The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-11
RESENTING THE LASH.

backs OF the legislators WHO uiu NV
hasten to do tho bidding of the organ
on the liquor question. was tho feature
in the Utah House OF Representatives,
on Thursday Unconscious that the
ground was being dug out beneath ITS
feet. the committee proceeded to labor
on the liquor bill. the formulation OF
which was entrusted 10 IT. But pres
entity there came word that a resolution
of lack Of confidence in the committee
had passed the House. The committee,
rising in wrath, protested; and the
House members FASTENED to the cham
Der Of the body in which they be
lonped Mr. Wootton in hot wrath
excoriated the organ as rag, incon-
cisteut, a damage 10 the party OF
which il pretended 10 be the organ;
and he flatly charged that it was the
organ of the whisky interests, and
not of the party, nor in harmony with
the people in Utah. In this, of course,
Mr. Wootton had abundant JustIflca-
tion in the Matchmaking, treacherous,
! and crooked course of that organ. And
the House was in such entire sympa-
thy with him that with practical una
| nimity it reconsdcrcd and killed the
resolution which it had inadvertently
adopted earlier in he day, this resolu-
tion being, in effect, a censurc of the
spccial committee entrusted with the
drafting of this legislation, and in
spIrcd from the "bunch' source.
II will he remembered that the Judi
ciary committees of the two houses
considered this question long and la
boriously, and undertook to draft
bill which would conform with the Re
publican party s State platform ut the
election last fall. 1t was soon evident
however, that the Republican platform
was susceptible of SO many different
interpretations that il was impossible
TO draft a law that would he accepta-
bic to those who put the different IN
terprctations upon il. And though the
committee was doing its best, the
grumbIing of the Smoot orgap, and
the criticism in the House, caused the
Joint committee to report back 10 both
houses that il was unable to agree
upon any measure that would fulfill
the Republican party pledge. Then
this special committee was chosen, and
now the same antagonizing work Is set
afoot again Those efforts destroyed
the confidence of the legislators IN
the Joint judiciary committees which
undertook TO frame this legislation,
and now the effort is to discredit the
special committee TO which is assigned
the work. There is ample reason Tor
Mr.. Wootton, and others who agree
with him. to charge bad faith on the
part of the party organ and the IN.
tercsts which it represents. At any
rate. Mr.. Wootton was especially vIg'
orous in Tcsenting the lash that was
applied to his back; and be was re-
markably forceful in dcnounc,ng the
sneak tactics which sought to under
, mine the standing of the committee IN
the House, while lie and Mr.. Pope were
absent thercfrom. performing the very
duties which the House had imposed
upon them.
But what we consider the most i'm
portant part of the outburst which re
suited from the bulldoziug tactics oi
the bunch. is the declaration Of Rep
resentative Holman who said bt
thought that the suggestion for th'
resolution which was taken to be ar
insult to the committee and an cX
preston of lack OF confidence in ot
d, had come from the same 'obStruc
:, tionists' who had previously humil
!, lated Joint committee, and from tn,
. persons who had brought Influence Il
bear relative 10 the appointment o
the new committee And Mr.. Hol
- man proceeded to threaten that SOM
L day he would rise to point of per
S sonal privilege and tell the whole in
Y side history of this liquor legislation
h both in committee and ont, and of tn
influences that were brought to bear o.
tins question.
II Now, that is exactly what the peopl
y of this State would like to hear about
IS There is no doubt III the world bu
st that undcrhand and treacherous inflr
% cnce is at work III this whole matte
Mr. Holman had previously made sui
staDtialy the same threat as TO wha
'e he would do. Unquestionably, there
- fore, he knows that these underhau
- and disreputabc influences arc q
10 work. And he probably understand
=" what those influences are, and know
who are using them. He shoul
therefore tell the people what
'' knows abouf it, Because, viii
~ it is true That no one pretend
- that there is any' need of liqu'
~ legislation. the liquor question bein
as we'll settled now as II can be, an
w the only reason urged for any legisl
tion at all 1T this time on this que
a. tion being that the Republican sta
-. platform had pledged it, it is also tr,
- that the people of this State are c
=, titled 10 know what is going on.