The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-16
AFTER THE BALL.

The Bradley-Martin ball was nine
days wonder; it is past and out of the
peoples minds. Some papers are
drawing lessons from it, tremendous
ones. too, such as would make nervous
peoples hair turn white. The New
York World devotes an article almost
a column long to the moral of the ball,
a most unusual thing for that paper.
1t does not question the right of those
who gave the ball to do so, but it is
very anxious to know WAS it wise?"
Then it answers:
For answer look at the electoral vote
that was officially counted at Washing
ton on the very day of this pompous
vanity. The same newspaper that con-
tanned the account of it recorded also
the fact that William J. Bryan received
176 electoral votes. Arthur Sewall 149
and Thomas Watson q.
What does that mean?
Why, that those three men, standing
on platforms advocating free silver. re-
pudiation. confiscation of railroads, the
practical packing of the supreme court
and liberation of rioting and disorder.
got the electoral votes of % states and
the popular vote of six and a half mil
lions of the citizens of the United
States.
The balance of it's article is a regu-
lar vision of judgment.
In an entirely different strain does
the New York Evening Post treat the
matter. In treating such matters from
its own point of view it is absolutely
without a rival. Its satire when it is
in the right vein is almost equal TO
Swift's; both may be due to the air of
Dublin. The Post says:
Again, a few weeks ago, a private
lady and gentleman determined to give
a fancy ball. They had perfect right
to give ii if they were so disposed. But
the announcement seemed to throw the
town into commissions. The newspapers
all over the country took the matter up
and gave from four to ten columns
day to it. First, there was long dis
cussion whether the givers of the ball
had a right to give it on economical
grounds, or whether the giving of
fancy balls was not one of the means
ordained by Providence for the re-
lief of the poor This question was
much debated. Some Of our ablest minds
engaged in the discussion, but seemed
generally to come out at the door by
which they went in. Scores of pulDits
the excitement. Then the portraits and
pictures of the dresses began to appear.
More space was given to it. No battle
or revolution received more, if as
much. AS the day drew near the thrill
deepened and the pictures grew bigger.
1t spread all over the country. Chicago
throbbed with the same passionate
emotion as New York. The police got
their reserves ready, and the militia
sensation lasted a little longer, there
seemed no reason why it should not
reach Europe and break up the concert
of the powers or dissolve the triple al
lance.
Delightful that, so delightful that
the givers of this great ball deserve a
vote os thanks for having furnished
the occasion that called the remarks
forth.
Still another comment is that of the
Washington Post 1t says:
Happily nothing occurred to mar the
symmetry or disturb the harmony of
the occasion. The evil seed sown by
Rainsford and carefully cultivated by
his misguided imitators has borne no
fruit. That seed fell upon barren
ground-upon the good sense of the
American people. which soil is not yet
ready Cor such sinister and abhorrent
harvests IS anarchists would reap.
There was no vicious rabble in New
York to be infiamed into incendiary
violence because Mrs. Bradley Martin
chose to spend 100000 among artisans,
decorators, florists, ca5men, walters,
musicians. cooks, market gardeners
tailors, seamstresses, etc., industri-
Gus and worthy toilers all. No red
flag was Haunted and no red riot raised
because this lady, instead of locking
up her money to rust in uselessness,
saw fit to distribute it among a thou
sand honora BILE ,breadwinners. We are
glad to know that, for the present at
least. New York is not attuned to the