The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-14
THE CROOKED SCHOOL BUSINESS.

The Salt Lake brand of Enonpartisau.
ship is having its airing before the
public just now. 1t is a malodorous
washing Of dirty linen, showing abuse
of public trust, graft, nepotism, and
! scandaIous, criminal carelcssness in the
handling of public money and public
business. The padded payrolls. the IA
yoritism. thc concealed expenditures. the
false names Of employees. the employ
mcnt Of relatives, were, it now appears,
part Of the political campaign of the
riciously partisan non-partisans,
and the purpose of all tins swlndling
and crimina! abuse of public trust, this
robbery of the public, was in order that
the ''non- partisans should succeed in
this partisan campaign and beat the
Americans. All iukling of this was TO
he rigorously suppressed, also. for fear
that the people would get onto the
game and defeat the rascally npar-
tlsans, who were doing this criminal
work.
Ii is but Just to Mr. MJthonih1h
Thomas, however. 10 say that he
completely and emphatically denies all
connection with this Infamous pro
gramme. and that those who seek 10 in
volve him in those transac tions arc the
very men who are confessedly guilty
Of the oticnscs which they tell us about
and admit their completely in. So that,
in as far as they seek TO involve others
in the dirty mess of their own making,
their word must be received with re-
serve.
But that the things told are yeritabIe
facts, admits of no doubt, For. tho tell
tale records are there 80 speak for
themselves. And the holding out of the
payrolls so long. the denial OF Newman
of all knowledge of the employment OF
his sons under fictitious and assumed
names, the subsequent demonstration
that he must have known of it as he
in some cases signed the roll and drew
their pay for them, and now his wrath
full admission of the whole matter and
of his knowledge of the offenses, and
mittcd makes very bad ease against
him.
IT does not appear why Mr., Martin
should have been so eager and voluble
in lis disclaimer, but 1t served the pur
pose Of compelling Newman to be cX
plicit, and that brought out the ale
cation that it was Mr. Thomas that
was meant Aud Mr.. Thomas lost no
time in branding the statement as Sab
solutcly and unqualificdly false
This attack by Newman and Brid-
we'll on Mr., Thomas looks very mnch
like an effort TO get revenge on him
for his activity in exposing the pay
roll frauds and insisting that there must
be a full and public investigation Of the
+" "irregularitics We believe that the
public viii so regard il. But in order
10 get at Mr.. Thomas in this way, both
Newman and Brldwcll had TO implicatc
themselves, and confess TO acts and pur-
poses the most rcprehensible, Mr..
Thomas is evidently fully aware of the
malignity with which the Newman
Bridwell charges are undcrlaid: and he
referred TO another charge which he cvi-
IDENTIFY considers came from the samo
source, that he is Il polygamist and is
pushing this investigation because his
Gentle ncighbors have found out about
his polygamous relations and threaten to
prosecute him on them if he lets up on
Newman and Bridwell This is ccr-
taiDIy an interesting point of view, dis
closing as it does the utter incapacity
Of these two worthless to comprehend how
or why man should pursue a public
duty just because il is public duty,
and without having the spur Of an
interested personal motive, either of
fear, revenge or profit.
The further developments in this sen.
sational investigation will be watched
with interest by 4 betrayed and dis
gusted public, which hopes that the lid
may be kept lifted, and the whole evil
doings be disclosed.