OCR Text |
Show I ECCLESIASTICS OR GENTILES? I Indipationa Point- to Redemption of City From I r .. Mormon Control. I The nominees of two of the parties which will I contest for municipal honors, the American and I the Democratic, are now before the public. It I cannot be denied that both in the aggregate are I tickets worthy of commendation and confidence. I The Republicans have not yet made announce- I ment of their- choice for mayor, but there can be little question that the choice for the position will I be W. H. Lynch, and it seems quite reasonable to I review the impending struggle on the basis of his I almost certain selection. I On the face of it, the fight will be a I three-cornered one, but to those familiar with the past record of political anomolies in this region, I there is little doubt that the fight will eventually I center into a bitter contest between ex-Mayor Thompson on the one side and whomever the I church, may choose as the political antagonist I most likely to encompass his defeat. I If the situation does not undergo a complete M change, the last roll call will find Mr. Thompson I and Mr. Morris as the only keen contenders on I the municipal battle ground. This supposition is I based on the fact that the church, observing that its supremacy in the city is menaced, will send out the word which will demand the concentra-I concentra-I tion of the Mormon vote on either the Rcpubli- can or the Democratic candidate. That the I choice will be eventually Morris seems the more probable because of his distinguished services for I the church leaders in the dual water and fran- chise conspiracy; the fact that he himself is a dell de-ll voted Mormon, who is an. abject minion of the B hitherto invincible power beneath the beehive em- blem. I At the same time, there is reason to believe I that Mr. Lynch may be the hierarchical choice for I chief executive. . Several weeks ago it was learned I from an intimate attache of the Smoot machine I that Lynch, brother-in-law of the governor, was fl the personal choice of the Provo senator, and II that, whoever might be mentioned for the place,, ll Smoot and his cohorts would insist upon Lynch II for the mayoralty chair. It was contended that l on account of the impression it would make in fl Washington, it was vital to Senator Smoot's in-II in-II terests that the Republican ticket he triumphant, I and that at the same time, the victor must be a II subservient appurtenance of the Smoot machine. II This raises the question regarding whether, in ll the coming contest, there is likely to be a clash II between Senator Smoot and the church pre I dent. It has been frequently intimated that poll po-ll litical harmony had long since ceased to exist bell be-ll tween them, and that Smith had determined upon II the political demolition of the ecclesiastic who, il through inordinate ambition, had brought so much II humiliation upon the church president. Smoot II himself is not of the tractable mould of church-El church-El men, and it does not seem in the least improb-II improb-II able that the chief hierarch and his most noil no-il tdrious satellite may clash in the impending mull mu-ll nicipal battle. The relative strength developed by I Lynch and Morris in the coming struggle will l demonstrate whether such a remarkable case of B insubordination has occurred. But it is freely ad-II ad-II mitted, even by the ultra-Mormons, that if K such an unprecedented contingency comes, it will m result in an easy and decisive victory for the can-H can-H didate of the Gentile party. Such, a momentous H politico-ecclesiastical cataclysm is not likely to H occure and yet distinguished Mormons are most persuaded that a breach of this nature will be de- veloped in the coming contest. H After all, whether Smoot and President Smith are harmonious or antagonistic at present it will be difficult to convince Gentiles of the old guard SI at kefore the campaign is over, there will not be a perfectly amicable and well distributed bulletin from headquarters, which will make it quite clear whether it is Lynch-or Morris who has been "set apart" for the mayoralty. The hope of the Gentiles in the coming por-tentious por-tentious struggle is naturally in the fact that a rearrangement re-arrangement of forces is now difficult, and t' the church chief will face a practical impossibility if he' attemptb to force a consolidation of the Mormon Mor-mon vote at so late an hour. With the Mormon vote necessarily divided, the Gentiles have the most opulent chance to gain the mastery of the municij ityr and realizing' their strategical advantage, ad-vantage, they have entred upon the campaign with" the utmost zeal and a determination to bring to a decisive issue the question of intolerable church control of political affairs, or the prevalence in the commonwealth of American conventions and customs. Since the disbandment of the Liberal party of lamented memory, the Gentiles of the community com-munity have never entered a political contest with such flattering hopes of victory. The handicaps which impeded the Gentiles in the race of last year are now removed. The present year is not a presidential one, and as Mr. Kearns is no longer an important political factor in the state, and can no longer dictate convention nominations, his bitterest enemies can now join with his friends in endeavoring to consummate Gentile control of the city. In other respects, the outlook for the Gentiles Gen-tiles is propitious. They will have all necessary funds for legitimate campaign uses, in which respect re-spect they will have a long lead over the old organizations, or-ganizations, both of which are fettered by an impoverished im-poverished treasury and a general lethargy which has never before been so strongly apparent. Besides Be-sides this, the ticket recently nominated by the Gentile element is one which commends itself to everyone who is disposed to fight for the industrial indus-trial welfare of the city and its rescue from a retarding re-tarding and baneful ecclesiastical tyranny. Hon. Ezra Thompson, the practically unanimous unani-mous choice of the Gentiles for the mayoralty, has served the. city with distinction in that capacity during two former terms. He is one of the city's heaviest tax payers; he is a man of broad and progressive pro-gressive views of public questions. No matter of .merer personal aggrandisement would ever deter or affect him in the administration of exact justice to all classes of citizens, and he