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Show THE FREE LANCE. John M. Thurston was in Zion this week, spending- most of his time with hi3 wife at Gariield beach. John is the general attorney of the Union Pacific, and a good one he is. He i likewise a ood fellow, aud as an entertainer en-tertainer he has no peer, but the trouble with Lini is that he has high political ambition ambi-tion without having the least political sagacity. saga-city. Set him to making a speech and he will acquit himself nobly ; set him to man-a-inir a cauvass and he will make a botch of it. Four years ago as the temporary chair-inau chair-inau of the republican national committee he made a speech that fairly eletrified not only hi hearers, but the republican re-publican party, counseling harmony. At the same time he was incapable of preserving that articie in his own delegation, delega-tion, and at least one man Charlie Green, the attorney for the Burlington returned home his mortal enemy. In Nebraska the railroads are a political issue, and it is John M. Thurston, more than any other man, who made it au odious one. He didn't do it on purpose, to be sure; he simply could not help it. Whereas Thomas L. Kimball, whilom general manager of the Union Pacific, handled the legislature with consummate skill and tact, and from a safe distan c John rushed to Lincoln and uave himself and the snap dead away, lie 'was I Hien only the assistant attorney, and he denied de-nied that most strenuously, knowing that the Nebraska grangers would never elect him to the senate, which was then his goal. Hut his exploit in Lincoln which earned him the name of Oilroom Johnnie, spoiled that part f bis programme, and he now realizes that be has nothing to expect from his fellow fel-low citizens at home. Instead, he is nursing a lusty vice-presidential bee in his bonnet, though even here he manifests the fatal habit of joining the wrong procession. His advocacy of Blaine, for instance, was too virile to be ia good taste, ."-till, John is young yet and has plenty of timu to learn wisdom. As he floated on tha salty billows of I'tih's Dead sea, peering through his spectacles at the rugged landscape about, he did not look like a disappointed man. Political ambition, by the way, is the most laudable of all ambitions and the fools who decry it because they cannot gratify it, perform per-form a sorry task. If any preference is desirable de-sirable why not that who is confirmed by a majority of the people? Whenever the time comes that the election or appointment to an office carries anything but honor and conti-dence conti-dence with it then prepare to say farewell to this republic. And yet there nre demogogues galore on the rostrum and tripod, who imagine they hit the buU's-e3'e of scorn when they call a man au office-holder. Poor wights! Just at this time we believe Utah is the Eldorado El-dorado of future statesmen. With statehood state-hood assured honors will be easy for a multitude mul-titude of them. What on earth possessed JohnTTtafne To " iutroduce a statehood bill iu congress? Such a bill prepared by the republicans In L'tah is already pending and known as the Teller bill. If John T. is ! honest about it why did he not abandon Kentucky Smith's bastard scheme labelled Home Rule and support the republican measure mea-sure when it might have done some good, it isnot possible that at the last moment our delegate designed to give the quietus to home rule by kicking it officially. That would pain Kentucky Smith's posterior right hard. More probable that the. wiley John T. made this a bid for his renomination to congress. con-gress. "If the people of l'tah demand statehood," state-hood," he is likely to argue withhimself, "then they will return the man who fathers it; and that man is John T. Cainc." How this eleventh hour conversiou to one of the republican articles of faith will strike the impetuous Joseph Rawlins remains to be seen, for Joseph is the chief competitor with John for the congressional brogans on the part of the uuterrided. It is possible that he may not fit into the brogaus exactly for in justice to truth it must be said that Rawlins' fitness is not all iu that extremity. He has considerable in the other end, aibeit his brains. AVho is the wealthiest man in Salt Lake City? Probably no one can tell. It is either a neck to neck race between a number num-ber or else the leader hides his light behind the bushel, or rather his bushels behind the, light. |
