The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-09-02
RAIDING THE JUDICIARY.

The Smoot machine having degraded
the judiciary of this State so far as it
found it possible to do, has now turned
its attention to the degradation also of
the Federal court. The machine has
confidently counted upon portion of
the Supreme Court of the State, and
has undertaken to down one upright,
fearless, independent Judge because he
would not be subservient to the behest
of the machine. If one we're to under
take to count and name tho district
Judges in this State and see how few
there are who are not under the control
of the Smoot machine, ho would be both
amazed and disgustod at the lineup
a week ago today, Mr.. Kearns pro-
posed an eminent gentleman of Utah,
learned In the law and at present occu-
pying the Federal District Bench Of the
State, as a fiji man to he considered in
connection with the appointment to the
United States Supreme Court, to fill a
vacancy about to occur. This is seized
upon by Smoot mouthpiece as an at
tempt to sway, influence, corrupt, or
u INC WIFI lns Judiciary.
For some time the Smoot mac hine has
been anxious TO divert attention from
the scandalous showing made and con.
fessed in the attempt by Attorney Gen.
eral Breeder and United States Mar
shall Spry to influence Judge Howell of
Ogden for political reasons liz the con-
slderation of a motion then pending
before him. The exposure of that at.
tempt to influence the Judge was very
i'll received by the people Of this State.
Although everybody understands in
general way that the District Judges
are under the power of the machine for
the most part, it yet came with a shock
Of disagreeable surprise TO find an
actual instance Of it not only amply
proved by the statement of the Judge
who was approached, but confessed as
something so ordinary as TO be of no
Importance, by the Attorney General of
the State, who was one of the men
who made the nefarious attompt to in.
fuonce the Judge, politically, as to his
ruling.
tion from that scandalous showing has
been made without success. And now,
when an eminent citizen of this State
urges Judge Marshall in connection
with an appointment to the Supreme
bench, that is back-capped with far
fetched, unreasonable and malicious
attempt TO show that there was an ul-
terror motive behind it. That is to
say, Utah men, no matter how eminent
in their profession, no mattor how fit
they may be for advancement, if that
advancement is proposed in certain
quarters the muck-rake must be applied
for some base reason for the recon-
mendation; and if Utah men can be
kept back, if the suggestion of their
advancement can be undermined by
an intimation that Will prevent the
advancement being achieved, then the
malodorous tools Of IN autocratic hie-
rarchy consider that they have done
their ugly work to perfection. No SEN
timcnt of loyalty toward citizens of
Utah, no neighborly affection for any
one who has rendered himself eminent
in any line Of study or work, is to be
considered for one moment if the scan
dalous assailants can in some way hatch
up from the filthy depths Of their own
dcpraved minds some suspicious i'm
agining which they can urge against
him. Everything must pass through
the church hopper or else it is to be
decried,
There is motto against the evil bird
that fouls its own nest; and there is
natural sentiment prevailing among de-
cent men in ordinary American commu-
mites that they will stand together for
the common good In support of their own
citizens who have rendered meritorious
service, aud whose especially fit char
acter signals them out as the right men
to be promoted in the public service.
But among the disgraceful rabble of
the Smoot machine no such sentiment
prevails; the hyena instinct to attack
and destroy is the dominant one as to
everything that is not proposed at
church headquarters and handed out by
the predatory hand of the hierarch
Those that this greedy gang cannot
use, they denounce; those men who
have the temerity TO propose any citi-
zen of Utah whom they themselves
have not> first lauded (and they laud
none but their own filthy brood) is to
be denounced, his motive 1impugned,
and his purpose thwarted If possible.