is under the ban of no such influences as have palpably controlled the conduct of the present city executive. He has been the political idol and inspiration of the younger element among the Mormons, and from that source, as well as from his Gentile compatriots, compa-triots, will probably receive warmer support than could probably any other Gentile who might have been named for the place. J. B. Moreton, Gentile candidate for recorder, is another staunch old time citizen who has had considerable experience in public life, and whose long acquaintance with local conditions has only augmented his desire for political freedom, without, with-out, however, occasioning any bitterness in his heart toward the people with whom he does not agree in the present political crisis. Of Ogden Hiles, candidate for city attorney, little need be said in a commendatory way to the people of this community. He is one of the state's most distinguished jurists, bold, fearless and implacable im-placable in his effort to bring about proper and just political conditions here. The state can boast of no abler lawyer, and none could have been placed on the ticket for whom the respect of citizens, citi-zens, of whatever party or creed, is more universal. univer-sal. In accepting the nou. 'nation, Mr. Hiles made a personal sacrifice for what he was led to believe were the best interests of the cause for which he has valiantly fought. Rudolph Alff, candidate for auditor, is one of the city's old and most venerated citizens. Al though he has fought strongly against Mormon' U wBBBB influence politically and commercially, his course j jmlTCjH has' been so manifestly just that he has aroused : jffiSH little antagonism even among hose whose ch- M ''faaBBB croachments he has contended against. ,:i . j l$Sfl Frank Swenson, the candidate of the Gentiles IBflttH for city treasurer, is a native of Utah, who was lifflMl sufficiently courageous to publicly announce his j IgHfl opposition to church interference in political., af -? nHBH fairs. His record is one for which his friends Iffll need make no apologies. nfflHI , 'SIHRI There was, of course, no opposition tar Mayor llv9 Morris in the Democratic convention. Most of flfl the delegates were his co-religionists, who were '9H prepared to cheer every reference to what Had 199H been achieved during his remarkable administra- jfiHI tion. It was notable that many prominent eccfc- SSH siastics were present, including Bishops Maxwell m9 and Patrick, whose influence was conspicuously !wH apparent in the selection of nominees. It was IIkHI conservatively estimated that about eighty-five mB per cent of the delegates were Mormons, and this IhH fact added color to the supposition that the ticket 'iiD will probably receive the ardent support of the ' (SHB dominant church. However, for reasons iriex- MbM plicable; of the five nominees on the general hH ticket, Mr. Morris is the lone Mormon. flfBfl ' I;1! B John. S. Critchlow was the unanimous choice fi of the ' unterrified for city recorder. This was a Sl J: ! m tribute to Mr. Critchlow's efficient and business- N ll f! Iffl ke conduct of the office during the past two ; ' yearst. He goes into the coming campaign with 1 ' ; W the. admirable record of having treated everyone i I , k, m Who has had business dealings with his office s j ll 11: fairly and impartially, and his friends, who com- , 1 1 ;S I I pHse' about all the people who know him, predict l , ; 1 mii that he will duplicate his achievement of two ! ij , j p, years ago, when he ran far ahead of the average ji !!' j nominee on his ticket. j jj J Joseph E. Caine wrested the nomination for ,! I ; j city treasurer from S. H. Lynch, and the affable j , j , h t banker is expected to make quite a formidable , I , ; ; J j , showing in the coming political engagement. The I ! j ji ' choice of M. F. Cunningham for city auditor was v an equally felicitous one. He is looked upon as a 'jilt; sort of patron saint of local newspaper men, and j ; j jj ) if he fails of election it will not be through any j ;if Iji i , lack of zeal among his co-workers in the jour- I '!' ! j rialistic field. The record of Mr. Bramel, the j ! : j! ! , Democratic nominee for city attorney, and who j jj iji i ,Ji served as Judge bey's assistant during the past I 1 1 ji ' I , jjp two years, is one which would naturally make 'JJJIjl ji jfj him quite an important factor in the coming 1 1 1; Iji campaign were he not running against so strong j ' J a candidate as Judge Hiles. t ; , I , I ' I The .Republicans will go into their convention i J . on next Tuesday with the almost positive under-J under-J ' standing that Chief of Police W. H. Lynch will i i ! in be the nominee for mayor. Mr. Lynch is the ! l' 9 choice of the Smoot contingent of the Republican I ' j . I 9j party, who will undoubtedly control the assembly, jijij 'jj,; jjlj Gentile defection from the Republican ranks has wM Been so heavy, in fact, that the Gentiles will be a " ifil I vry lonesome coterie in the big wigwam. Can- ! jj; ', H didates for the other offices are very little in evi- y R dence, as it is the general belief that nominees If will receive but a nominal or half-hearted support from the Smoot people, and that before the end of the campaign, the church forces will rally around Mr. Morris in a desperate effort to prevent pre-vent the election of Mr. Thompson. The News urges the faithful disciples of the church to "vote for the best man." A man going by on a locomotive could read in this that the faithful are expected to vote only for the Mormon Mor-mon nominees. Still, the tip is m little bit vague just at present. It will be made much plainer a little later on, when the church organ, if it follows fol-lows ancient precedent, will make it perfectly apparent ap-parent just who the "best men" are. It is not quite certain yet whether the choice of the News will be a Republican or a Democrat, although it seems likely that its reference is to Mayor Morris. Mor-ris. One quite certain thing is that to the fanatical fa-natical News editor, the "best man" on the Gentile Gen-tile ticket looks no better, than a train wrecker or a bomb-thrower. Things look better. Russia and Japan have made a peace treaty; Sweden and Norway have arrived at an understanding; the solid men of Cuba have carried the election against the malcontents; mal-contents; Fernstrom has failed for renomination. But softly. We must go slow on Fernstrom, or he will run on an independent ticket and capture the ward. |