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Show ORGAN ON SMOOT PROTEST. On AVoduesday The Tribune copied from the Springfield (Mass.) Republican Republi-can a little editorial, showing tho mean nbusement that Smoot employed to in gratiate himself with the Senators, by constant attendance on the speeches no matter how dull, and by showing marked evidences of his understanding and appreciation of what was being said. "The Republican at tho same time made the slip of saying that Smoot was opposed in his seating "because of his membership in the Mormon church," We pointed out this inaccuracy, inaccu-racy, and showed that the protest against Smoot had no such point in it, and that in fact no ono opposed Smoot on. account of his membership in tho Mormon church. To this the Dcseret News, the organ of the Mormon church, takes exception. It is to be noted, howover, that it dares not print the Springfield Republican Repub-lican editorial, whilo indorsing that part of it which is plainly erroneous. The organ proceeds to argue that Smoot, in fact, was opposed because of his membership in tho Mormon church, but that the protesters were so "devilish sly," that they cutely omitted omit-ted that from their complaint against him; but still, it insists, they meant thnt just tho same. It is astonishing to seo the News keep up that sort of trumpery falsehood. false-hood. There was nothing of the kind in the Smoot ease, as the News very w;ell knows, and expressly admits. There has never been any opposition to any, Senator or Representative in Congress from Utah because of his membership in the Mormon or any other oth-er church. The Representatives in the lower house of Congress have, for the most part, boon Mormons since Statehood, State-hood, but no objection wns raised ngainst'nny of them on account of that membership. It is true that Brigham Roberts was rejected from the House, but this was because of his being an open, notorious polygamist. There havo been members of the Senate in good standing in the Mormon church, but never a whisper against them on account of such membership. All this the News is fully awaro of, and yet it is porsistently and constantly guilty of the stupid falsehood that tho opposition opposi-tion to Smoot was .because of his mom' borship in the Mormon church. It knows the contrary quite "well; it knows that memborship in the Mormon church has never been urged against any Congressman from tho Stato of Utah, and it is impossible to imagine what advantage it expects to gain by pushing to the front, whenevor occasion occa-sion serves, the uttor falsehood that tho opposition to Smoot wns becauso of his membership in tho Mormon church. But, if ho had been opposod on that, ground, why was it thnt no other Mormon in Congress was ever opposed on the same ground? Thero havo been plenty of opportunities to oppose Congressmen from Utah "because "be-cause of membership in the Mormon church," but never has one been opposed op-posed on that ground. Smoot was opposed op-posed on grounds quile different, and on grounds strongly stated; not only so, but the case was absolutely made against him, and ho escaped defeat only because President Roosevelt took it upon himself to interfere and make Smoot 's retention a pnrtisan question in the Senate, departing altogether from the record, from tho testimony, and from the caso as amply established. |