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Show Vol l, No. 36. SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, MAY j PoliticaJ Melange, the party. The Herald is no longer organ of the organization; in fact desetred it entirely. it has it as com Kearns has Tom . . pletely under his control and dictation as he has the Tribune and in the combe ing campaign no plan of his will opposed by the Herald; no act condemned, no matter how reprehensible it may appear from a party standpoint. beBy reason of circumstances and cause of his ability, Senator Rawlins has achieved the distinction: of a Democratic leader on the floor of the United States Senate. He has made some excellent speeches upon the question of disposing of that vexatious bunch of problems, the Philippine islands. These addresses as treated by the eastern press, irrespective of party, show Sena tor Rawlins to be an able man; a logician in argument. The Tribune, desiring to belittle Senator Rawlins with his own people, has kept up a perfect fusilade at him for two weeks. He has been denounced as a blatherskite and held up to public scorn and contumely in words depicting him as a man unworthy the name of an American citizen. He is designated as a traitor who . -- would destroy this government and a man for whom our children should feel a righteous contempt. During all this tirade of abuse has the Herald lifted its voice once? No, and by its silence it admits that everything charged against him is true. But when Kearns opens his mouth either to speak or insert mashed potatoes with his knife, the Herald glorifies him galore. He is portrayed favorably in its cartoons and lauded in its news columns as a great man, while Rawlins, who is really making fame for Utah as a statesman producing state, is belittled and overlooked. ft ft Since the Herald passed into the control, or alleged control, of W. A. Clark, who has never been in harmony with his party on the money or tariff questions, except when the Montana legislature is in session, it has ceased to be a Democratic paper. It never fails to find some excuse to commend its political opponents, but in its wilful blindness always overlooks anything which might be commended by its own Party. I have read Rawlins speech as delivered; not as reported in the Herald. It is a sound, logical, patriotic argument. It is true it condemns soldiers for butchering children, but who . Even the ' Tribune, whose editorials are written by a man who has no more sentiment than a land crab, dares not justify that, even though it goes to the extent of applauding burning buildings, laying waste villages and administering the water cure. The Herald received a complete copy of Rawlins speech. It could refute these slanders if it would. . But under the guidance of those who are working for no other end than the entrenchment of Tom Kearns, and his machine', in power; who want to force on the people of Utah a member of the twelve apostles for senator, it evades what should be its solemn duty, and in the sin of omission it is committing is just as guilty of political assassination as the man who steps behind his victim and drives a knife into his back. If the Democrats want to win here they must take action toward securing a mouthpiece, one that will fight the partys battles and aid in wrecking this unholy combination of Silver King stock and Tithing House scrip which seeks to claim Utah as its lawful prey. does not? If the Democracy of Utah intends secure a preserving its entity it must mouthpiece, said a member of the and the state committee to . Truth sooner it is done the better for the ft ft The Republicans are becoming alarmed at the steadfastness and the generality of the belief that Apostle Smoot is the candidate of the machine for the United States senatorship. The belief that Mr. Smoot is absolutely slated for the place has a strong tendency to prevent other candidates for that high position from exerting themselves very strenuously for the success of the Republican ticket. The disastrous effects of naming in advance candidates for the senatorship was experienced by the Democratic party some years ago, when Rawlins and Thatcher were slated for senatorships, and the party was badly defeated at the polls. The disaster was partly accounted for by the lack of interest of others who aspired to those offices. An open field and anybodys fight, is more conducive to the success of the party at the polls. Again, with the certain prospect of Apostle Smoot being elected senator in case the legislature is Republican, the party will not only lose the active supbe port of Republicans, - who might forencounter will but candidates, midable opposition from a large section of the party which, very strongly objects to any high church - official representing the state in either branch of congress. The Republicans realize that they will have no walkover this fall, even under normal conditions, and consequently they dread such a handicap as Mr. Smoot would provead-to be. The only way by which these verse influences could be outweighed would be by the exercise of ecclesiastical influence on behalf of Mr. Smoot and the Republican party, tut it would be better for all parties that the party should go down to defeat than be saved by such means. 