The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-20
WHY IS 1T INSoLENCE?

dhilidJeu With lt' In pursuance oil InlS
investigation, it has called quito mum,
Der Of noteworthy persons supposed to
have knowledge OF the manner in
which the trust was formed. of the vari-
Gus operations whereby competition was
killed and the markets Of the country
placed altogether in the hands of the
big trust.
In the course of this investigation il
became evident that the big trust had
It's tentacles around a number Of the
beet sugar factories Of this country
and especially that the big trust had
its grip upon the local sugar trust of
Utah and Idaho. The factories of
these two States have been combined
under the Presidency OF President Jo
seph Z. Smith OF the Mormon church,
and it became evident to the members
Of the Investigating committee that it
was desirable to inquire into the local
sugar trust here, and its connection
with the big trust. In order to make
that inquiry, the committee determined
that 1t was necessary to have the tes-
timony of President Joseph F. Smith,
the head of the local sugar trust here, as
the best evidence it could get. A
courteous telegram was dispatched to
President Smith asking his presence
He sent telegram signifying his re.
luctancc TO 60, pleading pressure of
business here and i'll health through
sciatica as the reason why it would be
lnconvenient for him to appear as a
witness. and he stated that others
knew fully as much. if not more, about
I he details Of the sugar trust here than
he did.
The committee thereupon asked him
courteously If he would come without
a subpoena or whether he would insist
upon being subpoenaed as a witness.
His reply gave them TO understand
that he would not appear unless he
was subpoenaed. Thereupon Represen.
tative John E. Rakcr OF California
moved that President Smith be ordered
to appear, and the committee. without
dissenting vote, adopted the motion.
Upon this state of facts the Smoot
organ here arraigned the investigating
committee as indulging in " piece
Of insolence. and the telegram of
Chairman Hardwick as piece Of
gratuitous iElpertinence, - And il adds,
However, the President of the Nor
mon church or any other Utah citizen
is probably considered fair game in
Washington, to be bullied to the limit,
inasmuch as there Is little in the Utah
situation that can bring encourage
ment to the Democratic heart
Two things are evident in that way
of looking at the matter. First, that
the Smoot editor considers President
Smith a more sacred character than
other witnesses who have appeared
before the committee, some uudoubted
ly without a subpoena and others
doubtless after having been served
There is not the slightest reason for
alleging disrespect TO President Smith
in this matter. for he was asked
courteously in the first place whether
he would go without being subpoenaed
His reply was IN effect in the mega
tive; he would not go unless he were
ordered by the issue of the subpoena
We do not sec what possible course the
committee could have taken otherwise
than TO issue the process. There was
no sufficient reason for excusing Pres
idept Smith as a witness in this case :;
he is the most prominent official Of
fhe local sugar trust. The men prom
ineptly identified officially and as man
ayers of the different departments of
this big trust are the ones who have
been called as witnesses before this
committee. The president and secre-
tary, and the chairman of the execu-
| tive committee Of the big trust were
| all called, and testified. That has been
the rule, 10 call the prominent men,
| the "bie fish, Why should that rule
he departed from in the case of Pres-
dent Smitb7 Why should it be held
i 10 be "piece Of insolence, or n
''piece of gratuitous impertinence, to
order the issue of subpoena for
! President Smith, when he had wired
in effect that he would not go with
out it7 The whole idea at the base
OF such silly, whining complaint is
that President Smith is above The or
dinsry citizenship, and should not be
held TO testify unless he consents TO
do so, even on a request from a com
mittee Of the House Of Representa-
tives duly authorized by the House to
conduct the inquiry in which the tes
timony is sought. This is an as.
sumption that can in no wise be grant
ed. No citizen is SO prominent as TO
be exempt from a public duty of this
kind when his testimony is desired
The testimony of President Taft is
likely to he had in these investiga.
tiops; IL has been openly stated that
1T was desired. The testimony of
ex President Roosevelt, it is also open
ly stated. will be required in the invcs-
tigstion of the steel trust 1t Ger
tainly should he had on the rPypla.