The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-30
PUBLICITY AND THE NoN-PAR-
TTSANS.

A1AttCiS WIZ trlaI Dy JURY IS 70 per-
sonaI liberty. When in matters con-
corning the affairs of the people there
is any attempt at coneealment, there
is Immediately aroused the suspicion
that there is something wrong some
where, and the suspicion is justified
when there is secrecy. The whole
theory OF this government Is based
upon publicity, and there is provision
in all our constitutions, both federal
and state, for publicity. The sessions
OF congress and of the state legis-
latures are public. as are also all ses-
sions of courts, no matter what their
grade THE same theory is held in all
conventions where platforms of prin-
ciples are promulgated and candidates
for Office are named Ana why is this
so? Because all these matters have to
do with the people and it is every
where recognized as a principle of our
institutions that they have a right to
know.
The people of this city have witnessed
in the last month an attempt to control
this city through methods the very op-
posite to those of publicity. A number
OF gentlemen have associated them
selves together for the purpose Of die
tating who shall and who shall not be
nominated for Office in Salt Lake City.
In making nominations they have not
consulted the wishes of the people. as
Stunning that what they wish will be
what the people wish, and if not what
they wish at least what they need.
They have studiously avoided, in their
proceedings, everything that savored Of
publicity. Their meetings have been
behind closed doors and drawn blinds.
and what there took place is all a mat
ter Of conjecture. All the public know
is that they completed a ticket and an
nounced it, and after it was announced
they put a platform under the ticket
How that ticket was made no one
knows but those who named It. It is
said that the character and standing
Of the gentlemen composing the COM
nfttee are guarantee of their methods
and their motives. If that be so, then
why could thew not have made their
methods public? Why could not their
deliberations have been open. seeing
that they concerned the public most
intimately? Let some champion of their
methods answer these questions, for
they are most pertinent.
And now as to the standing and
character argument. The standing and
character OF the gentlemen of the com
mittee are well know, but they are no
hiqrha9. fI,a =, 4J,a eta-d;,,-- ,,a .I,,,-.<+..
Of thousands of other citizens. Then it
should be remembered that our insti-
buttons do not rest upon the character
and standing of anyone for their guar
antee. 1t should be borne in mind that
every provision in the federal and state
constitutions is for the purpose of safe
guarding the rights Of the people, there
being nowhere anything left to the
character and standing of the men who
may be chosen to interpret those con-
situations and to enforce the laws made
in pursuance thereof. And why is this?
Because nothing must be left to chance
in the protecting of the peoples rights.
II the people are to surrender the
naming of the candidates into the
hands Of the present non-p partisan com
mittee and rely upon the standing and
character Of the members of it that
the best candidates possible viii be
named, what guarantee have they that
the successors Of the present commit
tee would be men Of character and
standing? If the practice of having a
committee name candidates for NUM-
cipaI office-a self appointed commit
tee which holds secret meetings and re-
fuses to consult with the people
would not that fact of itself be a great
inducement for men without character
and standing to get themselves on
that committee that they might dictate
who should and who should not be
candidates for municipal Office? Would
it be possible to devise a method of
naming candidates more conducive to
corruption and the prostitution of
public Office to private gain? A sys-
TEN of placing candidates before the
people more opposed to the genius of
American institutions it would be i'm
possible to devise. In considering the
merits Of any system its possibilities
sidered. The possibilities for good if a
system which names candidates for
public Office in secret meeting, from
which the public is rigidly excluded,
are nil. while its possibilities for evil
are unlimited.
The non-partisan committee has
studiously avoided all publicity in its
proceedings.
It has sat behind closed doors, re-
fusing to admit to its secret meetings
any portion Of the people.
1t has professed TO be acting solely
for the best interests of the people in
making up a ticket yet it has con-
stantly refused to consult the people.
It has shown by its every action that
It has no faith in the capacity of the
people to select proper candidates for
city offices.
1t has refused to call primaries and
conventions for the nomination of
candidates for Office, thereby radically
departing from the time honored meth |
DDS OF all political parties, and yet has
not the courage to offer any excuse or
justification for It's methods.
However well adapted TO European
systems of municipal government the
committees method may be they are
unsuited and antagonists to the
American system of municipal govern
ment
The non-partisan movement in Salt /
Lake City is a direct attack upon the !
capacity Of the people for self govern