The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-05-15
THEY GNAW A FILE.

| nc opp"Slllon press, parllcularlN lhe
! church Republican press, continues TO
"gnaw n file on tho American
| speeches al ;hc lovc-fcast Of last Tues
day evening. The evening church or
gan wore its teeth out on that file, and
now Smoot S - Mouth appears all
! bloody through the same exercise ON the
! file. For, those speeches are Il vcritabc
! file. No attack can dent them. no eff
| fort break them. no gnashing duh their
rasping sharpness. They were clcar-cut
truth throughout, aud the church or
gans will strive in vain TO weaken their
force
1t is amusing TO see the frantic eff
fort of the ''Mouth'' in It's rage
against those speeches. Yesterday
morning it continued lis serial editorial
lamcntation over them, saying among
other frighifully insane things, that
"withir the American party today is
more to complain Of than there ever
was in thc party to which thcy arc op.
posed, But inasmuch as the author
of that silly stuff docsn { know any.
thing about what there was III The old
party of stngnation and repression. his
opinion doesn t count. But why "thc
party opposcd?" Is thcrc but one?
Has the church given up its pretcnsc of
two parties!
Ono is curious to sec what il is that
is argued in support of so false and
foolish proposition as that quoted.
And what is offercd' Merely silly
rant that the party is TO bc held re-
sponsiblc, as a party. for what is done
or undonc in the party's administra-
ton. But that is nero platitudc Ii
Is rule of universal application. Every
party is held responsible, rs n party.
for what is done by its officials when
in power. 1t is not the officials that
are remembered, but the party and its
policies and performances. Who re
members the names Of those whose
votes la Congress supplied the sncws
of war, 1861 to 1863! Who can name
those who established the policy of pro
lection in this country. by their
votes in Congress? Every one knows
that it was the Republican party.
and that party is responsible for il.
but the men who voted it are forgot
ten.
just so here; nobody recalls the
names Of the persons who held this
city back as a country village so many
years; but every one knows that il
yyaS Tho pnonlo = porf,- tb,t j;l .. ,,n
der the control and counsel of the
priesthood. And that party was held
responsible. Likewise later, it was the
church control of the Republican party
and OF the Democratic party that
1lattened out the progress that was
started by the Liberal party here
Nor does any one recall the individuals
of the Liberal party who brought that
progress; but all know that it was the
Liberal party.
And so, the American party. that has
conferred such splendid benefits upon
the city, has no desire 10 shirk its
responsibilities. it accepts the credit
that is its due for good work done,
and takes unshrjnkingly whatever
blame can properly be laid at its door.
1t docs not wish 10 hide behind any
one S name, nor TO put upon any per.
son responsibility that is not properly
his own. In fact, the " Mouth - which
every once in while drags out this
man of straw and beats it TO a frazzle,
is never slow 10 abandon its own pro
test as now made. and To charge against
the American party whatever il claims
to he wrong. 1t doesn't confinc itself
TO arraigning the official al fault on It's
presentation, but the party. 1t is
thus entirely inconsistent on its own
standard Of reckoning For if il is not
the party, but the individual official
that must make accounting. then it
should arraign that official personally,
and not the party, when ii finds any
thing TO attack. But it doesn It do that.
1t absolves the official and arraigns
the party. And thus while attempting
TO make a bugaboo of the PROPOSE
ton that the party and not the official
is responsible TO the people; il aban-
dons it's own ground. 1t should
either release the party or the official;
but it jugglcs with both, in Il way both
illogical and impractical,
The truth is that under party gov
crnmcnt it is the party and not the
individual that must be held to answer.
| This is so evident that there has never
! been any question about ii anywhere.
| II is not disputed here, save in a
pucrile, fake shrek Of affected horror,
| by the " Mouth, - in the hope of awak-
cning an ignorant prejudice that is al
| together misplaced