The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-21
NIFER's oLEARsIaHTEDNEss

KEIFER'S CLEARSIGHTEDNESS.
That WAS n refreshing interview in
The Tribune yesterday morning with
the Hon. J. Warren Keifer Of Ohio,
former Speaker OF the House of Rep
resentatives. Mr., Keifar is now IN his
SEVENTEEN year, but he is hale and
vigorous. active in mind and body, with
fund of knowledge and recollection
that commend him favorably to the
public. His case is conspicuous proof
of the. saying that 'it is hard TO hold
good man down.
Mr.. Keifer was especially vigorous
in MS treatment Of the local question
here. He held that the Senate made
a great mistake ''in giving so much
recognition to such an un-American
system as is Mormonlsm in retaining
Smoot in his scat There is no ques-
tion about it, that was great mistake.
And we fully indorse Mr.. Keifer when
he adds, 81 think the Senators who
espoused the cause OF Mormonism to
that extent made a mistake - We are
confident that the whole country will
come to a realization Of this in time,
and that no more such criminal follies
will be committed.
Mr. Keifer was equally happy in his
analysis and Characterization of the
situation hare when, in speaking of the
church Democrats and church Repub
licans in Utah, he said, 'They think
they are Democrats or Republicans, as
the case may be, but they are not.
They are just what the church wants
them to be. as l am Informed. and as
we lawyers say, verify believe, - 1t
is a good, solid belief that Mr. Keifer
has, in this respect, one worthy of all
acceptance by the public of the United
States. There is no question about it,
these church Republicans and church
Democrats are simply what the church
wants them TO be, and nothing else.
They care nothing whatever for the
principles of either party; and, in fact,
they do not know much about those
principles, and care less. Their great
interest is in doing what the church
wants them to do, and in doing it in
the church way,
It is because the control of both
parties in this State has fallen into
such low estate that IL is in the
hands of the church people throughout,
and that makes the fraudulent party
management here insupportable. The
policies, the nominations. the success
OF victory of one party or the other
come in Utah in no way by reason of
any political demonstrations, argu-
ments, affiliations, predictions, or an
tipathes. The church Republicans are
" Republicans because President
Roosevelt, through the church bosses,
has passed them the word that that is
what they ought to be. And the Presi-
dent bargain with the church leaders
whereby, he came to the support Of
Smoot and fixed him in his seat in the
Senate where he has no moral Just. or
political right to be, cliuches the de-
termination of these church Republi.
cans TO stand by Roosevelt, But if You
should ask them whether they stand by
Republican policies or not, they would
be utterly at sea; they would know
nothing about it: but simply that they
arc for Roosevelt That is the most in
telligent answer they could make The
church Democrats, on the other hand.
arc equally at the disposal of The
church, Even more so, in way, be-
cause they take the chastising which
The church administers to them politi-
cally from time to time, in the best of
spirit. They make no remonstrsnce. in.
dulge in no protest They march up TO
defeat with a smile, being content if
once IN a while the church bosses Will
throw few crumbs in their way; such
as they did in the election of Morris
for Mayor of this city III 1908
Mr.. Keifer is an adept AT reading
the political situation wherever he may
be. He has been an expert, adroit poll
,lclan in Ohio for upwards of forty
years. lie is one Of Ohio $ best men,
and, SO far as our voice can go, we are
for him for United States Senator from
that State when the next vacancy ap-
proacbes.