| Show STRICTLY rAnTI52 The Orertnro irnrto Hy Cite Demo ernti Wore Rejected The constitutional convention is to be partisan There has been some lingering doubt of this since the session ses-sion began due to the fact that President Presi-dent Smith was very warm in his expression ex-pression of a desire that it should not be and that Charley Crane who is running the Republican end of the caucus has been getting himself periodically per-iodically interviewed for the purpose of saying that he wanted to see the Democrats fairly treated and would feel relieved when the show of partisan feeling was over and the convention could finally settle down to business However these remarks now appear to have been made for a deep dark purpose They were intended to keep the people thinkin the Republicans were fair all the while they were pre I paring to run the convention wholly in the interests of the Republican party Since the Beginning the convention the Democrats have maintained a conciliatory con-ciliatory attitude This was not because be-cause they were afraid to give the Republicans Re-publicans a whirl on the floor In fact there was some little pardonable desire to do so just to show how weak the Republican side really Is But It was held Under for the reason that the Democrats wanted to be In a position to act for the best Interests of their constituents in case the Republicans should conclude that this most important import-ant convention was above party strife and should obey the wishes of the people of the territory by calling roth ro-th services of all their able men no matter what might be their political creed This disposition was marked from the first The Republican caucus was allowed to have its own way without serious opposition in the seating of the Third precinct delegates in spite of the fact that the Democratic members of the committee on credentials could have held the committee in session until they would have forced the Republicans Re-publicans to organize without John Henry Smith Latter the Democrats made no opposition to the reorganization reorganiza-tion of the convention by the caucus believing that when the patronage was finally distributed caucus rule would be dropped and there would be more harmony between the two parties However in the whole matter of committee appointments John Henry Smith or Charles Crane has acted in the most partisan manner It is somewhat some-what doubtful which one of the two Is responsible Smith has ostensibly been the appointing power but it is Crane who has alwayp had the lists and who has done the consulting with the persons per-sons most concerned However no matter who is to blame the Democrats gave every opportunity for the Republicans Repub-licans to meet them half way and their overtures did not meet with favorable fa-vorable attention On Thursday Crane told several of the Democrats that suggestions from them as to committees would receive attention though he did not deny that the list of committees had already been made up This was brought to the attention of the members of he Democratic executive committee who speedily saw that the Republican loader was endeavoring > to play a sharp game by placing himself in a position wherein where-in the future he could say that he had made overtures to the Democrats but the proffered olive branch had not been cordially received They therefore there-fore determined to place the Republican Republi-can leaders on record and make It aa I plain as day whether the convention was to be partisan or nonpartisan To this end the Democratic executive committee met with President Smith Chairman Crane and George M Cannon Can-non on Thursday and stated that they wished to have a conference on the subject of committees ITr Tiiurman spoke for the executive committee He said intimations had come that the Republicans Re-publicans desired to be perfectly fair and would welcome suggestions The Democrats did not care to make any plea They would neither demand nor request anything at the hands of the president They stood ready to welcome wel-come any overtures which would look to the overcoming of party feelings They were willing to put under any political feelings in order to work most efficiently for the common good Therefore There-fore they desired to suggest to the president that there were ten counties In the territory which had returned only Democrats and in order that these populous counties might be properly prop-erly recognized it would be necessary for the Democrats to be given a fair number of committees and chairmanships chairman-ships Mr Thurman suggested thai as there were twentysix committees and the same number of counties it would be nothing more than fair to give the Democrats at least ten chairmanships chair-manships Some question was raised as to what the Democrats would have done had they secured control and Mr Thur man pointed out the fact that the Democratic platform contained a plank declaring in favor of a nonpartisan non-partisan convention He reminded them that he drew the plank In question He said at the time he did so he had no doubt that the Democrats Demo-crats would secure the convention ThereJ he could not be accused of suggesting to the Republicans anything any-thing he would not have done had he been among those placed in power The Republicans were in much travail tra-vail over this bold move on the part of the Democratic executive committee commit-tee They were stared in the face by I Smiths remarks on nonpartisanship II and Cranes interviews in which he said the Democrats would be properly treated They had nothing on which Ito I-to hedge The Democrats had made a square topen I suggestion that they would waive political advantage and had placed them in such a position that they were forceu to choose between be-tween partisanship and its opposite They asked for time and yesterday the whole matter was referred to the Republican Re-publican caucus There of course It was immediately found that no slated chairman cared to relInquIsh his committee com-mittee and it was highly impossible to give away the committees without offending of-fending come of those Republicans who are most hungry for glory Consequently Con-sequently the caucus did not deliberate long on the question before it was decided de-cided that the Democratic suggestions should be coldly turned down This came early to the ears of the Democrats and they determined to maKe one more attempt to obtain satisfaction sat-isfaction It was then about 145 but the executive committee met Charley Crane and President Smith and were closeted with them for a few moments mo-ments They were told plainly that no chairmanships would be given them and they then asked that they be at least accorded the privilege of making Up the minority representation on the committees President Smith pretended pretend-ed that he would be pleased to have done this had the suggestion come earlier but he said it was then too late and nothing could be dons The last olive branch of the Democrats had been rejected and they were placed in a position where they must assert the dignity of the party and give the opposition op-position a trial of strength to make It clear that the brains of the convention conven-tion are really on the side of the Democrats Dem-ocrats Any developments of a partisan nature na-ture from this time forward cannot be blamed to the Democrats From the first it has been the Democratic party which has wanted to see harmony har-mony in this convention Their advances ad-vances during the campaign were met with refusals and they have been met with such in the convention itself John Henry Smiths talk about nonpartisanship non-partisanship was buncombe It was words strung together with the intention inten-tion of beclouding the real facts Later developments have proved this The constitutional convention is not I a V convention for the whole people I of Utah It is a convention of the Republican party Ten counties have been left wholly without chairmanships chairman-ships The brainy leaders among the I Democrats have been passed by in favor of such men as Lambert Chides ter James Elchnor and Adams If I the two sides are ever aligned then there will be a circus because the I Democrats will soon t show their superiority in fighting men I As to the committee appointments there is one that shows less tact than any other Of course Judge Goodwin wanted to be made leader of the Republican Re-publican side and of course John Henry Smith wanted to repay him for his services The appointment of Goodwin to the chairmanship of the judiciary committee was therefore a matter of course Varian wanted this chairmanship Nothing could have given him more satisfaction He had looked forward t to it with the idea that it would be his pride to make a reputation on the constitution Kimball of Ogden was I also passed by The appointment of Goodwin simply adds another proof to 1 the fact that the convention Is being il f run from a partisan standpoint The new leader takes his place as a politician poli-tician He goes in as the leader of the Republican side t |
