The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-25
AN ORGANS HARSH GRIND.

1t is curious fact that the Smoot
organ is obliged to come to the defense
of President Cleveland and the ruin
that his second election brought upon
the country In order to conform its
comments to the singularly erratic and
| exaggerated expressions of Apostle
Smoot in his speech against the Demo.
cratic tariff bill, the Smoot organ is
obliged to reverse history and to claim
that Cleveland S election was the sig
nal for good times. Inasmuch, however,
as President Harrison, while making the
best face possible in recounting the
events of his own administration, was
reduced to the strait of preparing a
bond issue prior to his retirement from
the Presidency, but was prevailed to
withhold it so as 10 let the Democratic
cyclone sweep over the country with
out relief from Republican distress But
every one recalls so vividly the slump
that followed Cleveland s election that
its plea for Cleveland will hardly eff
feet the result which it seeks.
The public recollection is so clear
on the point of the disasters to the
country's business which began imme-
diately after Cleveland s election, that
it is vain to undertake any boosting
up of the Cleveland tragedy. For
Cleveland s second administration Ger.
tainlY was a National tragedy. It was
a tragedy also for the Democratic par
ty, one which has been its handicap
ever since. This handicap has been so
tremendous that nothing but the split
in the Republican party, engineered by
Roosevelt last year, prevented the de-
feat of the Democratic party in the
Presidential campaign in 1912, as usual
Even as the vote stood. it showed a
tremendous majority Of the voters of
the country for protection, counting
the votes for Taft and Roosevelt as
protection votes. as it is fair to do.
The industrial activities of the couu-
try had gone to ruin under Cleveland
that to compare conditions now under
Wilson with those twenty years ago
under Cleveland is simply absurd There
is no such panic in the country now
as prevailed in 1893; quite the con-
trary, Everything now is on q fairly
stable basis, and the idea of a panic
is about the last thing that the people
are considering. 1t is a singular piece
of mendacity and dishonest presenta~
tion for the Smoot organ to undertake
to compare the conditions now with
those that existed during the panicky
conditions in lS93-1s94, in the way of
making them the same Now labor is
employed at unprecedentedly large
wages. There are no industrial ar
mics" either active or threatening
ing plants. There is no widespread
financial panic in the country, In fact,
everything is now under President viii.
son as nearly as possible in exact con.
trast to the conditions that prevailed
during the first year of President
Cleveland's administration. Why il is
that any newspaper should put itself
in a position of undertaking to make
likeness between the conditions now
with those twenty years ago is amaz-
ing. Such effort could be explained
only on the hypothesis that as a faith
full henchman, the Smoot organ must
play the same tune that its master is
playing now in Washington; even
though that tune is a harsh discord, il
must continue to play it Just the same.