The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-08-15
AS OTHERS SEE US.

The bipartisan movement in this
city is attracting the attention of peo-
pie outside of this state. The Butte
Miner makes mention of this Repub-
lican non-partisan scheme in the fol-
lowing pointed editorial:
Non partisanship as cloak to politi-
cal designs has an example in Salt
Lake City. The Republican party
which has managed affairs there for
some years, made record which is not
to its credit. and has prepared itself for
an overwhelming defeat at the polls.
This fact is so apparent that the party
papers, foreseeing the consequences,
have inaugurated a campaign for a
non-partisan movement in municipal
politics. 1t is a Democratic opportuni-
ty,and the Republican press, being I'M
able to point with pride to the record Of
their own party, view with alarm any
tendency to place the opposition in
power.
1.-THE Salt Lake Tribune and the Des-
eret News are the prime movers in the
bipartisan agitation. The former
sees in it an opportunity for the selec-
ton of better men and the employment
of better methods in the management
of the city government-an opportunity
according to its own ideas of the causes
which render a change necessary, that
is TO be had under a Democratic admin
istration just as surely as it can be had
under a non-partisan regime, The ne
cessity for the change being admitted
\
lican party has demonstrated its in
competence and extravaganza is no ar
gument that the Democratic party
would necessarily be guilty of the same
shortcomings. The Democrat who would
admit that to be the case in such a
movement must indeed be weak in the
faith. His party loyalty must be of
such a nature that he would wait for
the aid and consent of other parties
before undertaking a campaign for the
reforms which all admit to be a press
ing necessity.
But The Salt Lake Herald, which is
entirely and consistently Democratic,
sees in this non-partisan movement not
merely a local proposition. but one of
great concern to the party in the en-
tire state of Utah. "A fact that should
not escape attention., it says, is that
a full fiedged non-partisan programme
has, within the past ten days, been
brought out into the open in a great
number of towns throughout the state.
It would be very interesting, and, per-
haps, difficult, to trace the origin in
each instance, but the simultaneous ap-
pearance of the movement at so Siany
different points is one of the most re-
markable condolences of the times.
The people of the entire state are told
that neither party is capable of admin
istering the affairs of a town or city
AFTER enumerating some of the vari-
Gus and amusing arguments which
have been presented by the advocates
of the non-partisan movement, The
Herald continues: Some of the most
active promoters of this idea express an
intention to make the non-partisan
party a permanent organization. and to
apply it to the county elections next
year. If all the cities, towns and coun-
ties are bipartisan, does anyone
doubt that the state will be brought
into like condition? And it requires no
transcendant wisdom to fathom the un-
DERIVING purpose, and no gift of proph-
ecy to foresee the grand climax
.sThe underlying purpose referred to
is quite apparent The Republican
party, discredited and dishonored in
municipal as in national affairs, sees its