OCR Text |
Show j ORGAN ASSAILS LEGISLATORS.' Tt hadfVeon supposed that attacks upon th' present Lcgialaturc.' so "overwhelmingly. "over-whelmingly. Republican, would necessarily necessa-rily I'dmo'froiii iho opposition press of this Sfale;, if nt all, and not from tho organ of the alleged Kcpublican party. This oxpejijtaiion, however. lias been completely .jTeverscd. and not -only docs tjh.it organ .assail tho Legislnturo as a" body. but. tho legislators individually as corrupt and as yielding to Ihc cajolements cajole-ments aiidibribcry of tho railronds. In a big boxjof the "Mouth" on Sunday moiningthore was a bitter attack upon Iho'irip .of the legislators to tho Lucin cut-oft", and it wao stated flatly that no dcfonso'-cbuld be made for such a trip. Members were charged with being bribed 'vith passes, sumptuous dinners, cigars, and' other entertainment, and it was directly convoyed that legislators woro getting passes, not only for themselves, them-selves, but for their "brother Bill." And it w;is plainly intimated that this trip of tli'0 legislators to tho Lucin cutoff, cut-off, wasn't move in the campaign lo do-feat do-feat railr.oad legislation. This asrfaiilt upon tho legislators for making jhat trip was renewed 3'cstor-day 3'cstor-day morning in tho "Mouth." It was diroctlv charged that tho railroads paid for that trip, and expected to nialio money opt of it. And, further, it was alleged '.'by tho "Mouth" that "the railroad'companies made that spectacular spectacu-lar tripwio tho Lucin cutoff for nothing moro nor loss than lo indnco tho legislators legis-lators rjo,t to support that, bill," referring refer-ring toi'tho hold-up public scrvico bill which XJio political buccaneers in control con-trol of the church Republican party of this State have prepared to enable them to hold .up the corporations in this State, including the railroads, for partisan purposes pur-poses and campaign expenses. Tho '.''Mouth" furl her alleged that the legislators "have annual passes for every member, and trip passes for any fribhd qt a member who will ask." which ir-undoubtedly but another one of tho ninny gratuitous lies that tho "Mouth" is in Iho habit of telling. These, assaults upon the legislators, individually in-dividually and collectively, arc put right alongside of a plea in that same "MoutlU' to .pass tho blackmailing bill thai "jlio .Federal bunch" have prepared pre-pared l6 afflict (lie railroads, and to relieve re-lieve the political bosses from tho cost of campaigns aud ntako tho' railroads and othpr'corporations pay for them and to feather tho nests of somo political jobbers ? which "tho Federal bunch" hope to seo put into hold-up positions through'tho cnactmont of that proposed blackmailing bill. Undoubtedly tho position of the legislator leg-islator oh the prohibition question has so angero'd tho "Mouth" that it has lost all. sens': of reason and decency. But, .why should the action of the Houso on prohibition have so crazed that "-Mouth".' To those who understand tho situation no explanation has to be made. But to those who arc not familiar famil-iar wilh,tho inside workings of Utah politics it need only bo said, as the truth is, that "Iho Federal bunch', ".the unscrupulous political bosses, made such a . bargain with tho brewers and liquor interests of this State during last year's campaign that they are "in honor" bound to see that no damaging liquor legislation is passed at tho present pres-ent session. In consideration for the promise- of tho political bosses that there would be no damaging liquor legislation: leg-islation: tho brewery and liquor interests inter-ests put up an onormous campaign fund wliich was used by tho party dictators, the amount of this fund being staled at something over SlO.000. It is'somothiug new in the polilical affairs of- Utah to have such enormous campaign funds raised as were raised last year, 'It is something new to have such demands made upon corporations as .the .political, bosses made upon tho railroad's 'last year, and to havo tho political po-litical bosses threaten tho railroads with, blackmailing legislation if they would not comply with the demand for funds for campaign purposes. The blackmailing railroad bill beforo the Legislature- is there simply because the pbliticaPbosscs threatened the railroads that suoh legislation would bo passed if the railroads did not "como through" with big campaign contributions. The railroads, . did not "come through," therefore this bill, and any one who is disposed to favor tho public service bill must understand fully why it is introduced in-troduced -and urged. It is simply a matter of.rcvengo against the railroads because t hey. would not pool in to the campaign-fund of last' year, as "the Federal ".bunch" ashed them to do. But to havo tho "official organ of the party" turn and rend tho legislators, legisla-tors, collectively and individually, because be-cause oncf House has passed a prohibition prohibi-tion bill ; and becauso neither House shows anV particular disposition to rally to tho sppport of tho blackmailing railroad rail-road bill,- is something so unexpected, iudeeont-and unprcccnted in Utah that tllc .T)C?D' natrnllv stand aghast at tho impudence and insolence involved in the shameful spectacle. |