The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-05-21
THE PROHIBITION ROAD.

| Clearing House Association has do
clarcd against prohibition, and that
the labor organization called the Build
ing Trades Council has also taken its
stand in opposition TO prohibition. In
some respects these two associations
might be taken TO represent extremes
in the business world The Clearing
House Association Is the core or heart
Of the moucycd activities Of the city.
The Building Trades Council represents
a very strong element in the labor in
lustrics. and doubtless the voice which
il utters against prohibition will be
echoed further by other labor Orgaui.
zaiions. But the union of these two
opposite clements Of the financial and
industrial world, both speaking against
Prohibition, is certainly significant of
the situation in Salt Lake.
The uncertainty of the law and the
misunderstanding with respect to it
are cxemplified in the fact that large
petitions have been signed and pre-
senied TO the county commissioners,
calling for elections in the county out
side of the city, where no such elcc
tions arc required in the law. The
rural districts are, by this curious
statute, supposed to be ali dry. and TO
remain dry. 1t is only in the cities
that there is supposed to he liberty Of
choice on this matter. And the pre-
sumption Of the law. 50 far as the
cities are concerned, is in favor Of the
liquor traffic, and against it in the
rural districts.
1t was argued vchemcntly in the
legislature which passed this law that
the country districts had just as much
right to have elections and to settle
this matter for themselves as the city
districts. Undoubtedly that is the
truth. If tile law had been framed TO
meet this Just and fair proposition, it
would have avoided a main point Of
Standardization But it was put
through with diverse presumptions, and
right there would seem to be ground to
challenge the validity of this statute,
which was also susceptible of challenge
on other grounds.
Hundreds of people who have signed
petitions in the rural districts for an
election on the prohibition question
are withdrawing their names there.
from now that they understand the
terms of the law. Those who peti-
toned for the election did so. for the
most part, for the purpose of estab-
fishing prohibition in the rural dis
tricts, just as prohibition is enforced
in the cities in the residence districts.
bition by presumption without an cleo
ton, those who wish through the cleo
tion to obtain prohibition are content
with conditions as they are.
In Cache county it appears that the
church officials are actively aiding
prohibition, sending out missionaries to
preach it. They will probably be called
down for this later on, and rebuked,
The church has never thus far been for
prohibition, and we assume that it will
not be so this year. This assumption
is all the more to be made because the
great champions of prohibition in the
| church of two years ago, who were
then silcnced, are silcpccd yet. If the
| church ban against prohibition were
| lifted, we would hear from these men
in full cry. They would he out now as
| they were out during the winter of
1909, rampant for prohibition. But
the church power fell upon them and
blighted their prohibition activities as
frost kills d pumpkin vine in night
| There has been nothing more from
| these worthless in the way of rampant
prohibition outcry since they were
squelchcd two years ago. The letter
which Apostle-Senator Smoot sent tc
President Smith explaining that the
interests including the liquor inter
ests, must not be opposed in Utah be
cause those interests were friendly tc
Smoot and it was through their influ
cnce that he retained his seat in the
Senate, has ruled on this question ever
since. The letter said this substan
TALLY, AS we are informed, and as Z
good many others who have heard from
that letter are convinced. If this is &
wrong view, biased report OF The
contents Of that letter, then by al
means let us have the contents OF thai
letter and know Just what it does say
II will be remembered that President
E. H. Roberts, in his sensational speech
in tho Salt Lake Theater, dared the
church politicians and the Fedora
bunch to produce that letter. TheJ
have not done so; and since the mean
ing Of it as above set forth has beer
printed from time TO time without OBJ
lection, We presume there will be NJ
voice raised against that interpreta
tion of tho letter at this time. w
should be very glad indeed to priu
that letter if the authorities woul'
allow it TO become public; for we hav
40 disposition in the world 10 misiudg
it., to misreprcsent it. or TO give any