The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1904-08-27
ABOUT The MAN
WHO kNIFEDUTAH
Some Facts OF Lafe Pence,
Conspicuous at Portland.
NOMAD AND ADvENTURER
KNOWN FOR REVERsALs AFTER
MAKING PLEDGES.


Largely through the efforts Of a man
who has frequently expressed deep al
lection for Salt Lake, this city has lost
the permanent headquarters of the
American mining congress. This man
is Lafe Pence, oratorical adventurer
and maligner OF Utah
Naturally the question arose yester-
DAY in the minds CT many as they read
the record of this traducer OF COM
monWealth, Who is this man Pence2'
The question is not easy to answer
The carpet-bagger who has no home,
VINO moves often is never well known
10 any one. Lafe Pence was first heard
of in Indiana. From there he went to
Kansas and from there he moved to
Colorado. From some place in the
southern part of the state he was elect
ed 10 the legislature in 1884, and soon
after that he moved to Denver. There
he entered the law Office Of Patterson
& Thomas. but he became known as d
politician rather than as a lawyer. He
was chosen county attorney Of Arapa-
hoe county and in 1922 he was elected
10 congress en- the fusion ticket IN
congress he became noted for his rad
zeal Populistie ideas and for his intem-
peranee Of speech and "other things"
~ aA0OAs - AAsl1AT LA0~SSs
After fading as political factor in
Colorado and having little in the way
of law practice, Pence sought new
pastures. First he went TO California
and cpsned a law Office IN San Fran
cisco He is next heard OF as a pro-
moter for an irrigation company in
Idaho. Just where he lives in Idaho
Is not clear. For time he is supposed
TO have lived IN Boise; now the suppo-
sition is that he lives in Lewiston.
The course Lafe Pence pursued in the
recent Democratic fight in Idaho is
characteristic Of the man, and shows
how much dependence is to be placed
upon him. In the Ada county cOnven-
ton TO select delegates to the Demo-
cratic state convention he was a rabid
MoFmon-sater- He took strong grounds
on the side Of the Dubois resolution
and said many bitter things about the
Mormon church and the Mormon peo-
pie. With the explicit pledge to sup
port the Dubois resolution, he was
chosen a delegate
When he reached the convention city
and had refreshed himself after his
own fashion. he gained some notoriety
by his speech, in which he said, with
some temporary difficulty In enuncia-
ton:
Les frgive tn Mormons, as we
want Jesus TO frgive us"
He went on discOnnectedly in this
strain, fighting the man he was under
pledge to support.
The fate OF the Dubois resolution
was hanging in tho balance, and when
many Of the delegates received the i'm
preston that Pence was speaking in
the convention for Dubois because they
were understood to hold the same po-
sitiOn on the Bolygany resolution, Du-
bO1S had q narrow escape from defeat
at the hands Of the man who had pre-
tended TO be his friend.
It is this trait in Fences character
that has been largely responsible for
his nomadic tendencies. As soon as the
people of one community become at all
familiar with his Dr0Clivities. he seeks
another cline. He has been a visitor
IN Salt Lake several times recently,
and is well known in certain quarters.