The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-09
AMERICANISM DOES IT.
Our pleasing contemporary. the Pro

Our pleasing contemporary the Provo
Post, has under the head, ga Wrong
Impression, the following editorial:
According to The Sunday Tribune. one
would begin TO believe that the Amcri-
can party Is In the saddle at Provo, and
that IL was the guiding star which led
10 q settlement OF the question Of a rail-
road depot last, summer We believe.
however. that The Tribune is taking a
little too much credit TO itself. for We
the American party had anything To do
Win The depot franchise and the cam
summer As far as the Post was able
TO discern, when the people voted either
for or against the franchise, they. were
not voting for. or against any church
and as there was no church issue com
Ing up we can sec no reason why any
should he worked up, into something
wherc the people voted as they choose,
and when The Tribune assumes that the
American party had anything to do with
the question Of locating depot in Provo
they are little bit of. However II Is
only another way Of boastinG upon the
merits of party which is not given the
least consideration outside OF Salt Lake
CitY. and We believe that Tho Tribune
would be doing itself Justice and doing
Provo more good by not trying to stir
up strife and onmlty in this city.
The Post editor must have read that
Tribune editorial with cast in his
eve. The Tribune said nothing about
the American party being in the saddle
at Provo or being the guiding star in
The election on the railroad depot in
Provo last year, What The Tribune
said was that the influence of tho Amer
lean party principles is releasing the
people from church thralldom all over
the State, in many places and many
ways where the American party as such
is moi recognized, This we maintain to
be entirely true, The influence of the
American party and of the independent
views il inculcates has been immensely
powerful throughout tho State in Great
ing a feeling of independence among
voters, and freeing them from their for
dominance. We cited the Provo election
referred to as an instance OF this. I'm
questionahIy ii was good instance Of
it, because under old conditions, with
the high ccclesiasts of the church
coming out in a signed card counscIng
the people 10 vote certain way in that
election, there would i'm former times
have been no question whatever but
that the COUNSEL would have been
followed. There would, in fact, have
been no possible chance for the oppo-
site view to have received any. vote
was the opposing view prevailed, the
church counsel was rejected We claim
that nothing but the American spirit
would have made such a result as this
possible. IT is curious little twist
that the editor Of the Provo paper
takes in claiming that The Tribune
spoke of the American party being in
the saddle at Provo or anywhere else
in the State outside of this city. But
American influence, the leaven of polit-
ical independence. is working every
where, in Provo as in other parts of
the State. It is perfectly right and
sound to credit this TO the American
party influence as we do.
When the Post proceeds TO say that
''when the people voted either for or
against the franchise they were not
voting for, or against any church, and
as there was mo church issue coming
up we can see no reason why any
should be worked up into something
which has gone by ii is clear beg
gng Of the question. OF course nobody
voted for or against a church, and
neither docs the American party op.
pose any church; but those who voted
against the church counsel at Provo
voted against church control in their
civic affairs; and that is the point. The
fact that it is brought forward after
it has gone by, is relevant to our issue
1t would he impossible to bring it
forward as a substantiatcd fact until
after it has passed by. After it has
passed by, and has afforded such an
apt illustration OF tho breaking away
from church control, breaking awav
which would not have been possible
but for the organization and triumph of
the American party in Salt Lake. the
great fact makes the illustration serv-
iceable, exactly Illustrating the point
we desired TO make. And every occur
romeo Of that kind drives another nail
in the coffin Of church dominance in
politics and civil affairs in Utah. and
proclams anew the benefits Of Ameri
can party influence and principles.