The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-09-22
ADJUSTMENTS TO-DAY.
DEFINING THE REAL ISSUE.

DEFINING THE REAL ISSUE
The Republican state convention OF
Thursday illustrated fully the complete
dominance of the Smoot machine in
party affairs and the entire absence
OF any popular voice in the choice of
candidates or utterance Of party prin-
ciples.
With a. faulty common TO politicians
the Provo apostle-senator permitted no
expression of the popular will in either
the PLATFORM or the nominations. His
denomination of Howell, his defeat Of
Judge Morse. and his selection of Glove
and the unspeakable Glasmann to
frame the party platform, were all part
of program he had prepared and put
through as absolutely as If he had been
a car telling his subjects what to do.
The delegates had no more to do with
the result of the convention than so
many Angora goats roaming the Kanab
hills. The whole convention was a
travesty on popular government.
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Mr.. Howelrs denomination was ex-
pected, not because of his utter failure
as a congressman. but as a reward of
services rendered the Smoot machine
On his merits he would have been ig-
nored by the convention and relegated
TO the private life his peculiar talents
quality him TO adorn. Knowing his in
effectiveness as a representative. re-
membering his appointment of Glas-
mann. which ought to have earned his
defeat. the machine put Howell on the
ticket again apparently to show public
opinion how little regard the machine
has for the public.
Fortunately for the state. the people
have the last word as to Howell. and
can express at the polls the opinions
that were suppressed i'm convention.
Howell deserves the defeat that now
seems certain. not only because his
record is enough to defeat him. but also
because he is identified with the ma
chine.
Nowhere I'm the convention proceed
ings did the Smoot hand show it's dis
regard Of the people more clearly than
in the nomination of ]. E. Frick and
the defeat of Judge Morse for the SUI
preme bench. The Bar association.
composed of Democrats and Republi-
cans, was for Judge Morse. and he was
professionally the popular choice. He
has made a splendid record on the
bench. is familiar with the most impor-
tant litigation i'm the state. is a man
Of tlnOupStiouad INTEGRITY, Iao,,,{,,.. -
ability. He was beaten solely because
he was not a part of the Smoot ma
chine, while his opponent has been
identified with It, Rather than see a
man Of experience, Of every qualifica-
ton for the office on the bench who
was not a Smoot man, the machine sac
rificed the public welfare to political
exigency.
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Finally. the convention turned down
the Harrington resolution aimed at
Senator SmOOt. as might have been
expected. but it achieved this result I'm
way calculated exactly to strengthen
its opponents. Excepting the portion
aimed at Smoot, the resolution was al
most a paraphrase of the state consti-
tuition and much less direct and out
spoken than the Democratic declaration
of the recOnvened convention which has
been the Democratic creed for years.
A good politician would have been
more adroit than to furnish ammuni-
ton as SmoOt has by his failure to
adapt the resolution to the situation
that cOnfronts him.
In any event, the convention has
fixed the real issue Of the campaign for
the Republican party. Not Roosevelt.
not the tariff, not one of the party pol
icies is the issue; the question for the
voters Of Utah asked by the Republic
can convention is as to the perpetual
ton of the Smoot machine.
Do the voters want to make Smoot
the perpetual dictator of the Republi-
can party and the political destiny of
Utah?
Do. they want to see the rancor, the
hatred, the internal disturbance and