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Show CITIZEN THE 8 IIHIMIII OBSERVATION FLAME uiuiiiiniiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimuiiiiiiiiiiMiiiiHiiinii How Clever Mr. Bock Elected Himself the voters in many states were thinking seriand politics of national ously camfor the grand preparing paign of next year, the citizens of Salt Lake allowed themselves to be involved in the toils of professional . strategists. The Democratic city hall machine won, thereby proving its superior professionalism. If the city hall candidate for mayor has any views on national political questions or any other political questions he has not expressed them. In fact, he has concealed his views with the utmost cleverness and during the campaign he relied simply upon the devices of his personal machine to bring him victory. For years he has been building this machine to work for just one man a certain Mr. Bock who possesses a winning personality and a skill in manipulation quite beyond the power of his opponents. Perhaps he has done some thinking in his time, perhaps he knows something about the questions that interest his fellow countrymen, but so far as the public is aware he is all things to all men and has ;not committed himself T17HILE on any public question. To become mayor of a city as an expert political mechanician is in itself an achievement. Usually a public man is expected to have views on public questions and to express them. The public did not demand that of young Mr. Bock. It elected him without learning whether he knew the difference between an idea and an onion. This is not to remark that Mr. Bock is null and void of ideas. He may have many of them, some of them good, and now that he is to be mayor he may unleash them and let them bark at the public occasionally. His signal achievement 'was that he got to be mayor of a great and good city without expressing an opinion about anything. In a quiet way,. however, Mr. Bock and his backers did some talking. They talked pleasantly to everybody and convinced preachers and bootleggers alike that Mr. Bock would make a good mayor. When you have preachers and bootleggers, reformers and and the gamblers, the underwordly convinced that you are all right you are some convincer, are other-worldl- y you not? Well say you are. As we suggested in a former article Mr. Bock may turn out to be as good as he is clever, but if he does some of his supporters will gloomily concede that he has double-crosse- d them. thousands Perhaps Mr. Bock learned some- thing from the experience of his opponent. Mr. Darmer had done a great deal of talking in his time and as soon as he got into the race the ghosts of his old political speeches began to rise up against him. His opponent made these ghosts walk for all that they, were worth. Darmer liked him. They said he was a good citizen and a good neighbor and he had some definite ideas on public questions. But it availed him not. Neither ideas nor ideals counted in the campaign. Prejudices and personalities furnished all the ammunition and the Bock campaigners knew best how to use the ammunition. All who knew Mr. were other elements entering into the campaign. Mr. Darmers backers made a combination with Labor and then neglected to get out the Labor vote. Bocks supporters talked alluringly and invitingly to the Labor voters and went around among the business men and obtained votes against Darmer beOf course there cause he was backed by Labor. They secured Labor votes for Bock and Burton and gave the Labor candidate for commissioner, Mr. Asbridge, nothing in return. At that Ashbridge made a wonderful race, his vote showing that thousands outside Labors ranks cast their ballots for him. If the Republicans of Salt Lake and of Utah have not learned something from the campaign they will be in a hopeless situation next year when a United States senator is to be elected. Unless they begin to organize at once and in the most efficient way the Bock Democratic machine, working in conjunction with the Democratic federal and state machine, will keep Utah Democratic while even states of the are going Reold Solid South publican. The Good Old Days Of Party Rivalry TA ISGDSTED with the lack of in-tere- st displayed by our people in primaries and elections, we took occasion, a few weeks ago, to suggest that a return to the good, old plan of the nominating convention would be welcomed by many. We believe that sentiment in favor of party competition has been growing rapidly and that few would shed tears at the funeral of the direct primary. In its brief and dreary existence the primary has made few friends. It has not kept the roseate promises of its prophets. On the contrary it has given to elections a fatal dullness which is dangerous in a republic. It is axiomatic that the permanency of a republic depends upon the intelligence of the voters and the constant vigilance which is proclaimed as the price of liberty. Any school teacher of experience will tell you that the human mind is almost blank to information that arouses no interest. Neither old nor young can learn those things that have not in them the vital spark of appeal to some human emotion. In a word, if the people are to be kept informed regarding their government and the political matters pertaining to their government they must be kept interested. If American elections are to degenerate until they become as spiritless as a game of solitaire checkers the public will lose that interest which is one of the surest good set did not always win. Often the smart set won. Today good Toik stay away from the primaries and allow the organization men to have their way. This is not to say that good men are never elected, but it is to say that the proportion of good men in office is no higher than it was in the days of the nominating convention. It was the custom of the ancient despots to keep the people interested so as to keep them from revolution. Most of the time the despots were busy entertaining themselves and their subjects with foreign .wars. (Continued on Page 15.) AETNA Service Supreme Ed D. Smith and Sons General Agent Wu. 4000 St. St. NHNNIIIIINIIIIINIMIIMMMNIIIIMMlINMMNNIIIIINNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINIIIIi ICE CREAM, HOME-MAD- E guarantees of good government. Party contests and the party convention were called bad names by the idealists who thought that day lost in which some element of human interest was not taken out of the lives of their neighbors. Reformers have laundered us and starched us and ironed us until we are as interesting to ourselves and to one another as a flock of tombstones on a winters high-bro- 31 W. 2id CANDY AND CAKE8. w eve. How fervently the reformers used to denounce boss rule. How trippingly the phrase ring rule and corrupt politics fell from their lips. And they induced us to believe that when we had the direct primary elections we would be as pure as the driveling snow. If that kind of purification continues it will only be necessary to send for the undertaker and the floral offerings and to ask the tombstone maker to do something dainty with the inscription Requiescat in pace. Stores 3 260 8o. State. 55 8o. Main. 3 160 So. Main. Delivered Everywhere. 'ailllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllKa What Is your Idea of Good Banking Service? Lending money to individuals and firms who are sure to pay itback is not all there is to banks ing. There are many services s that the National Bank of the a Republic is glad to perform for m jjj s s jjj s 5 - as approval. s The directorate of this bank is composed of successful business men. They will be pleaded to have any young business man lay 5 his plans or problems before- 5 them for discussion and solu- s tion. We are "at your service" s any time during banking hours. ? President E. A. - David Culbertson Vice President Smith Cashier W. F. Earls Assistant Cashier 5 Enos Hoge Capital, 300,000 Surplus, 3350,000 e Vice killed the republics of old; now we are trying to strangle our republic to death with the cold, gray grip of pretended virtue. And the worst of it is that the direct primary has not eliminated corWhile rupt politics or ring rule. the virtuous citizen keeps himself as aloof from politics as ever, the bosses work in a comfortable secrecy that is sweet to their souls. In the old times one party or the other was driven to put up a good set of candidates. The you. We would like to hear from you. No matter what your work may be, write to us, or call on us. Tell us what service we may have the privilege of rendering you. Tell us how we can 1m- prove our service. We invite a candid letter of criticism as well -- 1 The Nitiinil Bank if the Republic Main and Second South iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiHiiiiiiiiiiiihl' Open All Night Tel. Wat. 5516 UNDERTAKERS AND EMBALMERS S. D. EVANS Modern Establishment New Building Salt Lake City 4t State St. |