The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-15
A PLANT CANDIDATE.

Tho candidacy of Farley 2. Chris
| tensen for the Smootite nomination to
Congress possesses certain definite ad-
vantages for the church which should
not be ignored. In this day of &C.
clesjastical laundering it would be a
public delight to see ono ray of in
telhgence animate the decaying carcass
of bierarchical rule, and such nluminet-
| ing should come from due and favor
| able consideration Of the claims of the
| ornate Mr. Christensen
Primarily the purpose of the church
| Is to have a servitor in the House Of
! Representatives. The Hon. Joseph
| Howell is such, and is such from sheer
conviction, He is q trusted member Of
the church and confidential friend of
the chief prophet He is man of
some local standing in his community
and possessed OF some natural sense
of propriety and personal integrity;
and, whilo the church uses him and
while be is willing, no doubt, to do all
that the church commands, yet its sense
of pride in its members and its desire
to protect those members in their good
fame before the world would naturally
prevent the church from commanding
him to do too many palpably degrading
things.
1t is different with Farley. He is
at times-a non-Mormon. The church
does not need to enter upon that doubt
full voyage of discovery to find his
sense of personal self-respect, nor
would it need to restrain itself from
issuing commands to him which might
be, obnoxious to an honorable gentle
man. 1t is not interested in the triv-
iality cf his personal integrity or re-
pute before the world.
If Howell were to engage in any i'm
propriety at the instance of the
church, the reflection would be upon
the hierarchy, and the chiefs could not
publicly wash their hands of the re-
sponsibility for him and his action. II
Christensen were to do some ignoblo
thing under church command, and il
public reprobation followed, the hier-
arcbs could uplift their hands in holy
horror and say: "This comes from
of public trust
1t is very well known to the polyg-
amous chiefs that of all the obedient
and even servile tools which they can
employ, the one who never gags at
anything, is the political aspirant who
is non-Mormon-at times. And for
this reason Mr.. Christensen g friends
are justified in entertaining high hopes
Of hierarchical favor in his behalf
The chiefs of the church are putting
him to minor test, and so far he |
bears the strain, For instance, there is |
the case of the man known as Mutton |
Jones, who was and now is not, super |
intendent Of the County Intrmary. 1t !
will be remembered that Mutton Jones |
was publicly charged with various
criminal acts Of embezzling and Sc
questrating county property. 1t will
also be remembered that Mr. Mutton
Jones IS son-in-law Of one of the
apostles of the Mormon church, viz,
Charles w. Penrose. 1t will be remem-
bered that accusation Of crime on the
part OF Mutton Jones was publicly
made nearly two years ago; that it has
been repeated over and over again
since that time; and that County At
torney and Congressional Aspirant Par
ley 2, Christensen has had all the ma
chinery of the law at his command dur
ing the entire period that the public
charge has been pending. There is not
a man in Salt Lake, who knows the
facts, who doubts that Mutton Jones
is an embezzler. But just as the law
is about to engulf Mutton Jones, Par
ley Z. seems to remember the relation
ship which that alleged lawbreaker
has to another and more notorious law
breaker and uses his official power to
rescue the endangered Mutton Jones,
Farley p. has therefore SO far fulfilled
every expectation which could he en-
tertained Of him by the hierarchy, and
there Is no reason to doubt that he
would be equally amenable to command
if he were entrusted with a Congress-
ional position.
1t IS apparent that neither Howell
nor Sutherland could do more than
Farley would be willing to do to justify
The confidence Of the hierarchy and vim
,icate their appointment of himself as {
Representative In Congress.
| l.