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Show HI ' ill r ' " II 'II '" Qualifications of Mr. Smoot. Im ; TUo deserving of Mr. Reed Smoot for the po- m sition of United States senator has provoked so A Si!! 1ItUo discussion ,and received so little attention fmm a5' to occasion comment among a few persons IjB ft111 foolish enough to believe that aspirations "for J ill H1G 1)lacG sould bo backed either by merit that is i( claimed, or by merit that is admitted. j'ftjl ' While the election of a few United States sen- jjfhf tors has provoked such wide discussion, it is dis. iHj tinctly noticeable that neither the friends nor the !mI foes of the apostle have had much to say as to ilii hjs .qualifications. The opposition has been cen- I ! tjBred in the fact that he is one of the Twelve f H Apostles of the Mormon church, and while, in the SjU ; main, they seem ready enough to concede the Jh man's personal purity and individual observance jlji ; of the law regarding polygamy and polygamous l'l ' ' associations, they fiercely oppose his being per- I tl! itiittetf to occupy a seat as United States senator H ) .Hi on the ground that he is purely and solely the rep- M yj: , resentative of the Mormon church, together with H fj)wj; all the doctrines now advocated by it or which H tj'lji bay ever been promulgated by it. This Involves H kb9l the contention that he is an Indirect, or tacit, sup. H ' jIRK porter of the doctrine of polygamy; and while, per- I jlffi'l ' PS' guiltless of any overt act against the law, I w b,S every leaninS is in favor of that tenet, and his H j gl!jt every conviction is that those who are practicing I ' wwil' polygamy are doing, God's will and building for B jfj'g'l' themselves mansions in the hereafter that even the m itjilljlj senator-elect cannot enjoy unless he endorses'and m . ujljlJL obeys the same law. H (sjjjjf Those favoring the apostle's election contend m i ijlgg that his opinions, convictions, or principles, are of m : jjl jj Possible concern to anyone but himself and his fl j )jBIj co-feligionists; and that, so long as he violates no M k M 1 law, there can be raised no warranted argument 1 j ' ij'l or legal objection to his taking and maintaining 1 f lia the seat to which he has been elected. 1 Q !p So it has come that Mormons on the one hand 1 i are arrayed in his behalf because he is an apostle. H & 1 M an those not Mormons are opposing him because 1 : w tie is an apostle. It is but fair to say that many !'d I J M are taking sides one way or the o.-ier, because of jjjfi ,ffl Individual delight in seeing the merry war kept B r i mm up" In a11 ls however, the personal deserving B J !JtJ9 of the apostle is overlooked by nearly all but Mr. Hf -mm. Smoot, and there can be little doubt thac he has 1 ' mw drawn more closely around his ambitious shoulders EI $ IPi'Ik tne mantle of political martyrdom, since, in the i ! '? mm act he gains much and loses nothing. i i That there may be no mistake as to the I mm cause of Mr. Smoot's election, I take occasion to 1 111S discuss his individual deserving ror the position rlflffl t0 which he has been chosen by a Legislature of mm jjjii Republican Mormons, aided and abetted by a few B !i'l,?i non-Mormon Republicans who seem to have felt H p j w under politcal obligations to execute the implied RiUlr'Sj wili of their constituents. !l m Perhaps the whole subject might be disposed of I mm by asking what Mr. Smoot could say for himself K v J- H tLS Justify S his claims to the place, or for giving Hy jj , jw color to the widely local prevailing sentiment f a- HHu! S voring his selection among members of the Legis-HP'f.l Legis-HP'f.l ' lature? Hf l' ! M If the ejection was to be a reward for political Hf ?; ;8 services rendered the party, the apostle's claims H JjUflj would be brushed aside a dozen times before his Hf f t 'S name would be consideredjin lavor of others whose KniliS efforts have for years kept pace witn the desires B f I S f the Mormon church authorities to make Utah a hEt,: fl Republican state. There are ... H. Dickson, K ;S George Sutherland, C. E. Allen, Arthur L. rnomas, K 'II H. M. Wells, George A Sniitn, E. H. uallister, the H"i mm apostle's chief est advocate G. E. Loose and a IHw II ! host of others. On every ground of personal pur- H ll' itr and' observance of national and state laws, any K nK one f these men is the peer of Apostle smoot, ! while the public service of any one of them in behalf be-half of the .Republican, party, has been ten times as great as the successful church leader. Hence , he could not claim a right .to the election as a