The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-29
UNAMER1cAN METHODS.

Is making show that they made no mis-
take, so Far as finding one in full sym
pathy with their American meth
DDS. In his first speech he referred to
these same promoters, declaring it to
he 80 wonder that this owl club
these men who own millions Of prop
! erty, should say that this condition
should not continue" as though the
members Of this owl club had greater
political rights than are possessed by
other citizens
In his second speech. Mr.. Clark de-
Tended the autoeratie ways pursued by
the committee which appointed him q
mayofalty candidate. Here is what he
said:
For years past we have had American
/ methods. | do2't deny that they are
the customary American methods. and
that the methods employed by the re-
form committee are not. But | do as
sert that as American citizens we have
! the right to change our methods when
we f1nd them bearing bad fruit and
, certainly if we are good citizens we
! should change our methods when We
J lind they have brought US into a de-
/ plorable condition Primaries and con-
l NS--NAO--9 - iAelil enough anu ne
lieve in them as originally constituted.
! but they have been abused. They no
/ longer serve the purpose for which they
/ we're intended.
ask you what is the difference be
( tween twenty or twenty-five men. in
1 terested IN good government. meeting
and getting up q ticket and five or six
men, all interested in getting Office for
, themselves. meeting and planning to
! place themselves on the official roster
OF tie city? There is 4 difference. and
! ii is ali il favor of the score or more
Of citizens who have sought 10 insure
/ better government for the city.
If the Democratic party ana the Re-
publican party had delegated to a half
dozen Of their members the task of
| naming tickets. do you imagine the
men now holding office would he doing
! So Certainly they would not. Still. l
do rot wish 20 give the impression
there are rot good men in Office for
there are. But they are not in the ma
jority-
The reform committee certainly did
not adopt American methods. or meth
DDS that are adopted anywhere else in
the United States where reform"
This committee in no way or manner
consulted with the people, and it was
not asked by the people to inaugurate
the movement Mr. Clark says that
American citizens have right TO
change their methods. That is true. and
no one disputes it, but did it ever &C.
cur to him that American citizens may
adopt methods that are antagonistic to
the spirit of American institutions and
likewise contrary to a Republican form
of government? If the citizens of Utah
should delegate all political power in
the state to this same reform" COM
mittee. does he think that that would
be American. or in harmony with a re-
publican form of government?
Mr.. Clark says that primaries and
conventions no longer serve the pur-
pose for which they were intended We
do not believe that. There were re
Gently held in this city primaries of
the Democratic and Republican parties.
and there attended upon them some
5000 voters. who elected several hun
dred other voters as delegates to con-
Ventions to nominate candidates for the
various municiDai offices. The gentle
iltoii WIZ " Dc NIctil man VI lllG llttllilS
at which MI. Clark made this state
inert, said that "our friends on the
other side have named unusually good
tickets" And they were all named
through primaries and conventions,
which, according to Mr.. Clark. have
ceased to serve the purpose for which
they were intended.
D,,+ {I,axy no Loot ba MN
pose for which they were Intended: is
that 2 reason and justification for
abandoning all popular methods of GOV
eminent ard going TO those Of an oil
garchy at a single bound? Those who
favor the methods of the non-partisan
committee hare no faith in popular
government. and were they to- tell their
honest sentiments. they would most
probably say that popular government
in state and nation is failure. Will
Mr. Clark tel where five or six men,
'-all interested in getting office for
themselves" got together in secret
named q ticket and never called any
primaries or convenuons2
He says that if the Democratic party
and the Republican had delegated to
. a half dozen of their members the task
Of naming tickets. does anyone imagine
the men now holding office would be
doing so? What party or body of citi-
zens delegated the task of naming tick
cts 80 the committee that named him
for Officer He viii find this n rather
hard question to answer
It is said by those who favor the non
partisan movement and endorse its
methods, that the movement is opposed
by the heelers. the otffce-seelers and
; the boodlers. They who make this
charge forget that the calling of hard
names does not make strong arguments
There are thousands and thousands OF
voters in this city against whom not a
word can be said, voters who are good
and patriotic citizens in every respect
who never sought an Office. and who
want no Office. and they are as opposed
TO the methods of the on-partisans as
they are to the monarchial form of gov
ernment. Why are they? 1t is nc
answer TO say that they are heelers
ohiee-seekers and boodlers, for they are
not They are opposed to them because
they believe them TO be un-American
: and an impeachment Of popular gov
eminent They are opposed to them
not bscaus4 t,e non-1,,l 1.t;s;a,, commit roc