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Show THE BEE. Another Versioncof There may be no applicant for the position of United States attorney who has publicly identi fied himself with the dominant church in Utah, and it may be, from the standpoint of the News, a matter for self congratulation. But President George Q. Cannon has endorsed one of the candidates now engaged in this unseemly scramble ; and it may be that the ends desired are more attainable through the retained services of an outsider than through the efforts of one whose known connection with some ecclesiastical organization might discredit his disinterestedness and destroy his usefulness in more ways than one. -- that Utah Corruption 3 Funds Tory. long before that visit of the committee. Mr. and , Lannan was also interested in the mainly, the defeat of Lindsay Rogers and every other man endorsed by Senator Brown. President Cannon also spoke his wishes to President McKinley in these words : Our people are an agricultural people, and consequently are more interested in matters pertaining to land ; therefore they would like to have the register and receiver of the land office. Mr. Whittemore is the best man in the field of all the applicants for United States attorney. He is not a Mormon but he is satisfactory to the Mormon post-offic- e people. Last summer when that invitation committee went from Utah to Washington for the ostensible purpose of inviting President McKinley to attend the Jubilee, the Provo Enquirer called attention to the personnel of that committee and remarked that when two such shrewd schemers as P. H. Lannan and George Q. Cannon go away together it is safe to wager that some deal will be made before they return ; or wrords to that effect. These gentlemen called on McKinley and made their wishes known as Republicans had a right to ; lthough real McKinleyites of Utah wonder that a man wTho has never publicly affiliated with the party and another whose opposition to it last campaign was seemingly sincere, were taken into his confidence and allowed to dictate important local appointments. The Bee has no solution to this enigma to offer further than to remind the McKinley men of Utah that parties and politicians do not usually reward past services at the expense of an opportunity to secure future support. Mr. Lannan was interested in the appointment of James Devine as United States Marshal, but Glen Miller had made other arrangements The appointment of McGrew was a personal matter between Senator Thurston and the president and was hastened by some political remarks made in the October Conference, which were laid before Mr. McKinley. But the boast of the News that no Mormon is engaged in the unseemly scramble for the attorneyship is tainted with hyprocisy. There is no reason known to The Bee why some Mormon attorney should not seek the place or receive the appointment. There are a number of them as deserving as and far more capable than Mr. Whittemore, with all due respect to Mr. Cannons recommendation. But the offices were to be divided between Messrs Lannan and Cannon, it seems, and mutual were exchanged on the principle of reciprocity. So why does the News try to create the impression that it is standing off and watching the contest a disinterested spectator? This venal press story that the DesAnother eret News has sought to dignify by News Sensation. making it a basis for serious comment, may be founded on street rumor, and it may be a sort of counter-irritan- t prepared by the News Publishing Co., for an emergency no altogether unexpected. There may be money raised for the purposes stated by the News, it may be donated by men who desire to defeat this man or to elect that one, it may be held in readiness to accomplish the ends indicated, but the chances are ten to one that it will never find its way into the coffers of the newspaper men of this state. There are several reasons for this. Newspaper men are not the only men who need money, they are not the only men of influence, they are not in the 'habit of making political deals. Now and then som3 independent paper sells its space to some pirty, faction or partisan cause, as the News has done repeatedly, but more than this no man with a fund need expect from the press of Utah. The newspapers of this state have not endorsed men with nothing but a sack to recommend them ; they have not supported candidates who appeared before the people in the glitter of wealth, wearing the signet ring of authority ; they have not given their editorial space in exchange for financial aid or obligations. The press of Utah is not corrupt. Besides it is reasonably safe from temptation. The story of the boy who asked his father how much he would be offered for his vote, which appeared in Saturdays Bee wTas used very nicely in Mondays Tribune. Of course the story did not belong to The Bee and the Tribune was entitled to it, but it shows how a few select stories, carefully compiled, may be of use to constant readers. Now the Tribune might deny having read The Bee but the editoria which follows the story is an attempted reply to the Bee article on Judge Zanes Jordan canal |