands In exactly similar position
in relation to the Republican side as
Mr.. Thatcher does to the Democratic
side If there had been i'll treatment
of him at the hands of the Democrats,
81 they had shown any desire to make
trouble for him simply TO show that
the best of material in the Republican
party was but poor, then perhaps there
SSght have been some excuse. But
f<orn the first the Democrats have been
charitable to him. Their
charity has not been negative, either.
IT has been positive. Whenever he has
,,Iace6 himself in a bad parliamentary
tangls none have been SO ready to
come to his aid as the Democrats:
ybere they could have been technical
and made his duties most operous
they have been generous and made
them as light as his own faults would
the common courtesy expected of a
presiding officer and nowhere better
,recoenized than N that most partisan
bodV fine Ty9use Of Representative
would have dictated that he should not
have applied the gag rule to the Demo-
cratic side.
For Ccrey's insult there was abso-
;lIfely no justification. Mr.. Thatcher
stands in position where ne can pro-
: : IL oSr;re +l,a convention By his