The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-07
His Patient Whiplil Boy
Brother Smoot Takes the Cad for
the Great Aldrich, Not Whimper-
ing and Feels Compensated.

Los Angeles Record, March 3.
Reed Smoot. senator from Utah, has
the honor to be whipping boy to Sena-
tor Nelson w. Aldrich,
The custom of having a whipping bog
has thus been revived.
The whipping boy. 1t will be rcmem-
bcred, was a boy Of common extraction
who was brought up as companion to the
whiDpings for him. That is the way
AIdrich takes his legislative nasella-
tions.
Aldrlch is IN charge of tariff lcglsla.
tlon. The tariff bin is framed up and
reported TO the senate by the commit
tee on finance, OF that committee AID
rich is chairman. He is the man To an
swer questions. Thus the theory
But the practice Is quite different. Sup
pose La Toilette has the floor, IL de-
mand. cries he, "thc information on
this schedule, What, In this instance, is
the difference In cost OF production at
home and abroad?"
Who takes the floor? Aldrich? oh.
no. 1t is Smoot who comes humbly from
behind the desk on the back row, and
in gentle tones, begins defense OF the
committee bin
III the senator from Wisconsin," says
Smoot, win turn To the volume OF hear
ings t>ken by the ways and means COM
mittcc and tuin To page 24I6. volume ~
Gacturer appeared before the committee,
with crepe on his hat. and showed that
New England manufacturers were headed
toward the poOrhuuSc-'
But" demands La Toilette. what Is
the cost OF making wooden nutnegs In
AustrIa?"
Il have not the figures before me at
the present moment stammers Smoot;
but no doubt the figures are avail
able"
but" again shreks La Toilette. what
is the difference In cost of pToduCtiou?'
yes says Smoot. "thc business in
tcrcsts of the country, suffering they
are by this tariff debate TO the extent
of ten million Cor Is II blllionD dollars
"A day. make IT undesirable that the scna-
tor from Wisconsin intcrposc objections
to a simple advaorcm such as we have
prepared in this schedule. Now the beet
sugar. growers OF Utah, idaho, Colorado
4 freezing glance from AldrIch causes
Smoot TO shrvcl up.
Didn't ] tell you not TO do any un-
So Smoot quits, and La Toilette lays
IT. on.
THE chairman OF the committee on
finance does not seem TO have any in
formation on the subject OF this schedule.
He disregards the whole question OF diff
ference in cost OF production at home
and abroad. He seems to forget that there
arc any people In the country who are
not makers OF wooden nutmcgs. lie acts
like a DinCOmpcOp.
But 1t IS Reed Smoot who is on his
feet taking the licking.
The official designation of Smoot is
lieutenant floor manager"
1t has long been understood that there
Is compact between the Republican ma
tiona committee and the Mormon church
AN arrangement which dates from the
time when Perry Heath went FOR Hanna
to Salt Lake city and engineered the
deal. III Smoot comes TO the senate
representing the organized political power
Of the Mormon church. AS a secular
power this is enormous, II srequivalent
to a railroad system or almost to an or
ganization like Standard oil. IT is backed
by vast wealth and controls a vast num-
Der of votes.
Smoot stands and takes his whlppngs
with patient fidelity. or course il is not
without compensation. for, think Of the
honor. for instance.