The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-30
ITS BAFFLED CONFESSION.

The Smoot paper yesterday took two
columns in large type to show its in
ability to get the news of the Tooele
bank robbery case. This was perhaps
necessitated on its part on account of
politics, for we do not know of any
thing that would bring the Smoot paper
to it's knees in humble confession like
this, except political stress. 1t is
characteristic of that paper that every
thing that comes up must pass through
the political mill It makes no differ
ence what it is, the touchstone of poll
tics must be applied, from a scorching
drought to torrential rain. 1t is an
evil influence in that paper all the time
that it is obliged TO run everything into
its little political groove; but has its
advantages in this case in forcing the
Smoot paper to tell the truth about its
ina biity to get the news
At the same time, the Smoot paper
confessed that The Tribune has the
news, which in general way is true.
The Tribune has the news, and gives
it to the public as fast as it gets it,.
But in this obscure deal, which the
Smoot organ is apparently undertaking g
to help through for the suppression of
the facts in the Tooele bank robbery
case, The Tribune has not been able TO
get at the bottom facts yet, and pos.
sibly may not be able to do so, any
more than it did in another famous
bank case here; but it is trying it's best
and hopes to succeed 1T will succeed
if it is not baffled by the political game
of which the Smoot paper seems to be
the exponent.
Some days ago The Tribune stated
that 1t was convinced there was a
fourth man in the Tooele bank robbery.
someone whose name had been sup.
pressed, perhaps by the officers, who
probably know who he is, or at least
know that he is on sacred ground where
they may not intrude. The Smoot pa
per apparently has got that far now,
but it is behind as usual. Yet all at
once it wakes up to the probability
that there is a fourth man involved,
whom the official influences are un-
dertaking to shield, and it wonders if
The Tribune knows who that man is.
But The Tribune is not sure of that
man. 1t has pointers leading to sew
cral individualities, but it does not
wish to do any one injustice, and has
no intention of printing further names
until it can be sure that the names it
prints are, in fact, the names Of those
who are guilty. There has been too
much printing Of names at random in
this case, so much that the Tooele of
fcials have been obliged to give Ger.
tfcates of clearance to some whom
they publicly charged with the rob
berry.
The Tribune insists that the official
probing in this case shall 90 to the
bottom. and that all the facts shall be
brought to light, This appears to dis
turb the Smoot organ very much, and
is further evidence of the assumption
that we make; that it is interested in
this matter on account of politics, and
on that account is willing to allow jus.
tice to be blindfolded and the law to
be mocked The Tribune, on the other
hand, insists that there has no business
to be any politics in this case; that
even-handed justice must be meted out
to the offenders; that it is wrong to
those who have been upjustly accused
of this crime to compound the felony
or suppress the facts, and a gross sean
dai on public justice. That it is wrong
to the public and bad for all business
interests that can be named in that
connection, to have the officers wink al
crime and cover up felony, is self
evident truism. 1t is no reply TO this
position to say that political inhu-
ences must be allowed to intervene
that influential persons ought not to
be implicated, and that men who have
future before them ought not to have
that future ruined by the exposure OF
| their crimes. The Tribune insists, and
has insisted right along, that that SORT
Of thing has no place in the investiga
| tion and punishment of crime. We cal
upon the officers of Tooele county to
| do their full duty, and if they are dere
| hct in this. then the courts Of this dis
| trict, in which Tooee county is. should
intervene with a strong hand, and di
rect that every possible effort be made
| to vindicate the law and mete out
Justice, If the Tooele officials are
either unable or unwilling to do this
| the court can supersede them by tho