The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-04-09
TIME FOR A CHANGE.

TIME FOR A CHANGE.
If any good purpose is subserved. by
a continuation of the elimination and
recrimination in which three of the
Salt Lake newspapers indulge among
themselves, The Herald fails to see
what that purpose is, Neither in bene-
fit to the city. in advancement of the
state, IN attraction TO readers or in
substantial gain for the publishers does
there seem any excuse for a continual
ton of the verbal warfare which has
been maintained so acrimoniously and
so long.
While the case of Senator Smoot was
pending, and during the campaigns
which have interviewed, there may pos
sibly have been some object to be at
tanned which could be reached by this
method of attack and counter-attack;
but the Smoot case has been decided
permanently, there is no campaign
pending, nor will there be enc for some
months. the people of the city and state
are sick and tired of the controversy
and it seems to be about time for ces-
sation of 'hostihties, or at least tenn
porary truce.
Consider the situation briefly and
see if you do not agree with US that
further pursuit of the present discus
sion is profitless or worse:
The first and most effective impress
sion Of a city and state is gathered by
outsiders from its newspapers They
are presumed to be loyal to its best in
terests, to present its attractions most
effectively to criticize its failings char
itably and to strive earnestly for its
upbuilding. The visitor in Utah, with
this preconceived notion of newspaper
ethics, picks up the Salt Lake news
papers, and in three of the five daiIies
published here he finds a pOst-mortem
comment on political issues, which
comment reflects seriously on the intel
ligenee, the public spirit and the hon.
esty of a portion of the population. In
one he finds an attack on the Mormon
church, in another he finds an attack
on that part of the Gentle population
represented by the American" party
and in third he reads evidence of
community divided on lines of partisan
bitterness.
Whether the visitor accepts either
side of the controversy as truth or not,
he is impressed by the fact that this
is a community of people divided
among themselves. distrusting each
other. unwilling TO work together
in any common undertaking for the
common good, bent on attaining their
Own ends at any expense to part of
the people. He is certain that there is
no hope Of such progressive, combined
action as maintains, for instance, in
Denver or Los Angeles or Spokane or
Portland; and if he is seeking for
new home. where peace and pleasant
social relations and harmonious effort
for the upbuilding of the community
prevail, he does not stop long in Utah.
The Herald is not sanguine enough to
believe that the strife of years, founded
on personal and political ambitions and
selfishness is to be settled in day or
a week or a year. 1t is not in human
nature for the successful SmOot ma
chine or the unsuccessful American |
machine 10 abandon the field or talk !
compromise now. 1t is to be expected |
that the war will be continued indefi- |
nitely until new conditions and new
leaders take command of an aggravat- |
ing and profitless guerrilla fight. But |
and this is to be emphasized-the |
very large proportion of the people in /
salt Lake and in the state are nom /
CONTESTANTS and have rights which the |
bellfgerents should be compelled to re-
spect. Most of the people in this city /
are tired of the fight They are tired /
of being sacrificed for the benefit of /
a few politicians; they are tired of
seeing Salt Lake pictured as the home
of irresponsible. malicious, faith-break-
ing, untrustworthy men ana women.
They are tired, too, of seeing the minis
tiers of the city pictured as utterly con-
intriguing, dishonest char
acters. Above all, they are tired of
the situation which impels otherwise
newspapers on both sides to