The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-14
1T BEGINS TO WEAKEN.

We notice that tho Smoot organ is
weakening in its partisan claim con-
cerning the commission form of gov
ernment for cities in Utah. 1t began
the discussion of the various phases
of the political situation as regards
that commission form Of government
with whoop and hurrah, calling upon
the people to note what great things
the Republican party (alias the Federal
bunch) had done for Salt Lake in the
way Of providing it with commission
form of government. We accepted the
presentation of the organ on this point,
and called attention to the fact that
the legislature which adopted the form
Of commission government which was
imposed upon us was the most subser-
Went body to the Federal bunch that
any legislature ever was TO any gang
of bosses. And still the organ kept up
the jubilant whoop that it was the Re
publican party that had done it.
But now all at once the organ sounds
a retreat, at the same time piping a
feeble partisan claim that il was the
Republican party that did it after all.
1t sets forth the names of those who
have been advocating Il commission
form of government here for some years
past, and now claims that it was be.
cause of that advocacy that the Fed
eral bunch determined TO pass the law,
THE ic LOT from tc
inal partisan claim that it was the Re-
publican party that did it all. And fur
ther, 1T is to be noted that the com
mission form Of government enacted
and forced on Utah cities is by no
means the form advocated by the good
citizens whom it names. AS stated at
the time of the passage of the emascu-
lated and altogether unique form of
commission government imposed upon
Salt Lake City by the arbitrary power
of the Federal bunch, the form adopted
left off the 'frills;o this, it was under
stood, to conform to the demand of
Governor Spry. The commission form
Of government as advocated by the
friends of the commission system is one
thing; the commission form OF govern
ment arbitrarily imposed upon the city
of Salt Lake is quite another thing, as
was demonstrated by Councilman Nc
Kinney in his review Of the whole mat
ter in last Sundays Tribune. To say
that the commission form of govern
ment which the Federal bunch has i'm,
posed upon this city is the commission
form Of government advocated by the
citizens named in the organ yesterday
morning is to belle the facts and mis-
represent the situation altogether. To
claim that the commission form of gov
therefore ii ought to be success here,
loses sight of the fact that the com
mission form of government which we
are to have is entirely different from
that has been a success elsewhere.
There is no precedent anywhere for the
sort of commission government that we
are forced to have in Salt Lake. Con
uo RiCNCuNhb Shn w 'ibNH
that is of any value as to the probable
success of the form we face.
1t is all very well for the organ of the
Federal bunch to take shelter behind
the names which it parades; but the
shelter does not, in fact, cover the act
Of the Federal bunch, for the reasons
stated, But even while seeking that
shelter, the organ reiterates its claim
that it was the Republican party that
enacted the law, and it keeps constant.
~ to the front the fact of that par.
tisanship. It's attitude simply means
that the Republican party must get
whatever benefit is possible TO be de-
rived from the enactment of this COM
mission form of government, but that ii
is an exceedingly wicked thing for any
other party to undertake to get any par
tisan advantage out of it. 1t wants par
tisanship TO be recognized, admitted,
and accorded advantage, to be sure, but
only the Republican party and the Fed
eral bunch. Any other party seeking
to get any benefit out of II is a de-
graded and wicked party, that should
be drummed off of the face Of the earth.
But for the Republican party to get
advantage is nothing more than its due;
and this the organ constantly insists
upon at the same time that it condemns
any other party that would undertake
for one moment to allow any partisan
ship to enter into the matter in the en-
suing election in salt Lake.
A searcher Of the Rockefeller gene
alogy reports that his ancestors werc