The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-13
THE SITUATION IN UTAH.

III Tic Hysterlcal mOOd or partiSanS
who would sacrifice the truth for polit-
zeal success, the Republicans on one
side and Americans" on the other, are
drawing pictures of conditions here
which reflect anything but credit on the
state and can accomplish no good pur-
pose. Both are bent on portraying the
horrors which will befall If they do not
win; both would have us believe that
the salvation of the commonwealth
and it's communities depends upon vic
tory for them.
Looking at the situation from the
common-sense Democratic view, it
seems incredible that men should be
misled by these appeals to violent pref
udice and bigotry. AS the Democrats
see 1t, the only practical solution of
Utah's problems lies in the extermina-
ton Of the machine Republicans and
the Americans" alike. They are fac
lions of party, divided by the ambi-
tions Of individual leaders; they repre-
sent nothing so much as the disappoint-
ments and dislikes and aspirations of a
very few men. and those men willing
to sacrifice the peace and well-being of
whole state to crafty ambition or
safe personal hatreds.
The Republicans talk fiuently about
the record Of a great party-but they
represent only a portion, a minority
portion in this county--of that party.
They have alienated its strongest men.
and built up a machine around the
officeholders Of the county and the fed
eral government. The pap's the thing
with them, and so long as they can hold
on to II, they care mighty little about
the principles or traditions of the party
whose name is only partly theirs.
Judged by their county administra-
ton. they value the opportunity for dis
bursement of funds and appointment of
employees much more highly than they
do the protective tariff or any other
supposedly cardinal doctrine of their
party. In the state they test a mans
Republicanism alone by his loyalty to
the machine, his subservience to the
offceholders' clique. He may be a de-
voted follower of Roosevelt and an ar
dent supporter of every principle dear
TO real Republicans. but if he is lack
ing in admiration for the Smoot-Salis-
bury Callister-Anderson combination he
is no Republican to them In other
words, the party name is an admirable
disguise for the fact that dozen men
rule the remnant of the Republican
party with an iron rod, and rule ii for
their own benefit. not the peoples.
Even less worthy is the foundation
of the American" party's plea for sup
port. 1t is not responsible to any one
but it's founders; it has made a record
in the city administration which thor
oughly discredits any claim il may
make to regard for the taxpayers in
terests; its only hope for success lies in
its ability to foment discord in the state
and defame it's people abroad: it's one
and only purpose as a party is to re-
establish the conditions which cursed
Utah for years by making religious be-
lief test OF mans ability or inabil-
Ity to hold office. If the Americans
or Republicans succeeded this fall. |
there, could be no hope Of peace and a
return to legitimate politics until one or
both of them were eliminated as polit-
lcal factors.
The people of the state and city know |
that the disturbance growing out of |
this factional fight in the Republican
party has been injurious to them and |
their interests; they know, or ought to |
know by this time, that there can be |
no cessation of the warfare until the !
men responsible for it are defeated and |
driven from political power. The OPP
portunity to secure this desirable end is
offered by the election of the Democrat
&c party and the installation in Office |
OF men who have no sympathy with !
either of the factions. That would |