The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-17
HOW TO DETERMINE.

I ing contemporary says:
1.-The speech was manly throughout;
it had the ring of an honest man and
an American, and if very high honors
are not in store for Senator Rideout in
the next few years, it will be strange.
He is, we trust, to be one of the poten-
tial voices which the new generation of
Utah viii turn to, that their thoughts
and determination may find fitting ex-
preston
The Herald published the speech
Wednesday morning. 1t certainly con-
tanned some excellent sentiments and
reflected the mind of an honest, we'll
meaning man. In the course of his re-
marks Senator Rideout said:
The venerable president of the DOM
| inant church is entirely out of and
above politics; he has said that there
are two spots in Utah where politics
| cannot be talked-the first presidents
| office and the temple. Across the sa-
| cred thresholds the politician must not
! come. God bless these words. These
/ utteranceS have placed the standard of
the church upon a high plane. and
now, II l may presume, let him go fur
| Their and say to the apostles, come unto
luminous pathway of human greatness
to the great central figure of all this
world, and to his apostles, tell them
that the glory that surrounds the men,
DRY of Paul, the greatest of public ora
tors, would lose its brilliancy did we
discover that in connection with his
higher calling he sought to become a
Tweed, Quay, a Croker Tell them to
profit by their example and that their
duty IS to teach the gospel of the mas
ter and then viii the standard Of the
church be carried to a still higher level
and the people Will look to it with ad-
miration, with respect and with joy.
Thereby the confidence of the people
will be retained and such confidence is
necessary to the progress of the party,
the church and the nation.
That is right. If high ecclesiastics
take part in campaigns as such, if they
go to men as presidents of quorums,
as apostles or as bishops, and seek to
sway mems minds by reason of their
priestly authority, they are doing that
which is wrong and calculated to cause
unrest and dissension among the peo-
pie.
Let them speak as men, as politicians,
or not at all in politics No matter
what may be said about their rights
and their interest in the temporal well
fare of the people, experience has
shown that the best interests of the
community are subserved and the
greatest harmony among the people
conserved by leading ecclesiastics keep
ing out of politics altogether. This,
indeed, would be the better plan.
In explanation of his present posi-
ton in the senatorial struggle Senator
Rideout said:
I came to this assembly with the
firm belief that two potent forces were
combined to elect the majority candi-
date. namely money and high ecclesi-
astical influence. AS far as the first
charge is concerned I have sought for
evidence to confirm the rumors of bri-
berry; have found none, and therefore
dismiss the charge as without founda-
ton in fact
But the second suspicion the senator
refused to dismiss, although assured
by Representative McQuarrie. whose
word he surely has no reason to ques-
ton, that the letter in controversy was |
addressed to him by a friend who oc-
cupied a high position in the church. |
but who expressly stated that he had !
written upon his personal responsible |
ity'; and Mr. McQuarrie further stated |
that ne was assured by the writer and |
the bearer Of the letter that there |
would be no church influence used in |
this campaign, and that the church had
no candidate"
Mr. McQuarrie did not and does not
endorse the wisdom of that letter. He
so stated in his speech. In fact he re-
scented it in his voting, and continued |
to vote against the request expressed |
in the letter until he became convinced /
that Judge King had no show to be
elected.
But Mr.. McQuarrie did not carry his
resentment to the point of injuring the
party. He was willing to acknowledge
majority rights He was unwilling to
assume the attitude of an obstruction
list. When his choice failed to develop
he turned to the choice of the
majority.
Senator Rideout dismisses the libel
a corruption fund as utter
ly unworthy of credence because, he
says
4 shall give all the same high rating
l claim for myself when 1 say that there
is not money enough in all this world
to buy one vote 1 have or shall cast on
this floor"
The senator is fair, honest, consider
ate and tolerant. He gives every mem
Der of the Legislature the same high
rating" he claims for himself. He
holds himself above bribery and church
influence. Giving the same high rat
ing to his colleagues he must absolve
them from ali suspicion of being sway
ed by either means.
Then nothing remains for him to do
but acknowledge that the only way to
determine the choice of a party is by
polling the chosen representatives of
that party.
He cannot go behind the voice of the
people heard through the ballot-box
any more than he could dispute the au-
thority Of a regularly constituted con-
vention of properly chosen delegates.
As well claim to act on petitions in
TO abide by the act of a Dem
state or county convention as
to ignore the will of the party as ex-
pressed by the majority of its duly and
legally elected representatives in the
state Legislature.
REASONS FOR THE SILENCE.