The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-24

THE sMooT BOOM LAUNCHED.

There is no mistaklpg the political
significance for Utah of the visit of
Secretary Garfield to Salt Lake City
on Saturday last. The pretense that he
was here to see the people is folly,
| for he was not allowed TO see any but
the sycophants who are in Office. The
claim that he was here to learn the
land and water conditions fails, because
| he made no investigation Of either, but
was all the time surrounded by people
who merely voiced the praise Of the
President and the Secretary; it was q
belnted and adapted echo Of the Ephe-
slams, as recorded in the Acts xix, 2S,)
"Grcat is Diana of the Ephesians,
So that nothing edifyng was learned,
nothing instructive was gained; il was
not possible to gain or to learn, under
the circumstances; for the whole desire
was. as TO each. to ''makc himself
solid with the Cabinet officer sin our
midst II was a toadying, blindfold
game, in which the prime object was
selfish. aud the secondary one, TO keep
the Secretary away from all real sources
of information, and from those who
might give intelligent. independ ent ey-
preston TO the actualities in this re-
gion. about land, water, and many
other things of importance.
The real object of the bringing of
Secretary Garfield here, however, was
disclosed al the luncheon given by Gov
ernor Cutler, where the Secretary voiced
the absurd encomium on Smoot. This
apostle had brought the Secretary here
from Denver; had persuaded him to
come this way instead Of through
Wyoming. Smoot came with him, and
30 doubt the Secretary knew what was
expected of him So, Just as Smoot was
called upon to speak at that luncheon,
Mr.. Garfield interjected this fulsome
and fsr-fetched comment upon Smoot:
Ono man in either branch of Congress
has done as much to maintain the pro-
gressive policies of the President, as
has Senator Smoot, your Senator. -
Other reports phrase it g has done
more etc. The effect is the same
in either case. ridiculous and un-
founded eulogy on man who has IN
no way impressed himself upon the
body in which he sits; for, first of all,
he is not capable of so doing. lacking
the necessary gifts, both natural and
acquired: and second, his whole time
has been taken up in defending his oc-
cupsncy of seat which he ought not to
be allowed to hold, and to which he
should never have been chosen.
In this connection one inevitably re
calls the dressing down which Apostle
Smoot and Assistant Sutherland re
ceived from Senator La Toilette Of
Wisconsin when he lectured here; call
ing them corporation tools and un-
worthy representatives of the people
II would he task worthy of the in
spired Elder Roberts to reconcile these
contrary views of Secretary Garfield
and Senator La Toilette as TO Apostle
Smoot S position in the Senate,
The Secretary laudation and the
concerted acclaim that it called forth,
can have but one. meaning. 1t was the
launching of the boom for Smoot 10
succeed himself in the Senate. And 1t
is going to be mighty hard practically,
and impossible logically, for those who
have supported Smoot in his fight to
retain his seat III the Senate TO oppose
his reelection. For, if it was right
for him 10 be Senator the first term,
how can it be wrong for him to be
Senator second term7 Besides, con-
slider what victory his election would
be over "our enemies!