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Show SMOOT IS THE LONESOME POLITICAL BOSS. It Is understood In the Smoot circles of Utah that the apostlo-Scna-tor's reliance has been and Is upon his political power rather than upon the merit of his caso now under consideration before the Senate Committee Com-mittee on Privileges and Elections. According to the. whisper that significant, authoritative, occult whisper which means so much In Utah Smoot has made a bargain, ratified by the church leaders and supported by them, which binds the Republican party to protect him. right or Wrong. The Tribune does not charge that any such agreement has been made; on the contrary, we believe be-lieve that the Senoto of the United States will distinctly repudiate any such idea. But this Is the comment lu circles which have share in the ecclesiastical confidence. And while the Smoot cult whispers a pretended assurance In his he-half, he-half, the real Republicans of Utah are aghast at their party prospects. Smoot has destroyed Republicanism. He can no more deliver a victorious vic-torious vote to the party to which he pretends to give allegiance than Brlgham H. Roberts, a Democrat, can deliver that Republican vole. Smoot Is without political Influence even among Mormons. He Is a discredited dis-credited boss. Just so long as his party has to carry the burden of Smootlsm It will be a minority party In Utah; and under the present prevailing tendency it will be a minority party In surrounding States by the time of the next Presidential election. What has Smoot done to attract Republicans to his banner 7 Ho has poisoned all the well-springs well-springs of the party's being; he has no conception of Republican principles and no ability as an organizer and a leader. Just two circumstances will demonstrate how utterly helpless Smoot Is as a politician In Utah: First, he dictated the nomination of a tried and earnest devotee of the Republican party as Mayor of Salt Lake City. Smoot camo here and devoted himself to tho cause of that nominee. He used whatever Influence he may possess of money, eccleslastlclsm nnd Senatorshlp. That Republican nominee was third In the race. The Republican ticket was overwhelmed, and more than that, the former Republican plurality plural-ity in this State' was extinguished by the event. Take the latest State returns and the latest municipal returns In Salt Lake City, and tho Republican party Is In the minority In this commonwealth all due to Smootjsni. Second, in his own town, of Provo, where he Is supposed to bo tho absolute autocrat, he favored the election of a Democrat to the Mayoralty Mayor-alty and opposed the Republican candidate; that Democrat had been a popular Mayor and was seeking re-election. But for Smootism Roy-lance, Roy-lance, the Democrat, would have been elected; but because Roylance was obliged to carry the favor of Smoot, he was defeated and Smoot's Republican opponent was triumphantly returned all due to Smootism. No self-respecting Gentile will follow Smoot Republicanism. Intelligent Intelli-gent Mormons are sick of It. When Smoot marches out and sounds his trumpet and waves his banner he will be followed only by Navajo Blanket Jlmmie. Ed Calllster, Spry, the emissary of the hierarchy, and a few others of that Ilk who, In their turn, cannot all together command a corporal's guard of following. The American party has already annihilated the plurality of Smootism Smoot-ism In this State. The Democratic party already stands second in this community, as shown by the municipal returns. And In ono year more the Socialists will probably be able to cast more votes than the ragtag bobtail party of Reed Smoot, Senator and apostle and discarded politician. poli-tician. Truly, Smoot Is tho Lonesome Boss. |