The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-24
DEMOCRACY AND THE CITY.

iIEMOOhHC1 AND n u 7.
Strange as it may seem, Senator
Shoots newspaper disagrees with Mr.
Martineau, Mr.. Moyle and ali the other
leading Democrats as to the course the
Democracy should take In the ap-
preaching city campaign. The Smoot
Republicans say the Democrats of Sat
Lake should fuse with their wing of
the Republican party, and point to the
record of the American" adminstra-
ton as the sole reason for fusion.
OF course. this is a disinterested
view. Everybody in Utah knows that
the SmOot organization, including Mr..
Callister. Mr.. Spry, Mr.. Anderson and
Mr.. Booth, is anxious for the success
of the Democratic party in this state
and would sacrifice almost anything
but federal office to promote that sue
cess. And just as naturally the Demo-
Gratis of Utah may be expected. as
matter of course, to follow the advice
of SmOot and Anderson and Spry and
Callister in the conduct of Democratic
party matters.
During the last session of the Utah
Legislature a bill was proposed and
came within one vote of adoption
which would have given Salt Lake ths
Galveston form OF municipal govern
ment. The Republicans, who are now
so sOlicitous for the salvation of the
city from the Americans" defeated
the Galveston bill-not by votes. but
by parliamentary Juggling, by arbitra-
~ rules made by a Republican speak
er, who was acting under orders from
the SmOOt machine. If the Galveston
bills had been passed the city of Salt
Lake would have been placed on a nom
political business basis, the Amer
leans would have been replaced by a
more competent administration. poll
tics would have been eliminated from
civic affairs almost altogether and
there would have been no occasion for
the injection of political or religious is
sues in the city election.
Because they thought there was
some chance of fusion with the Demo-
Gratis, the Republican machine leaders
defeated the reform measures; and yet
they clamor for fusion now in order
that the city may be saved!
X X X
Fusion of the Democracy and Repub-
Hcan machine elements might possibly
defeat the Americans" but we doubt
il. 1t would certainly mean the aban-
donment of every Democratic principle
and the end of Democracy as an organ
ization i'm Utah. It would mean an
alignment of voters on strictly reli-
gious lines-the very thing the Demo-
cratic party has fought from it's first
organization here, and the last thing
the people of Salt Lake ought to want.
It might possibly give the nominal
Democrats who fused some offices, but
il would be at the sacrifice of their
party for at least a decade. Even if
there were any profit in bartering par
" principles for Office, the price paid
would be out of all proportion TO the
gain in sight. Either as a question of
political ethics or party expediency it
would be a fools move to surrender the
Democratic organization to the very
Republicans who have been most uD
scrupulous in their efforts to disrupt
the Democratic party in Utah.
x
Anyway. it is a Enthusiastically
cheeky thing for the Republicans to
talk TO the Democrats about joining
them. In the last city election the
Smoot Republican candidate carried
Nv one election district of the fifty
two in the city. and the Republicans
ran behind the Democrats almost ex
actIy $500 votes. If any party
is to abandon its ticket the Repub
Iicans have earned that right here in
Salt Lake And whatever else may
happen. the Republicans may be as
sured that no Democrat of any stand
ing in the party is going TO stultify
himself by joining with the political
htghbinders now in control Of the fed
era1 ofnces and the dominant wing of
the Republican party.
Let it be understood plainly that the