The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-21
THE DEAL EXPLAINED.


the people of this city, taking notice
of the fact that prohibition is not, in
fact. before the voters for decision
as a good many suppose il to he, asks
how ii comes that the question has got
into such deplorable and impracti.
cal rut as it has. To which we reply
that il is one of the miserable results
of the wretched political CHI
canery so prevalent in Utah. The suppo.
siiion that prohibition is to be voted
upon is simply bluff that is being
sprung upon the public by the Federal
bunch, which laughs in its sleeve at the
deception which it has sprung
The law under which the election
is to be held on next Tuesday eX-
pressly reserves to the breweries, dis
tilleries, and wine makers the right
to sell their products in five gallon
| lots TO any purchaser No matter
what tho people may vote. nor by
whatever majority they may declare
against sale this right to sell and
| buy remains The people cannot, 10y
their votes, stop the selling Of beer
| in this city, they cannot stop the max
| ing and selling of wine provided any
one is established in that business. nor
can they prevent any distillery already
established making whisky and selling
| it in five gallon lots 10 any customer
who applies, and the manufacturers
can sell il in less lots TO any licensed
| dealer. The result of this is, as has
! been stated. that any one wanting u
drink of whisky must buy five gallons
of whisky; any one wanting glass
of beer must buy kcg of beer. The
supposition that this will tend 10 tcm.
perance is one of the curious assump-
tions of which we find so many afloat
in uninformed minds.
But why did the question get into
this shape? The answer viii not take
book to give. IT will he remembered
that in 1909 the legislature was, on its
assembling, thoroughly prepared 10
vote prohibition upon the State OF
Utah. II was an almost unanimously
Republican legislature. and the lower
house proceeded speedily to pass a
drastic prohibition bill The Senate.
however, held 1T up. and the liquor
forces which had contributed very
largely TO the Republican success, by
reason of their Fdicl1er' with the
Federal bunch, proceeded to get in
their work. The Federal bunch stood
by its bargain with the liquor deal
ers. and determined TO suppress all
prohibition legislation: and did sup
press it.
Active workers in the church, in
cluding President Ncphi l.. Morris and
Elder b. f. Grant. seeing the activity
of the Federal bunch in opposition to
prohibition. wired 10 the Congression-
al delegation in Washington, asking
that the Federal officials here be
called off from their active opposi-
tion TO the prohibition cause. Reply
ing To this in behalf of the delegation,
and for himself personally, Apostle
Senator Smoot referred President
Morris and Elder Grant to a letter
Joseph f. Smith on the subject, That
letter has never been printed. but IL
was effective in squclching the prohl-
bition movement II WAS stated at the
time that this letter was n plea from
Senator Smoot in behalf Of the liquor
interests; that he represented that the
"intcrests' in general had been the
power which retained him in his scat
in the Senate, and that among those
interests the liquor interest was promi-
nent. Therefore. it would be, not only
an offense to him, personally. but a
piece of ingratitude for the State of
Utah TO do anything adverse TO the
general liquor interests of the coun-
try. since those interests sustained
Smoot in his seat; that prohibition must
not be allowed TO prevail in Utah, and
that some other means of dealing with
the liquor question must be found.
When the matter was hot before the
people, Elder Brigham Fl. Roberts had
an open meeting in the Salt Lake
theater, in which this whole matter was
gone into. and speaking Of the suppress.
sion Of the letter from Apostle-Senator
Smoot to President Joseph f. Smith,
Elder Rroberts. who had evidently
heard pretty good version Of what
that letter contained. dared the Repub.
licaB church politicians to print that
letter That dare has never been ac-
cepted to this day, and, though mum
Der of people know pretty well what is
in that letter and understand its real
purpose, and have given out their recol-
lection Of it, the letter itself. although
Of vast public interest and designed TO
sway public decision on this great ques-
tion has never seen the light.
Last year Apostle Smoot took charge
Of the campaign himself. and had an
an ambiguous sort of plank put in the
Republican State platform, which
seemed to promise something for prohi-
L =. 81 60. III