The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-10-17
GOOD FOR JESSE KNIGHT.

| IT seems that the Smoot gang nave
been making it so annoying for IN
Gle Jesse knight that his 'dander
has 7iz,' He now says, and has au'
thorized The Tribune correspondent at
| Provo TO announce in his name, that
he will build a sugar factory at Pay
son as soon as the Strawberry irrlga-
tion project is completed; and that he
viii pay to the farmers not less than
So ton for the beets they raise, and
will sell sugar to the people at not
10 exceed $3.50 per hundred pounds.
And he added that he could make all
the money he cared to make at these
prices
| 1T is an important announcement,
and should be as welcome to the farm
ers who raise beets as it is TO the
general public that uses sugar That
will be even better than in the old
davs of the local sugar trust when the
farmers could get a hundred pounds
of sugar Tor every ton OF beets they
turned in. the sugar being rated at
$50 per hundred and the beets at
$50 per ton
At the same time il is perhaps not
out of the way to warn Uncle Jesse
Knight that he is on dangerous ground
II Will be remembered that some years
ago Mr.. Smurthwaitc of Ogden, with
his partner, thought that he would 90
into the business of refining OF salt
for the market of this region. He went
to Joseph + Smith about it, either
because he wanted to consult him or
because Smith sent for him. and was
told fatty by Joseph f. that he must
keep out of the salt business. Smurth.
waite s proposition would interfere
with the monopoly of the Inland Salt
Company, of which Joseph +. Smith
was and is president, and Smith did
not propose TO have any interference
with his monopoly. He warned Smurth-
notified him that if he went into it
he would crush him. The blow killed
Mr.. Smurthwaite S partner. and
Smurthwaite let the salt business
strictly alone. So that Smith retains
his monopoly.
Joseph +. Smith is also president of
the Consolidated Sugar Companies in
Utah and Idaho that comprise the To-
cal sugar trust. Undou btedly if Jesse
Knight persists in his purpose to build
sugar factory at Pavson and TO ad
here to the programme of prices that
he now sets forth, Smith Will under.
take TO crush him .just as he threat.
ened to crush Mr. Smurthwaite. Jesse
Knight no doubt knows all about the
Smurthwaite case, because 1t has been
printed frequently. and he can hardly
be in ignorance of the warning that
the precedent in that case would be TO
himself AT the same time, Jesse
knight is man of determination, of
resaerce, and of fair dealing with the
/eople He mas promised this sugar
factory to the people of Payson. and
we do not doubt that he will keep his
promise. But we cannot refrain from
pointing out to him the rocky road
that he may have to travel in conse-
quence of Smith s opposition to his
carrying out of the Knight plans as
announced. for, if Smith would crush
Smurtbwaite. he will crush knight
If he can.
This situation brings anew to the
public attention the commercial greed
and monopolistic tendencies Of the
chief Mormon hierarch He would
brook no interference with his monopo-
listic enterprises in commercialism in
years gone by, and we do not believe
them now, without carrying out his
vicious threats to crush his opponent
Jesse Knight means well. He can
doubtless do well. But he will have
to keep in mind the old adage that
he who sups with the devil needs Il
long spoon.
And yet since there is Federal
statute imposing drastic penalties for
those who would enter into combina-
tions in restraint of trade. or actually
restrain it, and since the court that
enforces that statute is entirely out.
side of President Joseph f. Smith s
jurisdiction, Uncle Jesse Knight will
still have a remedy against any fore.
ing process that Smith might under.
take to apply. The only question is
whether Knight would have the nerve
to invoke Federal statute against the
president of his church If he has,
shat statute will protect him, no mat.
ter what bluffing or bulldozing tao
tics Joseph F. Smith might undertake
to employ.
IT'S INCoNsEQUENTIAL RANT,