The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-18
THE DIRE DREAD OF sMooT.


of the supporters of the church Rcpub
lican party who are not entirely undel
the dominance of the priesthood counsel
with respect to the matter Of the return
of Apostle Smoot to the United State,
Senate on the expiration of his present
term These persons, good many OF
whom went to Washington and swore
that there was no church influence here
that Apostle Smoot was an able, purc
and good citizen, we'll worthy TO rep
resent the State in the Senate, are now
extremely anxious that he should not
represent il any more. One naturally
wonders what on earth these people
went down there and supported Smoot
! for if they did not want him in the Sen
ate. And wanting him there, how can
they now oppose him1 What is there
against Smoot now that was not against
him at the time they appeared in Wash.
ington in his favor and support They
testified strongly and without reserve
that there was no such thing as church
influence IN poljtics-especially in Re-
publican politics-in Utah; and now it
appears that their chief terror is that
the church will exercise its influence in
the return of SSmoot to the Senate, lust
as it exercised its power in putting him
there in the first place. All of those
witnesses who appeared in Smoot' s be
half in Washington knew perfectly we'll
that he was put in the Senatorship by
and yet they denied it, and now are
shivering with fear lest the same church
influence will be exercised in spite of
them, to put him there again, that was
used by the church TO put him there in
the first place
On the other hand. the Mormon poll
ticians, good many of whom owe their
present lucrative positions TO Smoot' g
favor and to use whom he put in the
places they now occupy, take the con
sistcnt position that he ought to be re-
turned TO succeed himself in the Sen
ate; that he is "good man." pure
soul, an eminent and worthy citizen
who is At to grace the halls of the upper
house of the National Legislature, and
to be Utah 8 especial spokesman and
agent therein. They claim, and the
church as n mass probably is with them
in this claim, that Smoot has not had
fair show during his present term, that
he has been harassed and bounded in
such 4 way that he could not show the
stuff he is made of and illustrate to his
fa11
mon culture and Mormon influence.
They say that he is entitled to sec
ond term as matter of vindication,
and TO show the sympathy of his con.
stituents in the persecution through
which he has passed; and that nothing
else will right him before the public
Of this State and before the people of
the United States They, of course,
scout the idea of any church influence
in the election of Apostle Smoot, either
IN the past or IN the future They
affect TO consider the whole matter one
of party politics alone, in which the
best man wins, without regard TO his
creed or church standing.
Or course, this hypocritical view is
one that is strongly resented on the
other side by those church Republicans
who Sare not under the dominance of
the priesthood and who oppose the re-
turn of Apostle Smoot. And though
they sworc TO the people of the United
States that there is no such thing as
church influence In Utah, they are now
N
to see something Of the kind, and that
if Smoot is elected again they would
not be able to reiterate their testi-
mony that there is no such thing as
church influence in Utah politics. 1t
would be very sad if these gentlemen
were put In position to regret their
fo.mer testimony and folly, 1t would
be grief, indeed, if they were con-
vinced by tho future action OF the
church Republican party that they were
that there is in fact church
influence in party politics in Utah And
1t would be sore distress to them, no
doubt, if the suspicion should come
into their minds that they had been in
The dark when they testified so posi-
lively before that church influence was
absolutely wanting in politics and pub.
lie affairs in this State.
There are certain non Mormons who
have adhered to the church Republican
party in this State for reasons of their
own, ambitious, selfish or what not,
who are now tremendously exercised
over this whole question. II appears
that they are Just beginning to wake
up to the possibility of church in.
iuence in politics here Not. in their
view, that there has been any of it
IN the past, but they are dreadfully
lfraid that there is going to be some
in the future, They do not see how
IL would be possible to re-elect Apostle
Smoot without that influence. They |
are deadly opposed to his reelection.
They think they can win against him |
very easily if the church will keep its /
hands of. But there is the rub; they
are afraid it won't. They suspect, with |
4 l.