The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-04
MIR. HoLBRooK INTERVIEWED.


is an extremely interesting interview: it
is more. it is a remarkable interview.
With comparatively little experience in
politics, Mr.. Holbrook gives evidence
that he would like to play the role of
an astute politician. How i'll or how
well he succeeds his interview will show.
In this of all other years candidates
for congress are expected to be decided
and positive upon the one great issue
Of the campaign. In Utah the people
expect as their representative in con-
gress a man with whom is no var
iableness, neither shadow of turning"
Mr.. Holbrook's interview shows that he
is not that man.
What do the people of Utah wish to
know of Mr. Holbrook? Not that he
is a Republican, but how he will vote
in congress on tine silver question, if
he shall be elected. They wish TO know
whether he viii vote for silver first.
last and all the time until free coinage
is secured. or whether he will alternate
of the hour or party exigency may
demand. They wish to know whether
Mr.. Hoibrook is for principle first and
party afterwards, or whether he is for
party first and principle afterwards.
From Mr.. Holbrook's interview it viii be
impossible for them to decide.
The first question that The Herald S
correspondent put to Mr.. Holbrook was
whether, If elected, he would go into
the regular Republican caucus. TO which
he answered that he should. When
asked if he would be bound by its ac-
ton he made the rather evasive reply:
THAT is something I cannot decide
until meet it,
Perhaps that is such an answer as
most men in Mr.. Holbroolx's position
would have made, and no special sig
nificance would attach to 1T if lit stood
alone and no other question had fol-
lowed it.
The next question put to him was
this: IF it is controlled by god stan 1ard
men will you bolt its action or be gov
erned by the majority of your party?"
That is a direct, pertinent and all
important question that admitted of no
evasion, if Mr.. Holbrook is the solid
friend of silver. What was his answer
to this question, this question that will
be asked from every stump in the state,
this question that is so vital to- the peo-
pie Of Utah? His answer was this:
You may say that that is another
question 1 cannot answer until it
confronts me. My action will be en-
tirely governed by circumstances"
And why could he not answer it? If
he does not know today whether or not
he would abide by the decision of a gold
| caucus he never will know; or rather,
it is safe to say that he would What
is Che frame of mind of a candidate for
congress who was first nominated by
a silver convention and who does not
know whether he would abide by the
decision of party caucus controlled by
gold men? Can it be that Mr.. Holbrook
thinks such caucus might decide to
put through a free silver bill and hold
up all other legislation until such a re-
suit was accomplished? The question
naturally suggests itself whether Mr..
Holbrook would abide by the decision
of a party caucus even in that event.
No doubt his action in such an event
would be entirely governed by circum-
stances.
Remembering that Mr.. Holbrook will
be governed by circumstances chow diff
ferent are circumstances from princi-
plesD the people viii remember that
circumstances not only alter cases, but
that they also alter opinions
Asked how he, a pronounced silver
man, could consistently go into party
caucus if he knew in advance that it
was to be controlled by the gold stand
ard men, Mr.. Holbrook made the rather
amusing reply: We'll. man could &C
into it for the purpose of expressing
his opinion. believe that it would be
bad policy to keep away @rom men who
hold opposite views. A battle was
never won by keeping out of sight"
Certainly he could, but Mr.. Holbrook
in a Republican congressional caucus
where the gold men were in the ma
| jority, in fact in a caucus where he
would be the only silver man, express
sing his views on free silver, would re-
semble very much Mrs. Darlington in
the heroic but proftless task of mop
ping up the Atlantic ocean. So far as
influencing his party caucus is con
| cerned he would soon be made to realize
that the task of Sisyphus was mere
chiqd's play compared to his.
Supposing Mr.. Holbrook were to
J Of o-fx -1nr
the gold men control and to
have expressed his views and
they are found to have no weight
or influence there, would he walk out
of that caucus, decline to abide by its
decision, and stand up for his people
and free silver against all the world -.
That is the question for Mr.. Holbrook
to answer. The people want him to
express his views now, and not wait
until he gets to Washington and into
a party caucus to express them.
Asked as to what he considered the
paramount issue, Mr.. Holbrook stated
that he considered it to be silver, not
only in Utah but throughout the ma
ton. PROFESSIONALLY it is.
Asked if he, if elected, would vote fol-
! silver under all circumstances, he re-
piled that was another hard question
though he finally made answer that he
did not know in what shape it could
be put that he would not vote for it
That answer seems to be definite and
final on an important matter, but the
one which followed destroyed all its
definiteness and finality. He was