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Show A VISIT TO ROYALTY. A well-authenticated rumor has been floating about the city that on Wednesday Wednes-day of this week the entire Congressional Congress-ional delegation from Utah paid a formal for-mal visit to President" Joseph F. Smith. The delegation was accompanied by a few of the leading Republican politicians, politi-cians, who had evidently assembled for the purpose of thl visit. It Is not known, of course, what was done. But the Inference .la Irresistible that the purpose of the visit was political. It has been asserted and denied repeatedly re-peatedly that the church Influence this year Is to be for Mr. Lynch, the "Republican" "Re-publican" candidate for Mayor. The same assertion and denial Is made In behalf of Mr. Morris, the "Democratic" candidate, and the hope nnd anticipation anticipa-tion of the "Democrats" or "Republicans" "Republi-cans" have risen or fallen according, as one or the other of these rumors seemed to prevail. The latest rumor affecting the situation, which came with a great deal of force and apparent authority, was that Apostle Smoot had been deposed as the political boss of the church. This meant, necessarily, that the church Influence this year would not be for Mr.-Lynch, but would be for Mr. Morris. Accordingly, it was reasonable reason-able to suppose that this large and important Republican delegation, which visited President Smith, made that visit for the purpose of straightening out the situation and helping tho "Republican" candidate for the Mayoralty. It is not possible, of course, for any one except those who were present, to say what was tnlked of at this meeting, meet-ing, nor whether all approached the ruler with the appropriate genuflexions and humility. Assuming, however, as apparently It is necessary to do, that the approach was In duo form and that the object was political, poli-tical, It would as certainly follow fol-low that the effort was to switch tho church influence over to Mr. Lynch. There has been a great deal of talk for tho past week or moro that the church Influenco had sent Mr. Lynch Into eclipse and had exalted Mr. Morris and magnified his chances for election. This talk apparently was by authority. It if is continued, If the Mormon Republicans Re-publicans continue to talk for Mr. Morris as they havo been talking, then It will bo known that the visit of tho Congressional delegation to King Smith was. In vain. If, however, the talk changes, and the Republican Mormons begin to talk for their own candidate, or at least for the ono who should be their candidate, then it will be known that the visit was a success, nncT that the church has ceased to boost Morris andwill heir Lynch. But what a spectacle It Is to see the whole Congressional delegation of this State waiting upon tho master of the church In order, on tho one hand to Induce him to stop his political effort In a certain direction, and on the other hand to obtain the benefit of his political politi-cal activity for the opposing candidate! Surely nothing of this kind could be seen In any State in the Union except Utah. It Is a sad commentary on the evil of tho despotic dominance of ec-cleslasllclsm ec-cleslasllclsm In politics, and It Is a perfect justification In Itself for tho formation and the energetic efforts of the American party, -ad not In this city alone, but it Is a powerful, argument argu-ment for the organization nnd helpful ; efforts of the American party In every election district In this State. |