The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-19
FIGUREHEADs DON'T COUNT.

ElGUH6HEADS DUN CoON l.
So far as the official Democratic par
ty organization in this city can pre-
vent it, there will be no fusion Of the
Democracy at the municipal election,
with the Republicans. The city Demo
cratic committee at its meeting on Fri,
day last was unanimous on this point.
But that action by no means clears the
situation. For
First-The Democratic committee is
not the exponent of the Democratic
party; 1T does not have the least in
fluence with the masses of the Demo
cratic party, Tho real power that con
trolls and dominates the Democratic
vote (and all this applies equally to
The Republican" vote and "Republi-
cam committees and acts) is the
church power. The ecclcasists run both
parties, and the committees and the
nominal party Leaders are set aside at
will, so far as the control Of the vote
is concerned Was 1T by the Will OF
the Democratic committee or of the
Democratic political leaders, that the
Democratic vote was squelched last
fall' Was it the political committee
that gave the Democratic candidate for
Mayor the lead in 1905l Did any poll
tical leader have anything TO do with
it7 Did the committee or the leaders
manipulate the Democratic vote here
in 1904 so that there was practically
nothing of it left? All know the facts.
1t was the secret counsel, the whisper,
the conveyed hint that "thc authori-
tics' wished so and so to happen that
did the business. The same thing did
the business also for the "Rcpubli-
canso In 1905 and In 1903, in this city.
So that, the fact that the Democratic.
committee will or Will not consent to
fusion, is not of much real Importance;
Just as it would be of no Importance
whether or not the Republican com
mittee favored or opposed fusion. The
fusion would be had just the same, If
the real power here desired it. And in
| spite of the Democratic committee, the
Democratic votes will fuse If the
church leaders so decree.
Second-It is quite possible that, con-
cratic committee is carrying out the
will of the priesthood IN declaring
against fusion, while the very fusion
declared against is going on under the
| surface. The reasons why the hierarchs
might desire this declaration against
fusion, and the nomination of a straight
| Democratic ticket. are quite easy TO
be understood. There are good many
Democrats who would, In case of alb
solute fusion, prefer TO vote the Ameri-
. can ticket to voting the church fusion
| ticket. For the benefit of such,
Democratic ticket would be put up, and
the anti~fusion vote kept away from
the American ticket. But at the same
time, the masses Of the Democratic
voters would be withdrawn by the
priesthood from the Democratic ticket
and voted for the fusion ticket.
! 1t is willy, hardened, experienced
priestcraft that we have to do with in
Of difference to that priesthood what
party is favored, or what party wins,
so that the victory is priesthood VIC
tory. These hierarchs care nothing
about party policies; they don't care
a snap about any things Of that sort.
What they want is to so shape mat
ters always that the hierarchy shall be
victorious, shall profit by the result,
and shall be deferred to as "the real
thing in politics, as in other matters.
The ruling priests have in their church
organization a perfect machine, reach
ing directly and without delay every
member OF the church. This machine
can by them be instantly turned into
q political machine Of equal effective
ness, always in working order and al
ways universal in its reach and authori-
ty. so that it really matters little
what any purely political committee,
convention, or leader may do or want
done. The matter is decided in an
other arena, by men who cannot be In
Auenced by the politicians; In most
cases they can not even be reached by
them, and the political leader Is often
quite as much in the dark as TO what
is going on as the merest tyro.