Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-11-24
4 BUNDLE OF BLUNDERs.


T"Downfall of\Graft," by Arthur b..
! Reeve. 1t contains also number OF
very good portraits of prominent men,
among them being n fair cut Of Presi.
dent Joseph i. Smith. The article
deals with the effects Of the fall cleo
lions ana the efforts on the part OF
people IN many Of the states to free
themselves from political bosses and
financial corruption 1t Is written I'm
rather taking style, and leans strong
~ In the directlon OF what It purports
10 present as the popular tendency.
IN reality It Is y resume Of reports Of
the November elections from different
parts Of the country, and eyinces a dis
position TO give. eredence TO the no.
tons and opinions OF partsans rather
than to collate or exhibit actual facts
ard figures
We should not have noticed tho ar
tclc but for one paragraph. which we
quote below. II the gentleman who
wrote It has no more personal under
standing Of the situation Of affairs In
the several States that he notices, and
on the condition OF which he COM
ments, than that which he thinks he
has OF matters In Utah. It ia evident
that his opinions are Of little value
and his assertions are in some respects
AT least very misleading. Here Is
what he has 20 say concerning this
State:
Utah - fertile field for coYrup-
ton to serve the purposes OF the Nor
mon hierarchy. But even darkest Utah
has it's ray of hope. for the Infamous
SmQot has been defeated In "A white
hot campaign by the Gentle Demo
sfcrats. True, the victory would have
been Of greater value N Il could have
been won without the interference Of
President Smith, head OF the Mormon
Church, who swung the power Of tho
Church as far as possible 10 the anti
Smoot side. But at least the conflict
has developed breach In the Mormon
political hierarchy which, n Widened,
may be Utahs glorious hope Of free
DOM
The dense ignorance OF conditions
here displayed in those few lines is
something remarkable, even consider
Ing the transformation that IL so wide
spread regarding Utah and the Nor
mon Church. II IL fortunate for the
writer that he did not attempt 10 give
details or present anything To Justify
his bald assertions. But he has said
Sufficient to make his unsupported re-
marks highly humorous TO residents
OF this city and state.
In what way Utah Is "a fertile field
for corruption" is not explained. nor
are any illustrations given as to the
manner In which the so-called Nor
mon hierarchy" works its alleged pur-
poses. Then the assertion that Sena-
tor Smoot has been defeated by the
Gentle Democrats" In funnier than
anything coming from George Ade or
josh Billings. The remarks about the
Interference of President Smith" and
his swinging the power Of the Church
TO the anti-Smoot side" show such "A
complication Of contradictory notions
ana ignorant illusions as to make II
astounding as well as laughable.
The alluslon to the Senator as tho
Infamous Smoot' when he stands ouj
prominently before the nation
as a man OF honor Of strict
morality of correct habits. of
distinguished character, who cannot h,
hssailed truthfully on any substantial
ground, shows the writer Of The insult
to be destitute OF information concern
ing the senator, or base assailpnt of
a gentleman who Is as fer above him
az virtue is above the blsost vice.
His reference to "a breach in the
Mormon political hierarchy Is I'm the
same class of fogginess or mondacitv
Il Is hard TO say which. and the whole
attack on Utah and the Church is such
n mass Of mingled folly ana malice,
that It would be almost impossible to
crowd more blmders into the sama
amount Of space il the writer had been
a literary lunatic
Whatever people who are Informed ON
our affairs here may allege or think 10
De the cause OF election results iu this
city, these facts are clear: that the
great majority OF the combination THAI
carried the daywere not Gentle DEM
oCrats." That the result was not
brought about by any interference" ON
the part OF PRESIDENT Smith. That
there was uo swinging OF Church pow
pr to the anu-Smoot side" That there
was no breach I'm the Mormon Church D"
except such. 9, IL may be- 80 called.
as occurs at every election when Nor
mon Republicans and Mormon" Dem
ocrat5 take their own sides ln "a cam
paign being perfectly free 10 vote as
they choose their action having no
soect upon their church standing or re-
isious faith.
Dir. Reeve displays O disposition Ia
2ander to popular opinion. without
knowing enough of what he writes
about TO make his statements OF ordin-
lry value, He has depended upon ru-
NOR and antl-"Mormon" rawlings in his
illusions to Mormon" affairs, and has
mus cast doubt upon the yeraclty of