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Show THE VOTER'S DUTY. Some most important offices are to be filled in Utah in the coming election. A Governor, a Supreme Su-preme Judge, several District Judges all the array ar-ray of State offices. This ought to make everybody, every-body, man or woman, a politician for the time being. Still on every corner can be heard the expression, ex-pression, "He's a Kearns' man," or "He's a Smoot man," or "He is a church man." Are then the people peo-ple all political orphans that they must have guardians? The theory is that this is a government govern-ment of and by and for the people. Is that statement state-ment a mere fiction in Utah? Have the political herders been around and branded all the mavericks? maver-icks? Must it either be for Kearns sake or Smoot's sake, or Christ's sake that the people are to vote? Can not Utah redeem itself this year and demonstrate that its people think for themselves? them-selves? When the people assort themselves and place men in ofllce they have a right to hold those officers to a direct accountability for their acts, but when those officers are the mere selection of this or that boss what obligations are they under to the people at large? When Mr. Kearns gives a man a place as shift boss in the Silver 'King that man never thinks of making any reports exoept to the directors of the company. Indeed, if he finds a spot that is not much mineralised, he keeps very quiet about it to the outside world. Suppose a Governor or Judge is selected in the lame way, how much will he fori it his duty to report and how much suppress r 1 ! ' H But the mine is simply a matter of dollars s fH and cents, while in politics such a selection of S9 State and county offlcors is a perversion of free j HH institution, a slap in the face of the Government, ' flH a direct debasement of the people. This every , 'fl voter should realize and be on guard accordingly. J H When our country's government becomes a j&H Government of the" bosses, by the bosses and for ! Hb he bosses, how much have we a right to boast 1 1 H ver the despotisms of the old world? l fl The way to fix the business is for every voter M crowd the primaries and the conventions and j. M insist that only such men as they select to 1 lk serve them shall be given offices. One such an H exhibition as that would be of infinite good to ', H this state; it would give to it a reputation which PH would be of worth to it for years to come, and lH It would be years before the experiment would 1 H again be tried to herd and brand the voters in l J H any boss's corral. j H But in this connection there is something else j j H to guard against. j H When man aspires to office it is a favorite ! k practice for the friends of other men who are can- ! H didates for. the same office to say: "Why he Is H a Kearns man," or "He is a Smoot man," or "He ' M is 1 church man," when there is no foundation for fl the charge other than that ho has friends who are ! fl likewise friends of the Senator's or who belong to j Hj the church. This is a manifest injustice, because Ej it places a man in a situation where he cannot j H defend himself. I . I?or Instance, Judge Zane and Mr. Straup J M are on good terms with all classes of j J people, but it would be a most cruel thing to say that were either to be nominated I H and elected any faction could influence any de- M clsion of his either directly or unconsciously 1 p H through any personal obligations that he might be ' . M under to any friend, for the sense of the public '. , is that his oath of office and his sense of honor 1 M as a man and a Judge would be all that could in- fl fluence a decision of his. ' M Or In the case of Governor Wells. He has M friends in all ranks of life, but his record is that fl where the interests of the State are at stake be M has been governed by his sense of duty toward M the state, and that no fealty or friendship has flfl caused him to swerve from the straight line of pub- , ' M He duty. His course In the Carbon county troubles JA last winter was sharply oriticised by many of his I M close friends, by many of the members of the la- M bor unions, but he did not hesitate. I jfl That he was right Is proved by the differences j M between the conditions in Carbon county now and those that prevail in three or four counties of Col- H orado. WM There is as muoh need of discrimination one B way as the other. It is just as necessary to give jH a man credit for what ho is as to avoid him when , H for money or the promise of favors to be rendered lfl him while posing as a free man at the same time M wears the collar of a boss, or Is the slave of a H superstitious fear. , H And the voters should througn an there days ' fl be qn. the alert to judge correctly for themselves j jf who among the people, because of their abilities , M and character, are best entitled to the people's jB support. The final selections will be the supreme ! H MMBBlBSeaBSBiiMiiiSiSlBBBSBBBBHKL Hj ' test of the people's intelligence and of their Bl ! ! worthiness to take a part in the political dictation Hij; of this tffce country. |