The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-11-04
Mr.. skEEN OF OGDEN.

Jedediah Skeen, attorney, of Ogden.
Weber county. this state. seems to be
an unusual sort of man in several par
ticulars.s First among his peculiarities
is his notion that stealing from the tax
payer is just as reprehensible as steal
ing from an individual; that perjury to
secure public money wrongly. is as
much of crime as perjury for amy
other purpose. Another of Mr.. Skeen's
peculiarities is his idea that the way
to get rascal is to go after him your
self without waiting for somebody else
to do it.
Skeen is quiet sort of person, one of
the type that fool men very often by
their lack of buster and brag and
noise. When he saw in public print
that some of the councilmen of Ogden
were voting themselves money from
the city treasury illegally he told them
very gently they were doing wrong and
asked them to reform. They laughed
at him as crank and reformer. Skeen
is Scotch by descent and he didn't see
the humor of public robbery. He adj
monished them again and again they
laughed. So cheerful were they about
the situation that they derided this
ScotchsAmerican farmer boy in public.
boldly, gleefully.
Then Skeen began to get action and
the officials. haven't laughed since,
either publicly or privately. He put
several Of them out of office, others of
them resigned and were reelected by
complaisant colleagues only to be COM
PEELED to get out for good. So regularly
did Skeen get action when he once
started after man he thought was
doing wrong that the public began to
sit up and take notice. He started for
the county officials who hard been
drawing mileage and other "perqui-
Sites Illegally and is still getting ac-
ton. The last man who retired rather
than stand trial had drawn mileage for
trips he had made on pass; he drew
pay for buggy hire that had already
been paid to the liveryman. He ac-
quired other sums in equally devious
ways. And yet when this man resigned
he was given opportunity in court to
plead the baby act and give the i'm
preston that he was being prosecuted
Why has Mr.. Skeen been. compelled
to act on his own responsibility and
pay for his effort to protect the public
from theft and illegal disbursement OF
public money?
Only because Weber county and Og-
den city had fallen into the hands of a
gang that regarded public office as a
priv ate snap; who believed it right to
take money from the taxpayer so long
as the taxpayer would stand it; who
ridiculed the idea that they could be
driven from office or compelled to ac-
knowledge wrongdoing- There were
public officials who had it in their
power TO prevent these wrongs; there
was a city attorney and a county at
torney who could have stopped the H.
legal grating if they had done their
sworn duty. But they all failed, will
ingly, cheerfully, failed to do their
duty and it fell to Skeen, young law
yer with conscience, to drive the
rascals out
What has been his reward? He has
been assailed by the gang without
seruple; their newspaper has gone as
far as it dare to accuse him of dishon-
esty; he has been abused and vilified
and derided-but the rascaIe keep on
resigning.
Because the Republicans were hope
lessly dominated by this gang, and be-
cause of his successful record as a
prosecutor of public wrong-doers, Mr.
Skeen has been nominated by the Dem
ocrats of Weber county for county at
torney. If he is elected and is given
the machinery of the office, the rascals
know their day is done and that there
will be thorough investigation of their
rascality for years back. Most natur-
ally they are fighting him tooth and
toe-nail They would regard his sue
cess as a calamity, and it would be-
for the thieves.
If fine public service ever deserved
recognition at the hands of the people
Mr.. Skeen has done that service. II
persistence in the face of strong oppo.
sition ever earned an office, Mr.. Skeer
| is entitled to be the next attorney OF
Weber county. If honesty and proved
ability are desirable qualities in pros
ecutor, Mr.. Skeen will be elected.