The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-02-21
sMooT oGRAN DEFINES ITSELF.

pleasant thus 10 sec a rogue wrlthc. In |
contrast with tho attitude of the Smoot
organ, we print the following letter
as i sample OF the Endorsements which
VIC receive with respect TO our position
affecting tho commission:
salt Lake city. Feb. ~. 1872.
Editor OF The Tribune: ! note with
pleasure your impartiality in defending
Inc Cy d3I GGmmSs9n Es and sSonG soGG b@ mSsf en
couragcd. in fact ! believe they nave tne
good viii Of the best citizenship OF the
GlE boca t%I tcN % WIZ wv 'oSe ngy buman s19 but on
the whole their honesty OF purpose must
be conceded.
CITARLEs A. HERMAN.
That, VIC believe, expresses the fair
Judgment OF the people Of this city
upon The Tribune's attitude respect
ing the commission.
But the Smoot organ, true to its
pic-counter ideas of principle, insists
that The Tribune has received consld.
Grafton Of some sort, that 1t was bar
tered to the commission for an appoint
ment. cheap city Job. yet high price
for Tribune approval We should be
glad 10 hear something about this, for
that matter is wholly unknown to tins
paper. The Tribune has never asked
any appointment Of the commission,
and so far as known, has received no
appointment. whether ga cheap city
iob' or otherwise. OF course, how
ever, the Smoot organ must necessarily
consider that something Of that KIND
is the consideration, since it knows
nothing else in its treatment of public
affairs. With that organ everything Is
a matter Of bargain and sale, OF com
pensatiou for support rendered. Inc
Tribune. however. is not that Kind OF u
paper. and has made no bargain what
ever with the commission, has received
no appointment or Job for anybody
and is not asking any
The organ seems unable to under
stand how it is that The Tribune, hay
ing opposed the commission at the cleo
ton. can now have the heart to give 1T
courteou treatment and a fair trial
in its official capacity. This also, as we
have said heretofore, is marked diff
ference between The Tribune and the
Smoot organ We fought the commits
sion fairly and openly in the cam
paicn- The morning after the campaign,
we stated that The Tribune would give
IL fair and honest support, something
quite different from the evil. dlsreputa-
BILE. and malignant treatment which the
American city administration had re-
ceivcd from the opposition press. Inat
promise we fulfill This does not mean,
OF course, that we are committed 10
ANYTHING and everything which the
commission may do, nor the commission
| form Of government, nor the commits
| sion itself, only that we will give 1T a
| fair show, will approve those things
that seem TO us just. and when any
| thing that we do not approve IS done
We will condemn it fairly and squarely
This is another difference between the
Smoot organ and The Tribune
The organ saws that "for many years
The Tribune has been fighting for what
IL alleged to be a principle. Quite
true, we have been so fighting, and arc
SO fighting vet. But the organ, In eX
| planning what that principle rs, pro
ceeds 10 say in the same sentence, that
Hall public men who arc members OF
a certain creed were shamcfully abused
and Iibcledr IF this Is the sort Of
principle that the organ thinks Tb'
Tribune was fighting for, we cannot
blame il for its blind perverslty. But
so far as that is concerned, The Trlb
une is quite willing 10 rest upon 1T
record; il has abused nobody, libelec
nobody, aud condemned none on accoun
of his creed. The principle that Th'
Tribune maintains is the principle o
individual liberty and opportunity po
liticslly, indnstrially, and commercially
IN Utah as in all other parts Of th
United States. These opportunihe
have been shut of absolutely in polite
and largely IN business, by close or
cauiZation here which is opposed 10 tn
American principles of individual free
dom. and is so organized as To shut OIL
the exercise of individual liberty Il
, many directions That we have bee
D Sighting. and are now fighting, and shal
5 continue 10 fight We do not sec. how
D ever. that this principle is involved i
g the acts or doiugs of the municipal con
= mission. II at any time this commi;
/ sion should place itself on the side o
e those nroscriptivc measures The Trit
une will be found opposing It unde
t the same old standard of liberty an
C equality.
II The organ finally expresses its di
0 trust of The Tribune s support 9
y President Taft. and rccltes again tn
: Booth whine which he falsely attr
a buted 90 Attorney-G cncral Wickcrshar
about Tho Tribune being "a backbi
ing. unreliable sheet. impossible to b
- lieye - This time however, he omi'