The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-17
BLACKMAILER's Discomfort.

The Smoot paper here appears fran
tic with rage at the failure Of its cf-
fort to hold up the coal dealers and the
producers of coal. It has mover at any
time had the least sympathy with or
respect for the people, or for the poor
upon which the arbitrary and unwar
ranted increase in coal rates camo with
such cruel force. It's solo idea has
been to extort money from the coal
dealers and coal producers, and to
work the situation politically for
all there is in it, and good deal more.
So far as its methods are concerned,
they are hold-up methods; and its pur-
poses are partisan altogether, It's
statements are often false, too, az when
| 1t put the price of stcaming coal more
than twice as high as it is.
Tho Smoot paper had stcrday
morning long, silly editorial assailing
The Tribune on this question, among its
other wild statements being one that
"The Tribune dare not come out in
the open aud fight the coal combina-
tion, the fact being that The Tribune
is tho only paper that has ever come
out in the open and fought the coal
| combination or any other combination
here. The Tribune has fought the coal
combination, the sugar combination,
the salt monopoly, and every other com
bine that affllcts the people, The
Smoot paper is silent on the sugar com,
bination, the salt monopoly, and every
thing else of that evil nature which is
supported and desired in church com.
mcrciaism. If The coal combine were Il
church affair, the Smoot paper would
not dare to say one word against it, Just
against the sugar combine.
Tho Tribune promptly denounced the
raise in the price Of coal that was put
into effect on November lst. 1t is the
only paper that did SO before election,
and it has consistently and insiStcntly
denounced that raise as unfair and op.
pressive upon the people. The SmOot
paper said not ono word about the ar
btrary and cruel raise when it was
made. 1t has never said anything in
| behalf of tho people, but only in be
half of its blackmailing scheme and
| its political robbery.
The people trust Tho Tribune. They
know it is fair, straightforward, and
their friend, They know that when
ever there is anything that il is pos
sibIc for any newspaper to do in their
behalf, The Tribune Will do it. But
The Tribune never goes into any black.
mailing schemes, 1t never gives a lift
to political iobbcry. A great many
partisan Jobs wcro suggested in the
Legislature of 1909; a good many more
will he suggested doubtless in The Leg
| islature that will convene next month
The Tribune opposed political iobbery
two years ago, and expects TO oppose
IT whenever it appears. The Tribune
never plans to make money out of its
! position, but declares itself openly, fat
! ", and fairly from the first; and that
! is exactly where The Tribune differs
| from tho Smoot paper, which never
takes any position until it finds out
gang. and never inclines 10 help the
people, unless it can get its spoon first
into the bowl.
And The Tribune expects to keep
right on in lis straight forward course,
helping the people wherever il is pos
slble, and protesting against every
wrong and injustice, and every in
fringement OF the law and of dccency,
wherever such offenses appear