The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-11-17
"INpEPENDENT VOTERS.

Independent voting, that is, voting
tho serious convictions of the vote
himself, independent of party tics. il
usually commended throughout th
country by all excepting tho part,
bosses and their benetciaries. IL II
n good sign when the citizenship o
any given locality. State, or section
give expression TO their real sentiment
without being bound by party lines o.
held through partisan obligations. Th'
ones who uniformly refuse to givo any
credit to independent voters are thu
party zeslots, the bosses. the pic'coun
ter men, and tho managers and re
tainers of the party machine.
IL WAS all the more surprising, there
fore, to see in the hide bound Smoo
organ yesterday morning long
winded, big-type editorial in praise OF
Independent voters. Reading that arti
Gle, however, and getting the rea
nea ming of it, we find that it simply
means, not independent voting as gen
orally understood and as properly de
| fined, but the control by the Smoot
machine of all the voters in the Nor
mon church. TO define independent vot
ing in that way is definition gone mad
for that sort of voting is simply an
emphasized and soul soaring form OF
controlled voting. that goes Immensely
farther than mere machine controlled
voting goes in any part Of the coun
u
which is coerced to vote AGAINST Its
own principles is independent voting Is
to reverse all proper definition and
mako mockery Of the term.
Specifically, the Mormon Democratic
vote in this county, and to consldera
BILE extent throughout the State, but
IN this county particularly, was driven
bodily into the Republican ranks. This
driving was by the church authority
The church eccIcsiasts were the ones
that did the driving. The voters had
no choice. They by preference would
have voted their own party ticket, but
were not permitted to do SO by their
church dictators. They were compelled
TO desert their own party and Join the
Republican party. This not only on
local nominations but on the Congress
sional ticket, which would offer Just
ground for a Democratic House to in
vestigate the political situation In
Utah with Wow to ascertaining e
whether we have here not only Re.
publican form of government but a
popular government III fact. Such In
vestigation would disclose that we have
nothing of the kind, but theocratIc
ing the votes of the members of their
church at the will of those theocrats,
aud without regard to the will of the
voters.
IL is always important to know what
any writer or speaker intends by the
words he uses in expressing himself.
Applying this proposition to the Snoot
organs editorial on this subject, we
find that its idea of independent vot.
ing is for the priesthood Of the domi-
voters Of that church into voting the
ticket Of party to which they do not
belong, and whose principles they, if
left to themselves, would resist. To
thus define independent voting is some
thing. so very different from what the
country in general understands as lnde-
pendent voting, that it must be put
where it belongs, in a separate class
by itself The evident intent of the
writer of the Smoot organ 8 editorial
was to libc and derde. In so doing be
has disclosed mendacity of mind,
a corruption of heart, and d conscience
less rascality in political principle that
would bring the blush TO the check of
a Tammany ward heelcr.