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Show Ijjjjli Tho character of tho witnesses who Ijy ' will testify -for tho defonso In tho j i . " Smoot Investigation Is a hard blow to 1 j j Senator Keams. From tho tono of I j;' j I Kearns' papers (luring tho time tho I "J hireling, Charles Mostyn Owen and j I J j his underlings wore raking up fal- I p i, slfylng and distorting all tho anclont I p!p history thoy could find, It appeared iv1' that theso organs believed that no I vX"' Gcntllo of good standing could be p found to say a word for ono of tho i ": Mormon people. I jj, It Is a well-known fact that tho star I witnesses of tho protestants aro men I 'i 1 . and women who aro apostates from I tho Mormon church. "While no ono j j '- questions tho right of any ono to IllsWi cbango his religious belief as often as BH ho sees fit, it is a mattor of common HH j f ; knowledge thnt an npostato from any InH r i church or creed, is, in 99 cases out of HH jj. 100, bitterly prejudiced against those j9 f y '" with whom ho formerly worshipped, MH L .'. and henco Is not capablo of giving fair HH j f t testimony. Tho character of most of IH m tho witnesses for tho prosecution is jwH K .m sjmdy and in a good many instances jBH! f : J'! uttorly bad somo with a police record wKm (J whose y.t..nI would go for nothing in Hi L"'i'i'j an ordinary, ovory-day business trans- H :' i ' nction. HMBl.f; ' Most of tho men who havo boon JHHjjff, ' t named ns witnesses for tho defense HbJH !K I' aro well known in Utah. Thoy aro not HH ft ., Mormons, ns a rule, nor have IBM I','". ,5 thoy over bowed servllo heads HUHw" ' k unto 1,10 vory l1ust' beseech- DH rm ,' $' Ing polltcnl- favors from tho lead- HEtH' ors of tl10 cuurcn na Tom ai'ns i)ns flflflB W i often done, nor have thoy over by tho bWHiI lavish use of gold secured a scnator- HH m' snlp' ns l onl Kcarns 1,11,1 lll10(l 10 nHjnV':' Theso wltnessos have dwelt long wfw'ff'1' enough In Utah, havo been promlnont WtI ' enough in state politics to furnish tes-tlmony tes-tlmony that will malto mighty Interest- T1 n h" ' ,nB rentl,nB an(1 Blvo tho senior Sena- ! X f ' tor somo un.comfortablo sensations ' unloss his sense of shame Is altogether I?1 Ti'' F deadened by his wounded vanity. In the theatrical world there Is much controversy over tho ultimate fate of tho socalled legitimate productions. produc-tions. Nearly every theatre in tho United States Is under tho control of a syndlcato or trust, with its headquarters headquar-ters in Now York City. Only those plays nro sent forward that tho syndlcato syndl-cato Bclects. A galaxy of managers sit in solemn judgment on tho quallll-cations quallll-cations of every dramatic production. Thoy act from a commercial inspiration inspira-tion entirely and not from any desire to ndvanco tho histrionic art or elevate ele-vate tho stngo. To them Shakespeare was but a poor Incompotont, who could not write plays that would draw In tho twentieth century. Much moro praiseworthy Is tho hodgo podge of some tinker who can invent a cheap and tawdry stage setting that will amaze thoso who havo forgotten to loam to road. The advent of the vaudovlllo theatro is only an outle' for the disapproval of tho people, who rebel against tho syndlcato. And tho vaudovlllo theatro is sounding tho death knell of tho theatrical trust. In nearly ovory portion of tho United Stites tho public is staying away from tho trust performances. It will not take many months to dissolve the pool, and then each manager will bo acting independently. This movoment muy, in turn, work tho dissolution of the present popularity of vaudeville. Whatever may bo said o.f vaudeville it is strictly on Its merits, which comment com-ment is sadly out of placo when applied ap-plied to syndlcato productions. |