The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-09-19
DIDN'T DENoUNcE sMooT.

The report carried in the Chicago
Tribune Of Colonel Roosevelt's visit to
Utah and his speech in Ogden, is an
entertaining one. Tt is also humorous
where it claims that the Colonel as
mighty champion, attacked Smoot. II
gives the general roundup, as The
Salt Lake Tribune did, of Roosevelt g
denunciaton of those who helped to
carry out "the theft" at Chicago, and
that is all; no personal application
was made. IT tells about the interests
Of the Mormon church in business
and politics, refers pointedly to several
individuals and states that "when the
situation is resolved into its fnal
analysis, the way in which Utah 8 vote
in the electoral college will be cast
will be determined largely by the Nor
mon hierarchy. II the church directs
its members to support Taft, he will
have a good chance; if it keeps it's
hands Off he will be out OF the running,
and will fall behind Wilson,
It states that the bulk Of the Repub.
hcan Mormons give Roosevelt credit !
for his helpfulness in "puttiug the |
State upon the map meaning doubt
less his effective aid to Smoot in tho
matter OF retaining Smoot in bis seat
in the Senate that was contested. The |
account states that "Utah is pro-
tectionist State; it has wool, minerals, |
and farm products, and therefore is not |
opposed to any great extent to the high |
tariff attitude Of Smoot and Suther-
land At the same time it states that
the people here care largely for the
things Roosevelt Advocates but it |
is difficult to find out what Roosevelt
does advocate on tho tariff question,
since he has never made himself at all
clear on that point
But the diverting part of the report
Is contained in these two short para
graphs:
Because OF smoot's position in the
church some OF the Progressives urged
that Col. Roosevelt should refrain from
denouncins him as he had done stand
patters in other States. Smoot, however.
IS particularly obnoxious type OF poll
lieian to Mr., Roosevelt. Moreover. Mr..
-
convention discredited him SO far as the
Colonel Is concerned
The Colonels comments on Smoot were
warmly approved by those who heard az
was his statement that to continue sup
port OF Taft and the Republican party
would be TO approve political crime and
thus Identity the supporter with tho
criminal who perpetrated the crime
When it is recalled that the Colonel
made no personal reference to Smoot
at all, and did not directly connect
Smoot with anything that he was op-
posing or denouncing, save only as
Smoot might be in mass of other
people who might quite as we'll suppose
themselves denounced, the effort of the
correspondent to hold Roosevelt up as a
mighty orator who came into Utah and
denounced Smoot to his
face in his home State, is divertipg in
deed.
The truth is that the Colonel abso.
lutely declined to talk about Smoot.
and ignored the pointed question that
The Salt Lake Tribune put to him on
the morning OF his arrival in this State.
We do not charge Colonel Roosevelt
with cowardice in this, but certainly he
ls not entitled to the courageous atti
tude In which his Chicago organ would
place him in this respect Roosevelt s
speech IN Ogden (the only one he made
N Utah) was the tamest, the most in.
offensive, the freest from personal de.
of any speech that he has
delivered during his whole itinerary
10 make him the great champion de-
1ouncer of Smoot in Utah is to ent;relv
Roosevelt's attitude and
lis utterances in this State, and to cause
hose who hear of this alleged ont.
pokenness of his to smile. For. in
Utah at least, Roosevelt cut no champ.
onship figure.