reward re-ward for party services. If the apostle claims the senatorial seat because or an acquaintance with public affairs and a knowl-; knowl-; edge of statecraft, it will surprise all the people : of this state if Mr. Smoot ranks any of the gen-, gen-, tlemen above named, so far as several of those ; suggested are concerned, he is not to be mentioned . in the same century with them. Then it cannot be - claimed he merited his election on the ground ; of political wisdom or deep knowledge of public ; affairs. ! In an interview in an evening publication, he raised the question of business capacity. I think it may safely be held that he is outranked by many members of his own party in this regaru. There can be named M. H. Walker, David Keith, H. C. McMillan, J. R. Walker, Clarence K. McCornick, j among Gentiles who stand fairly well along with the apostle; while the hardiest dare not contend that, as a business man, he Is fit to touch the hem of the garment of W. S. McCornick. Among Mormon Mor-mon business men wto rank him are John C. Cutler, Cut-ler, James Sharp, T. R. Cutler, P. T. Farnsworth, Heber J. Grant, W. W. Riter, and others beside whom, in stability and recognized business sense he is a babe and these are all members of his own church and of the Republican party also. If his ambition is based upon the fact that he is a "member of the dominant church, there are, perhaps, 10,000 voters in the state, none of whose claims could be considered inferior to his own, while heaven knows how many could overshadow him with their deserving. . I submit, in all candor, and in a spirit of fairness, fair-ness, that his warmest admirers can hardly question, ques-tion, and with a knowledge of conditions and af fairs that will not be harshly disputed, that on no one of the points raised is Apostle Smoot deserving deserv-ing of the place above others named. Not because of party services; nor because of acquaintance with public affairs; nor for his business capacity; nor by reason of his membership in his own church for none of these causes does he stand so pre-eminently aloof from all others that his claims should b recognized with such singular unanimity as they have been by the Legislative body which has declared him the MAN to stand for this state as its junior representative in the United States senate. Then why the ease with which he won the prize? There is but one answer possible. Because Be-cause he is a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Latter-day Saints. His election and his retention as a United States senate for Utah is in harmony with a determination on the part of the Mormon people that at least one of their high officials should be forced upon the American people in its highest legislative body. This was the threat made by . George Q. Cannon when he was ousted, years ago. It is a determination that has never been abandoned. The election of Moses Thatcher and B. H. Roberts was opposed by the church, not be- ' cause their ecclesiastical duties (as Apostle and one of the First Seven Presidents of the Seventies, respectively) demanded all their time, but because their choice would not be by direction of the church leaders; and their election, therefore, fail of satisfying a determination long ago made, always, al-ways, deeply cherished, and never abandoned, of compelling their political recognition I)y a body that ousted George Q. Cannon. Tnat is the secret also of the church's later opposition to Moses Thatcher; it ig.the secret of the" continued candidacy candi-dacy of George Q. Cannon before both Democratic and Republican legislatures of this state. It explains ex-plains why members thereof were told it waj Continued on page 13.) - Qualifications of Mr. SmootConiinuedi the will of God that Brother Cannon shbiild be elected United States senator from Utah; it also explains why such Democrats as Able John Evans voted to elect Republican and Apostle George Q. oannon 10 the United States senate. And it explains further, why Apostle Smoot, having failed to earn the place by party service, having neither towering business strength nor striking mental qualities, nor the advantage of long devotion to his cnurch, is, nevertheless, the almost unanimous cnoice of a Legislature elected by the jlormon people. And when he takes his seat the Mormon leaders, lead-ers, after years of effort, will have triumphed and "forced down the throats of the United States congress" one of their own, in revenge for the expulsion of years ago. Churches neither forgive nor forget Christ's injunction to the contrary notwithstanding. THE PESSIMIST. |