The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-05-04
be exceedingly difficult for the Imperial
forces TO put IL down
SHAPING UP THE FIGHT.

The campaign in Utah. from which
the vote will he had on June eth in
the various voting units, as To whether
these shall be ''wet' or "dry' as
related to the liquor traffic. is begin
ming TO shape up, The aggressive cam
paign. especially at the first, will be
on the "dry' side. The prohibition
lists are active and Jealous Undoubt-
edly in large areas in Utah, especially
where there arc no great market cities.
the prohibitionists are likely to pre-
vail, although this is by no means
certain the result depending largely
upon the final attitude OF the church
leaders upon this question.
II will be remembered that, at the
time OF the legislative session of 1909,
the church organ was out hot and fast
on the prohibition side, until all at
once one evening it announced that
great efforts had been made to silence
its voice on this question, but that 1t
would not keep still, hat it was for
prohibition and would fight for pro
hibition to the end. But that was its
final squeak. 1t indulged in no more
prohibition argument. Prior to the
legislative session during the summer
of 1905, the Smoot organ had appeared
to be for the 'drys," by springing the
question, "Why should Utah not have
Prohibition7' It obtained opinions
from every one it could and seemed
to be a radical prohibition paper, All
at once it stopped and switched to the
other side, the reason being that, after
IT had frightened the liquor interests
sufficiently, it made terms with them,
got their support for the Smoot ticket,
they paying some forty-odd thousand
dollars into the Republican corruption
fund, n large slice of which, it is un
derstood, went direct to the Smoot or
gan. And il had the cheek to deny
that ii had ever advocated prohibition
or ever thought that prohibition would
be good for Utah! This after months
of work apparently for prohibition, but
in fact only to frighten the liquor men
and put them in the frame Of mind |
where they could be sufficiently
Z" MIXED -
The chief church organ, the Deseret
News, is conducting a prohibition cam
paign now very much like the one it |
conducted something over two years
ago, Its effort in this direction, how.
ever, is liable to the same cramps that
then overcame it, so that no one can
depend upon the attitude Of the church
leaders on this question at this time.
These can silence all opposition to the
liquor interests, as they "squelched -
President Nephi l.. Morris and other
Mormon prohibition workers.
The Smoot organ, of course, will be
the organ of the liquor dealers by vir-
tue of the bargain with the LIQUOR
men and the sale Of the Republican
party to their interests, The Smoot
organ, when this question was up be-
fore, sneerlngly taunted the prohibi-
.ionists with not being Republicans. 1t
stated squarely that there were no Re-
publican prohibitionists in Utah This
was borne out by the campaign of last
Fall, where the Republican party
placed itself squarely against prohibi-
ION, the Democratic party having de"
,lared for it. And, inasmuch as the
church influence supported the Repub.
lean party last Fall on that issue,
which was the leading issue of the
it is not easy to see why
my change should be made in the line.
lp on this question this year What
'ver Others may do, we shall find the
Republican party as a party Just where
t was last Fall, opposing prohibition
That is part Of its bargain with the
liquor interests. And it is understood
hat prominent member of the Fed
sral bunch political boss gang will be
The active agent for Utah to manage
hp f,n nb Gov %bo |