The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-11-07
THE REPUBLICAN VICTORY.


The Republicans have carried Salt
Lake county by about 15O0 plurality,
and in the state by close to 10000 With
the returns before them. the people of
Utah can figure for themselves how far
purely political principles have deter
mined the result and how far appeals
10 religious prejudice are responsible.
No matter how the vote has been Sc
cured, it is plain that the Smoot ma
chine Will dominate the Republican
party i'm Utah for at least two years
longer, and that there is no prospect
Of peace for that length of time
The American" strength is not sur
prising in view of developments during
the last few days of the campaign.
Many who would otherwise have voted
the Democratic ticket became con-
WINGED that ecclesiastical influence was
being used for the benefit of the Re-
publican ticket, and they determined to
record their opposition to this influence
i'm politics by voting the American"
ticket even though they dislike the
T.
Nor were these transfers TO the Amer
lean" party limited to the non Nor
mons. Staunch churchmen felt just as
keenly the disadvantage under which
the Democratic party labored as did
any nom Mormon; and a study of the
returns by districts shows that the de-
lection to the Americans" was effec-
tive in districts that are populated by
members of the church
The Democrats have lost i'm their
fight TO prevent a religious war. They
believed. and still believe that the sue
cess of either the Republicans or
Americans" would be a calamity for
the state, and particularly for Salt
Lake county. They see in the result no
occasion to change their convictions. On
the contrary they believe more strong
~ than ever that the history of the
next two years will justify all they
have said as 10 the extent of the injury
that must ensue from such war as
has been inaugurated, and will now be
continued by the two factions of the
Republican party
Whatever the effect on the fortunes
of the Democratic party, it is evident
there is TO be no cessation of the strug-
gle between Americans" and Republic
cans for control in this state. and par
ticularly in Salt Lake. The Republic
cans. emboldened by success. will re-
gard the election as a sanction of their
methods and may be expected to con-
tipue those methods to the limit of toll
Grafton. The Americans" intrenched
in city offices and exasperated by defeat
in the county. announce that they will
keep up the fight so long as the pres-
ent system of Republican politics is in
vogue. Between the two. the people
who have no sympathy with the leaders
OF either faction will be ground fine as
dust. There will be no quarter asked
or given by either side, and the lovers
OF peace who are not responsible for the
situation in any sense will suffer quite
as much as the partisans involved.
Altogether, it is not a pleasant pros
pect TO contemplate. but it is the will
of majority OF the voters of this
county and state. and will have to be
accepted with such resignation as car
be sumomned. The Democrats. defeat.
ed as they are, have come out OF the
fight with the knowledge that they viii
be vindicated In their position by Tho
events OF the future. They have done
nothing dishonorable. they have plead
ed for the best interests of the peopl.
as they saw them. and they have beer
defeated by an appeal to such passion:
and hatreds as have no place in poll
tics here or elsewhere.
OF the influences summoned on behal
of the Republican ticket, the less saiC
the better. Their activity has beer
most potent, and it has given the Re
publicans a temporary success; the re-
action that must inevitably follow 5,
bound TO be SO strong, the bitterness,
engendered will be so enduring that tn,
victory is not worth the sacrifice it in
wolves. a long suffering. patient peo
pie are called upon TO endure still long