Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-09-18
D|NINNYS BLANK
POLITICAL BOMB
Attempt to Disoredit the Work
OF Citizens Convention
fizzIes Out.
AS THE SITUATION REALLY IS
Law Carries Provisions Which Ifntirc-
~ Overthrow the Construction NJ
torncy Would Place Upon II.

The attempt OF " }. Dininny. city
attorney under tho so-callcd 'Ameri-
can" administration. 20 discrcdit tho
work of tho Citizens movement n tha
present campaiEn by constituting for
his own purposes certain amendments
Co the election lnvs Of Tho state passed
by the last legislature, is of piece with
the general position Of the adherents
~ the rule or ruin party Co which he
belongs. By quoting portions Of the law
referred 20. Mr. bninny assumes tho
position that tho efforts of the citizens
20 effect an organization and place a
ticket m the field for the coming city
election are futile and null and void
under the law. He rcfulns from quot
ing an the provisions OF the law which
he says renders the citizens movement
Invalid, and the provisions relating to
the placing In the field tickets and
nominations as contemplated by the
husinessmen's movement
According to the construction placed
upon the statute by Mr.. Dininny the
rights OF any citizen 10 appear upon
more than one ticket as tho choice OF r.
voter. or set ~ voters. or party OF
parties Is absolutely abridged. and this
in any court would he considered alb
surd and not to be tolerated under the
guarantee OF rights TO every citizen by
the constitution and laws of the coun-
try and state.
The purpose Of enacting the amend
ments to the election laws by the last
legislature was to prevent the placing
on the ballot Of the American" ticket
electors OF other parties at the head
Of the various tickets. This without
the consent Of the electors concerned
and only for the purpose OF further
ing the interest OF the party and not
10 champion the right Of any citizen In
any right OF citizenship. for those
rights had not been abridged but had
been fully cared for on the general
Z. G. AsHTON's POSITION.
The situation as IL really exists is
explained by Atty. +. G. Ashton. in an
interview given the News" today. Mr..
Ashton says:
The view OF H. j Dininny seems
10 me. from hurried glance al the last
session laws. TO be entirely unsound
IL is to be admitted that the statutes
relied on by the judge are not clearly
drawn but that there are provisions In
them which entirely save them from
the construction he has put upon them.
Sec SIS OF the compiled laws as
amended BY chapter 10 OF 1909 session
laws provides among other things that
the voters signing a certificate Of NOM
nation shall state that the name OF
the person petitioned for will not be
printed upon the official ballot or upon
any party ticket. etc. unless the
names Of such persons are placed upon
the official ballot under the name or
| device adopted in the certificate The
use Of the word unless precludes the
Interpretation eontended for by Mr. d.
ninny and in my opinion makes II
possible for such nominees to be placed
on any number Of tickets In the field
50 long as they are placed on the ticket
OF the party petitonlng for them. The
legislative intent doubtless was the en-
actment of a statute that would pre-
vent the shrewd manipulators In a
strong party from breaking the
strength Of the most likely opposing
party by placing IN the field a num-
Der Of tickets. II the law is as Mr.
Dininny contends, II could be used as
an engine OF destruction TO any strong
candidate, since by his theory so pro-
inlscuous voters could preclude prom
inent candidate OF a regular party from
getting on the ticket OF his party"
John s. Bransford will Oh Monday
open UP headquarters in his race for
the mavoralty in the coming campaign
al No. rs. west Second South street
with D. c. Dunbar as his manager. and
SANDY" Fowler as assistant manager
Mr. Bransford Is a candidate for the
American" nomination for mayor
against Joe Linpman, and Mr. Dun
bar SAYS he is IN the race for a finish
night and that a red hot campaign"
viii he conducted IN his behalf.