Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1916-07-14
TO Mr.. KELLY.

w this week confirming and sup
plementing the report that you are a
candidate for the Republican nomina-
ton of Secretary of State, subject to
the action of the State convention to |
be held in Ogden, August 9th. We
note your explanations as to why you |
are a candidate for this particular of |
flee and your qualifications for holding |
it. We are also mindful of the fact |
that your record in the office of State |
Auditor is good and clean, and that |
you have been good state official, |
and yet there is one reason why in |
the opinion of this paper you should |
not be candidate this year for the
Office you seek.
Eight years ago the writer was in |
the Republican State convention which |
nominated Jesse Jukes for the office
which you now hold, and to which he
was elected the following November.
At that time no one outside perhaps of
your own county had heard of Lincoln
G.. Kelly. You know, Mr.. Kelley, that
it was Mr.. Jukes that first brought
you to the State Capitol and taught
you the duties of the office you were
subsequently elected to, the same time
ht was NitNitd ONilt lItdSuItIs DN
the terms of the same senseless con-
stitutional provision which you quote
to show that you cannot aspire to the
same Office you now hold, Mr.. Jewkes
is also barred from succeeding him
self either to the Office of auditor or
treasurer, having held both positions.
Yet you will not attempt to deny that
he has made good in both Offices and
hac Hnna f1tIah ~ autnl1fgh fha,.a n.
modern business-like basis. We all
know that he is honest, and an ideal
public official. He has dropped his
private business affairs to serve the
public, and if he returns to private
life he will have to seek out the raw
eled threads where they were broken
eight years ago and in sense start
over again. We said a moment ago
that it was a senseless provision of
our Constitution which precludes an
official from succeeding himself to pub
lie Office as many times as the people
see fit to honor him with their
suffrage; but that provision, good or
bad, is in the Constitution, and there
is no getting around it now. 1t takes
state officer the best part of one
term to become fully acquainted with
the needs of his Office, and if each man
is to be "kicked out" at the end of one
term, good, competent men who stop
to weigh the matter will not become
candidates for these Offices, for the
reason that term is too short time
for which to lay down their private
affairs and take up new and unfa-
miliar calling; for man who has no
private affairs to lie down is not apt
to be very competent public official.
Now, we want to ask you, Mr.. Kel-
ley, If you think that Mr.. Roosevelt
did wise thing four years ago when
he insisted upon running for the pres
idency of the United States, and di-
vided the Republican party by insist
ing upon forcing his candidacy upon
them? Would 1t not have been far
wiser for him to have encouraged the
reelection of Mr.. Taft at that time
and have deferred his ambitions for
four years, when the country would
almost have elected him by acclama-
ton? Mr.. Roosevelt can see this now,
but it takes a wise man to look into
the future and forsee these contingent
cies; and one is apt to overestimate
his own popularity and fitness and to
under estimate the strength of his ri
val. And the question of harmony
and good feeling, even in an official
family, is always worth considering
We all admire royal good fellow
man who appreciates n good turn
and shows an anxiety of returning it,
We equally abhor an ingrate-a man
who like a snake is warmed in his
benefactor's bosom only TO turn and
fasten its fangs in his bosom. Do
not lay yourself open to an accusation
of this kind.
Jesse j. Jewkes is deserving of four
more years of service in the states
official family, based upon his record
for the past eight years The office
of Secretary of State is practically
the only one to which he is eligible
under the terms of the Constitution
1t would lily become you, whom he set
up in business, so to speak, to block
his way to this position, even if you
have enough influence to do so. II
might be attended with a similar eX-
perience as the Roosevelt-Taft episode
above referred TO. You are good
fellow and qualified for the position
Of Secretary of State; but we are tell
ing you candidally and fair that in
our opinion this is an inopportune
time to push your candidacy for this
particular Office. Why not either run
for the Office of treasurer or drop out
of the race for four years, and then
come out for IL? You are a young
man and will doubtless have plenty of
time to run through the category of
state offices to which you may aspire
before you are very old, if you have
the votes Of the people, without lying
your self open to an accusation Of in
gratitude at this time.