The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-02-25
CALLED TO ACCOUNT.

Senators Sutherland and SmoOt ana
Congressman Howell have given The
Herald their views on ire prohibition
question, and all three of them, nat
urally, are against any legislative &C
ton in that direction. Mr.. Sutherland
is in favor Of submitting the question
10 the people, Mr.. Howell wants power
conferred upon county and municipal
authorities, Senator Smoot would like
to see every saloon closed in Utah I'M
der the present laws" but he would
not have the legislature do it now; in
stead, he would have the legislature
pass a stringent local option law, and
if that does not satisfy the people, then
he would submit the prohibition issue
to a vote.
X y
one very clear point develops in these
statements: the Utah delegation in
Washington is against prohibition; all
three of the representatives ignore the
demand from their own party member
ship voiced in petitions and mass meet
ings, and all of them are with the sem
ators who chloroformed the Cannon
bill Nothing else could be expected of
the men who are identified with the
machine that pledged the party in ad-
vance Of the legislation to exactly such
Z position as these three assume now.
Indeed, it would be surprising if the
chief benehciaries Of that deal. Messrs.
smoot and Howell, took any other po-
sition. They believe with their follow
ers in the state senate and house, that
the pledges made by the party leaders
to the liquor interests should be kept
faithfully, and they are astute enough
10 know that the simplest way to full
hllment of the deal is a postponement
of action and the substitution of local
option.
Mr.. Howell naively says: The ques-
ton of statewide prohibition has not
been a political issue in Utah" But if
Mr.. Howell thinks prohibition has not
been political issue in his own party.
he ought to come home and mix with
the politicians. No question in recent
years has been quite so much of an
issue in Republican politics; none has
resulted in such acrimonious differ
ences; none has ever brought out public
admissions in legislative halls that the
party had been sold and delivered to
special interest for a cash consider
alton; and none has ever before shown
the federal appointees so plainly as
brokers in party honor, corrupt traf-
dckers In legislation. Mr. Howell ought
to read his home papers and reconsider
mis- notion that prohibition is rot a po-
IticaI issue here.
X =
The real gist of the situation is in it's
effect on the fortunes of Smoot and
Sutherland and Howell and their ap-
pointees to federal Office. Whether pro-
hibition is possible or not, the graver
question is shall the Republican party
.ultiu5- in coEt-ol be lne1 who have
sold 81 outg Inc delegation in Wash
ington processes to know nothing Of the
sale, and each member denies individ-
uaIiy any part in it, The denial may
possibly be accurate, so far as the men
themselves are concerned, but there is
no question that a deal was made. the
price paid and the goods delivered when
the senate killed the Cannon bill
AS constituents OF the machine which
hsndIed the transaction, the Washing
ton representatives benefit by the action
of their wicked partners. The business
has gone beyond denial. beyond repudi-
alton into the stage of open confession
In speeches before the legislature. The
next move will be a call for an account
ing by the real Republicans of the state
the men and women who were buncoed
into trusting the federal crowd with the
management OF the party. And that
accounting win include Smoot and
Sutherland and Howell. as well as their
subordinates in Office who negotiated
the transfer Of Republican power TO the
Eguor interests for q consideration.
Wa. street has just discovered what
every boz else has known for months,
that the Republican promise OF boom
II TAT Won was plain buncom5e.