Evening star., 1919-03-09
SENATOR REED sMOOT.

hiNey sE
me before l was OF age, or about the
time that reached my ma jority.
"A prosecuting attorney. of course.
ought to be a lawyer. l felt obliged.
therefore, to qualify for my duties.
Moreover. the Army being closed to
me, | already had decided to study
law. I served two terms in the legis-
lature and then took the law course
at the University of Michigan
X X
My practice began at Provo city
where l entered into partnership with
Samuel r. Thurman, now one of the
justices of the supreme court of Utah.
and George Sutherland. whom, in 1917.
] succeeded In the United States Sem
ate. President Cleveland, in 1893. ap-
pointed me a justice of the Utah su-
preme court. Utah still being a terri
tory. and l served In that office until
1896, when Utah became a state.
THAT year. 1896, Mr.. Bryan. as you
know, ran for President. i came east
to help in his campaign and while
away from home was nominated for
Congress. l only made one speech in
my district, but l was elected by a
majority of $1,000 votes. 1 declined a
denomination because l had deter
mined to be a candidate for the United
States Senate. A deadlock in the legts-
lature, however, prevented the cleo
ton of any one. In the meantime l
had removed to Salt Lake City and
was practicing my profession there.
Later. when Brigham FL. Roberts
was deprived or his seat in Congress
on the ground that he was a polyga-
mist. Judge King was chosen to fill
out his unexpired term. He was a can
didate for representative in the Fifty-
eighth and Fifty ninth Congresses.
The republicans swept the state,
however, and elected all of their nom
inees, local and national. He also ran
for the Senate in 1905 and 1909 and
twice again was defeated by the re-
publican candidates At last, in No
vemher, 1915. he was elected. His ma
iority was $4,000 votes. The power of
choosing senator's had been taken
away from legislatures and given di-
rectiy to the citizens themselves
While a judge and lawyer, during
a period of twenty-eigh years Sem
ator King studied the history of gov
ernments and their Jurisprudence,
from the age of Moses to the present
day. Seemingly he has read all of the
decisions of the United state Supfem @
Court and the speeches of such op-
posing orators as Alexander Hamilton
and James Madison, George f. Hoar
and George g. Vest, John j. ingalls,
and Isham G, Harris, william b. AL
lison and Roger q. Mills. John Sher-
man and Daniel w. Voorhees,.
The political heroes of his youth
were, in the main, southern men, as
were the heroes Of old Thomas r.
King himself, And yet Senator King
appears to be proud of the fact that
his ancestors lived in Massachusetts
or New York. Among his most cher
ished doctrines is that which recog-
nizes and fercely safeguards the
rights of states.
aside from peace" the interviewer
asked. what Is the most important
question OF the day?"
The greatest issue, in my judg-
ment is whether our form of govern
ment is to endure" Senator King an
swered. and whether We are to lose
our national spirit and aim and be
swallowed up by internationalism, by
a supernation that takes In the whole
world.
Are we to remain vlrile, enter
prising and achieving people, or are
we to become a mushy, nerveless and
spineless mass In whom the old pas
sionate love for our own country Is
dead? But will not follow this par.
tiouiar subject any further i.i - ~ y
.Yhese is another matter. HowevefJ J