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Show JOliX lLEA'KY SMITH, THE PILOT. The Third precinct men haye been admitted and one of them has been elected the president of the constitu tional convention. It is true that this reeult was expected, has been expected ex-pected for several weeks, in fact, but we fail to see just how it comes about that a mac is selected as president of a body before the question of his right to a seat in it has been determined. However that may be, yet he is there and presiding, .all right. Facta are stubborn things and we are dealing with facts now. Just how much this selection will affect the constitution now being incubated remains to be eeen. In recalling the utterances of Mr. Smith during the campaign and considering how much power his position posi-tion gives him to urge hie sumptuary iews, we are not sanguine that his seating and election will add to the chances of the new constitution when it comes before the people for ratification. ratifica-tion. The fact is we fear this circum-etanceu'will circum-etanceu'will proye the big nail in the i . - cofiln lid of that document. This is a promise, and we think a Eure one. that the constitution to be framed will be better euited for Maine or Massachusetts Massachu-setts than for a live, progressive and go-ahead weetern etate. "We may possibly pos-sibly be mistaken in this judgment of the significance of tbe action of the convention in electing John Ileniy Smith. If we are, none will record the n intake with more joy than we. In ueed we sincerely hope that we have totally misread this man but still we f -rthat we hav8 him "down fine." ' f we have a liberal and enlightened c ::tution we have eveiy right to e -.;iect a large increase of population tne next few years. The eyes of wld have been on Utah for many I v .i. . a.nd many monied and intelli- f jr' -'!-. impose to seek homes here j , - 'as the stat 3 was organized, i'-" .' vive them a fanatical, a T.t-iO" a- ; liberal constitution they viIliV.-Cc ... The rate of taxation v.iil .e Liyh for a few years, let us do what w :u.;y, but if we go to taxiii: the peo, -is.' to upbuild sugar mills or other uiaiiuiacturing enterprises, intelligent in-telligent men will not biinc their money here and build homes for themselves. them-selves. Mr. Smith is so etrongly committed com-mitted to this principle that we must lake his elect'on as voicing the sentiments senti-ments of the majority of the convention conven-tion on this point. If this is correct, and how can it be otherwise, we may At once commence preparations as to how to meet the situation. If we get the instrument which this circumstance circum-stance indicates we may as wdl give up all hopes of statehood becauee the people peo-ple of Utah cannot contemplate euch a policy, in the face of the increased taxation tax-ation naturally incident to the entrance of new state into the union. This election indicates another thing. There will be no com promise, no co-oporation f the two parties for the good of the Etate. The good feel-inir feel-inir and good understanding which should prevail in this body are hopeless. Mr. Smith 1b a very bitter and uncompromising partisan par-tisan and this election indicates that the majority la oi that school of par tisanship. Ting leayes the conservatives conserva-tives in the body and abroad in the etate no hope. It is war, and that war is to the bitter hilt. It is a pity, a very great pity that things have turned out in the way they have. But we are dealing with a condition and the condition etares us broadly in the lace. There is nothing left for the democratic members of the convention but to endeavor to secure as conservative conser-vative a document as is possible under the circumstances, to the end that the minimum of evil may be iuflictad if by aty chance the constitution may win the ratification of the people. |