17, 1902. Piuce Anent the settlement of the police muddle and the appointment of a new chief of police Sam Barlow says1 it is too bad we elected cOuncilmen who had to send to Utah' county for an apostle to tell them how to vote. In denying the rumor that he was going on a mission to Japan Hilton remarked d before he that he would be d ex-Chi- ef would be called on a mission by Tom Kearns. ft ft The Democracy of the nation is in a state of fermentation again. ' William J. Bryan is slowly but surely losing his prestige and influence in the organization, and the Reorganizers are slowly but surely securing possession of the party machinery. The defeat of James K. Jones, Bryans campaign manager in both his races for the presidency; the selection of John T. Gable, a Cleveland Democrat, to manage the congressional campaign for next fall; the persistent talk of the revival of the old combination of the east and south; the abandonment of all talk of Bryan as a standard bearer all tell the same If further story of reorganization. evidence were needed to ehow Mr. Bryans loss of the control of the party it is to be found in the editorial columns of his own paper, the Commoner. Close readers of that paper have reached the conclusion long Bince that Mr. Bryan is determined to rule or ruin in the Democratic party. Each issue of the paper becomes more bitter, not to say vindictive, against the Reorganizers; each week his warnings to his followers become more frantic. He professes an anxiety to have all Democrats within the fold, but he has taken the position that those who differ from him in opinion must prostrate themselves and kiss his sandals before being admitted into full fellowship. ft ft Mr. Bryans vital weakness as a leader is his narrowness. No man in recent times has used greater eloquence in urging men to be loyal to conviction; but in practice he demands that all others shall smother their own convictions and accept his convictions as their sole rule of action. It seems impossible for him to realize that another Democrat may differ from him and still be honest. In this he is unfortunate. History also furnishes the proof that .Mr. Bryan was not always so great a stickler for consistency and loyalty ' to convictions. In 1892, although professing to be an ardent Democrat, he voted for' James B. Weaver, the Populist candidate for the presidency. His excuse for this is that word came from the National Democratic committee saying that Nebraska could not be carried for Cleveland, but that it could be carried for Weaver, . . " i , 5 Cent the Populist, and thus kept out of the Republican column; and that for this reason Democrats should1 vote for Weaver. The fact that Mr, Bryan followed these instructions and voted for Weaver is proof that he could, at hat time at least, sacrifice his convictions on that altar of expediency. Nor is his present bitterness against the Reorganizers reasonable in the light of history. In 1896 he and his followers became dissatisfied with the course of the party; they became reorganizers themselves; they secured control of the party machinery; they dominated the national convention and swung the Democracy into a channel it had never followed up to that time in no national Democratic platform previous to 1896 can there be found any endorsement of the 16 to 1 propaganda. Nor did the reorganization of 1896 stop at this point. As a sop to the Silver Republicans and Populists Mr. Bryan and his followers surrendered the issue of tariff reform, the only issue that had led to a national victory in forty years. Here again principle was made to step aside for expediency by the reorganizers of 1896. History is all the proof needed to demonstrate that the leadership of William J. Bryan has been disastrous to the Democratic party. No man ever dominated an organization more completely. His word was absolute law; never in any country was there a more genuine imperialist. In both of his campaigns he dictated the ticket; every line and letter of the platform; the organization of the national committees; every detail of the line of battle. When the final crash came the only ray of hope for the Democratic party sprang from the conviction that Bryanism was dead beyond resurrection. The course of events is demonstrating that even that slight hope is not well founded. While Mr. Bryan never possessed the power and ability to lead his party to victory, he has the power and he seems to have the desire to prevent victory under any other leader. His bitterness against the Reorganizers, his denunciation of every man mentioned in connection with the presidency, are but expressions cf determination to keep, the party forever disorganized rather than see it win victory under any other leadership. ft ft other hand it is. just as evident that the control of the party orOn the ganization in the nation is to be wrenched from the hands of Mr. Bryan e regardless of the cost. The leaders, as well as the astute younger leaders, are satisfied that the salvation of the party depends upon this. The evidence is multiplying that the solid South and New York are once more to guide the destenies of the National Democracy. Every western state has deserted the standard except Idaho and Colorado, and it will be surprising indeed! if these two do not desert to the old-tim- |