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Show 4 G. 0. P. PREPARES II T 0? VICTORY 1 "O Y the selection of Henry Welsh of P ark City as state chairman i- the Republican state committee has begun its organizing cam- " paign with every promise of success. The choice is being commend ed on every hand and Mr. Welsh assumes his duties with a united party back of him. Whatever factional differences showed signs of developing disappeared and he was chosen by a unanimous vote. The spirit of optimism that prevailed as the result of his selection will do much to instill the necessary energy into the work of organizing and financing the party. But this optimism must materialize in deeds !? if the Republican party of Utah is to come into its own and make j itself felt in national politics. Never before has a brighter opportunity presented itself kto the I Republicans of Utah. They can utilize that opportunity to the ut- j? " .J most or they can neglect it. They can go forward from this time , Sl sure of victory because they have the will to victory, or they can j dawdle along with the customary lassitude and deliberately destroy their chances as they have done with melancholy frequency in other ! t days. Utah has a reputation for doing the right thing at the wrong time. When the Republicans achieved victory in the , last elections, Utah disclosed that its thinking apparatus j had been running in low gear. It was far behind the procession. It j permitted itself to be discredited among its best friends the Repub $ licans of the nation. j It remains tobe seen whether Utah will continue to emulate the ostrich, to bury its head in the sand and expose its body to the slings j and arrows of the outrageous foe. j Republicans of Utah must not try to hide from themselves the iifc, difficulties of their task. They cannot take it for granted that be- iu cause the country is growing more Republican every day they will I have a smooth and easy joy ride to victory. On the contrary, they j 2 must use their brains as never before. f Combines are being formed to keep Utah in the enemy camp, for I , a" Utah is normally Republican. It has been Republican at times when l, the nation was in the grip of the Dehiocratic party. Some of our ' leading Democrats, lay and clerical, are trying to persuade the people 'H ' , of Utah that Wilson is infallible, that he cannot err when he adopts iv fourteen points or when he abandons them. No doubt, they mourn K. deeply that Wilson is not to be a candidate for a third term, or even V for a fourth. J. We believe that the Republican party will win the next national I" L election. Is there any doubt of it among tile leading Democrats of p, the country? Even Wilson himself, after sending for Secretary ft" s Baker, who had made a scouting trip about the country, became collar coll-ar tfv vinced that there was no presidency ahead of him. Is it likely that JL he would have even thus gently thrust -aside the nomination had he ' m. believed that the Democratic party was marching to victory? Re- m member, Wilson has no scruples about second or third terms. His I party platform in 1912 committed him to the doctrine of the single term, but he hastened to repudiate that plank. He is for as many il terms as he can get, and when he shows fear of running again he 1B shows that he fears the defeat of his party. 1 H But the signs of the political situation are so clear that it is not 1 H necessary even to argue about them. They are as clear as the moon Ij H and the stars, as clear as the sun at noonday. The Republicans feel H assured of a national victory. The Democrats, that is to say the ever I H lessening number left, feel that Republican assurance is based on a Hfl rock foundation. ! Utah's course should be as clear as Republican victory in the na- Hl tion seems clear. Utah can obtain a prestige it has never had before. Ir. 11 can elect a United States Senator who will be in accord with the na- fll tion and who will be one of the really dominant powers in the coun- 'H cils of the nation. If it; throws away this opportunity it will become M of less and less account nationally and less able to obtain for its peo- fH pie that which is their due. fl This is the problem ahead of the party. The solution is not easy, 11 for the Democrats have become entrenched in high places and have Ifjl perfected an admirable organization. They will move heaven and 11 earth to maintain themselves in power. They will resort to all the 1 H customary tricks of politics. They will try to avail themselves of 11 every influence that offers. They will try to convey the impression 1 M that they are chosen of heaven and Wilson to make Utah safe for the 3 M Democratic party. ' H The Republicans should be prepared, therefore, to counter every H move of the enemy and they cannot do this unless they, too; are organ- H ized efficiently from one end of the state to the other. H J H |
