The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-06-27
STATE NEWS
DOWNING OF COLLECT
Some Inside History of War
Being Wsged Against Uintsh
County Statesman.

Vernal, June 23-The announcement
mat =. X Mcdonald of Price will sue
coed Captain Mercer as agent at the
W hite Rocks, as contained in recent
press dispatches, is looked upon here as
the finale 20 a clever little scheme by
the powers that be TO play even in the
campaign the fight in the Twelfth sena-
tOrial district was a hot one between Mr..
Mcdonald and Harden BenniOn, and the
tdlter Won out Dy narrow margin III
IS matter Of political history that R. s.
COllett conducted an aggressive campaign
IN behalf OF Mr. Mcdonald throughout
the district, speaking in almost every
town, and the result on the day of cleo
ton was that Mr.. BenniOn'S ma jOrity of
four years previous was cut down several
hundred whether this was due. to Mr..
Collects active campaign might be dis
puted, but there is little doubt that It
contributed to the result in no small de-
gree. The Republicans had counted, how
ever, on carrying the district and when
the actual result was learned a wall
went up mat treaehery had been used
to defeat Mr. Mcdonald. The claim has
been made that Mr.. COllett secretly
knitted Mcdonald, and furthermore that
Smoot agents visited the district from
insure the defeat OF the Republican 1Omi-
nee, acting on the theory that il would
be good politics for the SmOot push to
see Democrat in the state senate who.
while he would vote for a Democrat,
would make no fight on SmOOt, rather
than a Republican who would openly
as Mr.. Mcdonald had always been classed
as an aVOWed kearnS man. This latter
IacI was put down as the cause OF MI
Mcdonald defeat by the kearns crowd,
who believed that COllett contributed TO
that end.
lett was an applicant for the position
of Indian agent at White Rocks when
former Agent MytOn was retired, as
was also Mr.. Mcdonald. who, it is be-
heved, conceived the idea after his de
feat and while soreness was in his
heart, 10 give his erstWhile champion
taste of the same medicine. and thereby
hangs a tale, which runs about as fol-
lows:
During the campaign Mr. Collett in
formed Mcdonald that he had made an
application for the agency position, ana
drew from him a promise OF support in
his aspirations. which was freely given,
and up till the day of election COllett
counted on the cooperation Of Mcdonald
in his efforts. Subsequent 10 the cleo
ton Mcdonald became an avOwed aspir-
ant for the agency position, and threw
his influence against his former friend
and ally. who was represented to the big
moguls Of the keaTnS push as traitor
to his party and particularly to the
Kearns wing of that intensely patriotic
organization. The result was that the
Vernal man found strong influences ar
however, the powers hesitated about
turning down a man who had many
strong hackers. who were influential IN
the party, among them Congressman
had fought in season and out of season
aggreSsiVely in behalf of the grand old
party, ana always against ONerWheIInlns
odds until the recent election. when ne
had the satisfaction of seeing Republi-
can representative elected from Ulntah
county for the first time In its history
The fiat had gone forth however. from
the KearnS headquarters that ColIett
should not. under any consideration, lano
friction it was decided to dodge the di-
lemma for the time being by appointing
a military man to the position, and the
fine Italian hand. of Utah's junior now
senior senator is made apparent by this
latest move. which is simply the culmina-
ton of a well laid scheme to throw the
shafts of hate and bitterness INTO tne
soul of a supposed traitor TO the party
interests. as construed by one faction OF
the organization
AS TO Mr.. Collett and his conduct in the
late campaign. il may be fairly said that
to all outward appearances he labored
consistently in behalf OF Mr. MCDONALD,
and the impression among those VINO WeIe
in a position to know IS thaI ne "dS
honest in his efforts. At least that IS
the opinion entertained in this county
among the leading politicians of both
1t is the irony of political fate, now
ever that after laboring for years TO
overcome an almost hopeless Democratic
ma jOrity, tina when success was at last
attained, that the man who was, more
than any other man. entitled to the
credit for the result should be consigned
of mis- own political faith because he
loved his party not wisely. but too We'll
It is currently reported that every
prominent Republican in the Twelfth dis
trict outside of Uintah county, has
long knife up his sleeve in case Collett
appears above the political horizon. ana
will use ii with vigOr. which means that
the J-intah county statesman viii nave
rough sailing on the turbulent political
sea in the future. One thing is certain
however. and that is that the throwing
down of ITintah cOunty's big postmaster
is a slap at the ablest champion that the
z. O. D. has ever had in this county, ana
seems cruelty ungrateful in view OF the
continued and energetic labors ne mas
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