The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-03-18
THE ORGANS RASCAGITY.

The Smoot organ some time ago un-
dertook to claim that the city commits"
sioners had "bought The Tribune,
basing its charge, which was vicious
and wholly false one, both against the
commission and The Tribune, upon the
untrue allegation that the commission
had appointed somebody TO office at
the solicitation of the general man
ager OF The Tribune or somebody au-
thorlzed to speak for this paper. We
made specific and absolute denial of
any transaction of the kind, and de-
mandcd proof if the organ had any to
offer 1t had none, and it dropped the
charge.
| Yesterday morning, il renewed its
charge that The Tribune had been
bought" by the commission. but
that it had refused TO "stay bought. -
The ground for the charge this time is
that The Salt Lake Telegram got the
contract, as the lowest bidder, for ad
vcrtising called for by the commits
sloners. The newspapers OF the city
all bid on that advertising, and the bid
of each of the papers was made pub,
lie. The statement showed that the
Telegram was the lowest bidder, and
accordingly it got the work. 1t was
Il perfectly fair, honest, above-board
transaction throughout And yet The
Tribune was bought by the commits
sion, because, according 10 the organ, the
Telegram was the lowest bidder on adj
| vertising called for by the commiSsionl !
! Could rascally and malicious misrepro-
sentation go further than this!
But the organ is exercised because
The Tribune "made a vicious attack
upon the police department, - The
Tribune has made no attack whatever
upon the police department. 1t com
mented upon some remarks made by
Chief Grant, that comment being time
", and having nothing whatever to do
| with ANYTHING but the point brought
up by Chief Grant S remarks. There
was not the slightest connection be
tween that and any advertising or any
other thing whatever.
But surely it will create a laugh, if
not contemptuous sneer, on the part
of those who understand the real situa-
tion here, to see the organ pose as a
defender of Chief Grant. IT has been
reviling him for years, and was fran,
tic with rage when he was appointed
to the head of the police department.
Its former reference to Chief of Po-
lice Grant as ga half baked individ.
ual' who made the first public in.
quIry into the Smoot organ s sudden
and suspicious change Of front on the
liquor question, which inquiry was
made in a signed article "on the front
ago, recalls number of significant
details which were matters of common
discussion at the time. 1t was gener.
ally understood then and has not been
denied since, that the article in ques-
ton was compiled by several gentle
men, all Of them Mormons and all Re.
publicaDs, and that an apostle of the
dominant church signed it with b. r.
Grant, although his name was subse.
quently erased without his request. for
reasons of state. And from remarks
made by the same gentleman at the
Republican Prohibition Convention in
the Salt Lake Theater, he had not repu-
dated anything in that article, not
withstanding denial by the organ. 1T
is well authenticated fact that the
deal was privately confessed By
men connected with the Herald Rcpub-
lican. but the justification was offered
hat such bargain and alliance was
necessary to save the church from the
wicked Americans and to keep its
leaders out of Jail. The same plea
afterwards made in open sessions of
the State Legislature, as the records
will show The unbrotherly hatred Of
thc Smoot organ for the Chief whose
appointment was recommended by the
President of the Church. as was pub
licly announced in December, indicates
crouch Of unusual dimensions sim
liar to the feeling displayed when II
incited Bingham mob to break up his
Temperance meetings and do him bodily
injury, and ii applauded efforts made
to DO those things.
8 The Smoot organ appears TO be abso
, lutely idiotic in its frantic plunges to
make point against The Tribune. If
is incomprehensible why II should make
: such an awful fool Of itself IN this
1 matter. but so il is Its folly abides
with it, and is too deep seated 10 be
D thrown off 1t has made an.utter fall
ure in all Of its charges against The
! Tribune. for the simple reason that
there was and is not particle OF trutf
q in them. while as to the matter referred
: TO in the scandalous liquor denl OF
$ four years ago, there can be no sort OF
, question abont the truth of the charge;
2 then made. and as shown fully in the