The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-08-28
UTAH SENATORS PROMINENT.

UTAH SENATORS PROMINENT.
The prominent position attained by
( Utah Senators in National affairs is
commented upon favorably in the Bos-
ton Globe. We do not see anywhere,
however, any mention of any prom
inencc attained by our ono and only
Representative in Congress. Mr..
Howell appears to be ignored every
where But the Senators are given a
boost by the Globe under the title,
"Utah to the 'front.' as follows:
| In the old days a minister whose list oil
| topics for dcnuncIation was being re-
viscd by his deacons was told Preach
against the Mormons; they haven't any
friends
With Reed Smoot or Utah one of the
| most prominent men In the Republican
steering committee of the United States
| Senate. and Senator George Sutherland
another representative OF the Mormon
State notifying Vice President Sherman
Iof his renomlnation, pastor with Re-
| publican pafishioners must now be care
| lul what he says about the Mormon
backing in the Far West that party
which once declared a certain doctrine
| of Mormonism the twin relic OF bar
| oarism. slavery being the other
|
can party would hardly know It under
| the leadership OF a Mormon apostle, with
Utah the one State in the West conf
IDENTIFY counted on for its candidate.
1t would be pleasant for Utah people
to accept this comment not only at
| its face value, but more, # it were
possible TO do so. with the record OF
the Senators The Globe is Demo.
cratic paper: therefore il is willing to
| gloat over the position in which the
Utah Senators have aided to place the
Republican party. 1t was with the help
Of Smoot as his "whipping boy,
or substitute, that Senator Aldrich
| was able to push through the iniquitous
tariff revision of 1909, which brought
| immediate defeat TO the Republican
party-an overwhelming disaster, in
deed-in the general elections of 1910
AS fairly stated by The Independent,
''The political and other difficulties
Of the situation as affecting the Repub.
lican party have all grown out of the
1909, revision which was promptly
condemned at the polls and for the cor
rection of which the party has since
been able TO do little or nothing
The Republican party has been able
to do nothing toward the correction OF
that colossal bIunder. because the same
old standpat Senators are there yet In
control of the Republican caucus. AT
ter Aldrich voluntarily declined further
election to the Senate, Smoot was left
there as sort of traditional
heritage from him. The prominence
that Smoot obtained as Aldrich s
lieutenant has since been accorded him
bv the Republican Senators. And
vet it was an evil day for
the Republican party. and also for
the country at large. when this prom
inence was attained by Apostle Smoot.
For the American voters visited dire
punishment upon the Republican party,
because, in spite of all warnings, in
spite of all advice, the Republican Sen
ators insisted upon revising the tariff
upward in place OF downward, as
President Taft construed the promise
Of the National Republican platform
of 1905 to mean. And Smoot was
largely instrumental in this.
Smoot never failed Aldricn on any
votes. On every one Of the upward of
| 100 divisions IN the Senate on the Aid.
rich revision of the tariff, Smoot was
there every time, voting for the Aldrich
proposition. Sutherland was there also
| in every one of those divisions, except
| a few.
While. therefore, the people OF Utah
would be glad TO see the prominence
of their Senators at the present time
| in Congress and in the notification OF
the Vice President, they do not forget
that this power is power exercised
in the distress of the Republican party,
and that these Senators were largely
| instrumental in administering the dose
that has been so much the bane Of that
party. The prominence given Utah
Senators is like the glow OF punk in
part of great tree-trunk which
their action has partly deadened.