The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-09-22
THE REPUBLICAN" ACTION.

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publicans on Friday are OF fair average
quality, and the legislative ticket is IN
usual In that it carries the names of
four women ont of the ten nominees
for the lower house Of the legislature.
! It has not been tho custom Of the - Re
publican" party here to give nomina-
tions to women where they felt conf
dent OF electing their nominees, and
so the nomination OF four women on
the legislative ticket is fairly TO be
construed as confession at least OF
uncertainty. If not of fear of losing the
election.
But it is in the matter Of the plat
form where the curiosity OF the action
| of the county convention comes in.
That platform is already repudiated in
part by the party organ, which was
swift to declare its opposition to Ger
tain Of the planks. The organ de-
nounces the planks for the recall, ana
for the direct primary. 1t might well
also denounce other parts of the plat
form, and especially docs the platform
need bracing up where it so fervently
Endorses the Utah legislature aud at
the same time points out so many de
fects in the work OF that body. lhis
county platform runs counter to the
State platform Of the same party In
matters pointed out by the organ. There
appears to be lack of conference all
through in the party sentiments and
the party declarations, this county
platform being unique, contradictory In
itself, and in opposition to the decIara-
tions OF the party in State convention
assembled
This county platform was pleased
"to call the attention OF all fair-mlnd-
ed citizens to the splendid record OF
sound, public-spirited, and progressive
law-making made by the Last lcgisla'
ture." And yet that legislature raised
more deviltry with the laws and settleu
public policies Of this State than any
legislature that ever assembled IN
Utah. It forced the commission form
Of government upon the various cities
without regard to the will OF those
cities with respect to that form; it dis
rupted all settled policies with regard
to the liquor question by the passage OF
the law which even now gives rise TO
wordy and constant chickering's between
the city and county attorneys as TO lts
terms. Other obnoxious acts OF that
same legislature might be pointed out,
and some of the derelictions Of that
body are pointed out plainly in the
very platform which has such spe
cious Endorsement of that legislative
body.
The legislature, for instance, is ar
raigned for not giving sufficient sup
port to the Juvenile courts; IT is ar
raigned for not creating State Bu-
reau OF Immigration; it is nrraigned
passes on the railroads of this State; 1t
Is nrraigned for passing tho commits
sion form Of government and forcing
that form upon the cities without guar
anteeing TO the people the right to rs-
call these officials where occasion de-
mands such action; 1t Is arraigned for
not passing an anti-speed law so as to
require the court to give violators of
tha. law sentences in prison; 1t is ar-
raigned for not passing a direct pri-
mary law; 1t is erraigned for not pass
ing a public service commission bill
and the Republican administration is
arraigned for not appointing women
son all appropriate State boards and
particularly all boards concerning edu-
cation and reform
All this makes 8 pretty stiff arraign-
ment Of legislature which is indorsed
as having a "splendid record Of sound,
public-spirited, and progressive law
making It Is almost as bad cen
sure as the Democrats made. With all
Of these dereEctions charged in this
platform against that Republican legis.
lature, it seems curious indeed that
there should be such hearty indorse-
ment OF it. What does the Republican
party of this county expect of a legis-
lature, and why should legislature be
so warmly indorsed that is found dere-
lict on so many counts?
But the legislature was not derelict
alone In the matters pointed out by the
Republican platform Of this county.
The members of that legislature vio-
lated their sworn oaths when they re-
fused to make legislative apportion-
ment of this State based upon the Fed
eral census of 1910. Each member took
his oath, severally and individually,
to obey the mandates of the constitu-
ton. One Of those mandates is that
the State shall be apportioned into
senatorial and representative districts
on the basis of the population found to
exist IN it by the Federal census lat
est taken. The legislature which is so
heartily indorsed in this convention re-
fused to make such an spportionment,
the result being that we are now elect
ing members Of the Legislature on the
basis of census taken more than
twenty-five years ago, and which abso-
.A-1., fo.