The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-05-10
pERNIcIous FORCES IN POLITICS

PERNlcIoUs FORCES IN POLITICS
Two peculiar features are worth
noting in connection with the state Re
publican convention of Thursday: one
was the expert arithmetic used in
counting the vote of the Salt Lake del
egation for Smoot and Loose; the other
was the iron-clad combination of fed
eral office-holders and church officials
which ran the affair for the machine
As II happened, the extra votes
counted for the Provo candidates were
not needed, but those members of the
Salt Lake delegation who voted against
both Provo men are still wondering
why the total failed TO show correctly.
The chairman of The delegation is said
TO have discovered his error-after the
result was announced-and to have
remedied il in the secretary's records;
but the report given TO the newspaper
men and verified by them from the
secretary's tally showed that Loose had
received the entire Salt Lake vote and
Smoot had received all but one. In
view of the fact that a number OF the
delegates declare they voted otherwise.
the conclusion is obvious that some
body juggIed the figures.
Obviously the original announce
ment showed an overwhelming triumph
for the machine and was calculated to
show that even the insurgents had
voted for the very men they had been
fighting openly in the convention.
Whatever the purpose in dOctOring the
figures. ii was foolish move, although
its authors may have thought they
would need the votes" The only re-
suit was TO anger the protestants, to
show that there was no intention of
giving them a square deal. and TO adj
veTtise widely the determination OF the
machine to control the convention at
any cost. All this, too. when. as the
event proved. there was no need of any
such skullduggery.
X x
The second. and the main feature of
the proceedings, was the scandalous
combination of federal officials and
church ecclesiastics which dominated
the gathering. The United States mar
shall, the collector of customs, the dis
trict attorney, the postmasters of Salt
Lake. of Provo. of Pleasant Grove and
of Lehi. with possibly others, were
foremost in running the machine. If
there ever had been any serious belief
in Roosevelt's civil service prOclama-
tion or of his good faith in enforcing
the law. that belief would have been
dispelIed by the action of the federal
office-holders syndicate In the conven-
ton Supposedly appointed 10 serve
all the people. they have been devoting
their time for weeks to manipulation OF
primaries and preliminary arrange
ments to control the convention, TO the
neglect of their public duties and in
sardonic defiance OF executive orders.
No less noticeable were the presence
and activity of numerous bishops and
a stake president at the head Of dele
cations in the conventlon-all active In
behalf of SmoOt and his slate. If b. II.
Roberts had asked for an illustration
of what he meant when he wrote his
letter pointing out the objections 10 &c
clesiastical activity in political affairs,
II could not have been furnished him
more aptly or forcibly.
Every one of the church officials who
was so active in the convention has
under his ecclesiastical jurisdiction say
IN
clude Republicans and Democrats,
some of the Republicans are strongly
opposed 10 Senator Smoot and the ma
chine he has built up in politics. Do
their church leaders suppose that these
men regard their political manipula-
lions with Indifference? Do they sup
nose they can maintain their hold on
the affection and loyalty of their
church members as effectively as IL
they were not in politics? Don't they
know they are imperiIing the value of
their service TO the church by their APP
nearance in politics? And isn't it true
that lust such combinations as worked
in the convention are responsible for
much Of the antagonism and bitterness
which has distracted the state for
years past?
4 X
An Of these questions have been an
swered. directly or indirectly, by Mr.
Roberts. whose loyalty as ehurchman
and authority as a spokesman will not
be questioned. II is no reply to say
that the bishops and stake presidents
find warrant for their action in the po-
utical prominence of Mr.. Smoot, him
self their ecclesiastical superior. What