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Show T THE ARGUS. ative division but more dangerous and culpable in the directory branch of the department. There is entirely too much discord, too much axe The police grinding, too much Commission. department, which consists of the Board, a Chief, a Captain, subaltern officers, men and employees, ought to be cut down at one end and built up at the other the Board and Captain should be abolished and the working force increased. The Argus would suggest, as a way out of the difficulty, that the Commissioners be reduced to the ranks. The Tribune this week contained a rehash of the recent Senatorial contest blaming Mr. Thatcher for the election of Mr. Rawlins, and urging him to file a contest in order to give the United States Senate an opportunity to investigate the peculiar influences at work in Utah politics. As the Tribune remarked when a similar investigation was proposed in the State Legislature, it would undoubtedly be a waste of time, as the whitewash brush is used very skilfully and effectively in this part of the world. The Tribune took a very sensible view of the matter then, quite different from that set forth in the complaint above mentioned, the authorship of which is easily traced to one of Mr. Thatchers alleged supporters who has never forgiven him for remaining in the race until its finish and thus spoiling his own carefully-laiplans. To all who followed the contest closely) who knew with what the defeated candidate had to contend, who watched the almost pathetic struggle he made against appalling odds against factions, secret j intrigues, ambitious friends, unseen influences and powerful, personal enemies, this petulant I plaint that he would not stand aside for some one else is neither new or unexpected. As a matter of a contest case was suggested j of fact the idea i by Judge Powers, and, after some discussion, 1 was referred to him by Mr. Thatchers campaign managers. Whether he advised its abandonment or the project died from neglect we are not pre- pared to say. It was agitated for a little while, but gradually faded from serious consideration. If any one is irritated and uttering recriminations at this late date it must be some one who favored Mr. Thatcher for selfish purposes, or because of a personal grievance against Mr. Rawlins. - y le 3- - 1- - B. I y a at d r- n- - y y nr. W, jr- - n, ise ch of er n- - lt. if-- all Tiie Altai's is iu receipt of many letters com- mending its course, among them the following : Editor The Arc lb : 1 was pleased to see the article about gambling in your valuable iaper. I have two boys who have been helping support me in my old age, as I am crippled and almost helpless, but Bince this disgraceful lolicy business started up they take every nickel they can get hold of and squander it iu the jolicy dens. I am deprived of everything and iiave to suffer. Oh! I wish you would try and stop it, as there are a hundred other poor families in the same fix. It is a shame that such robbery should be allowed to go on. It makes thieves and liars of the young. My children never lied to me before they began to play the policy game. Please see to it and may (lod bless you. From an Old e d L- or that one of the latters friends could have been fitted out with anything like the strength he held. Senator Aquila Xebeker emphatically refused to become a candidate under any circumstances, and these angry agitators of another investigation whose advice has not been closely followed for obvious reasons, do the Senator an injustice when they intimate that he did not take that stand in good faith. The motive behind this resurrection of the contest is not indistinguishable, as the result of the senatorial election forms the basis for of a complaint ; the complaint is the corner-stonnew campaign ; men cannot always be expected to sacrifice themselves for others who represent a principle, and there you are. Some one should move that the nominations now close. The resurrection of the matter at this time is of no consequence to the Tribune or to the pub-- j lie, therefore it is easy enough to see between the lines the features of the man behind it, drawn with paim at the recollection of what might have been. Concerning the charges just made, The Argus is credibly informed that Mr. Thatcher had evidence of fraud and duplicity as well as of undue influence and coercion ; that there were other interviews which have not yet been published and negotiations with other candidates inimical to his candidacy, and secret meetings with the accredited representative of an influential family, and plots and counterplots, ostentatious acts of avowed friendship counteracted on the quiet by the one who performed them,' attempts to discourage him and mislead his support, and various other little matters to claim his attention besides Mr. Rawlins. Considering everything it was a remarkable fight put up by Mr. Thatcher to the last, and his courage, fortitude and good nature never deserted him for one moment. He had ample cause to abandon the struggle, but it was not furnished by the open opposition. Yet his supporters refused absolutely to allow him to withdraw. There is no reason to believe that Mr. Rawlins could have been defeated at any stage of the game by Mr. Thatchers retirement, The Argus is not alone in its deBrought mand for municipal reform. Other Light. newspapers have taken the matter up and popular sentiment is backing the movement. The Tribune says : To We are informed, and believe it to be the fact, that akin games are numerous and of great variety, that policy shops flourish, that even school children are robbed by small and mean devices of the swindler ; that dives of atrocious nature are not unknown, and that in short the vicious and the rascally scum of the Blums are having things a good deal their own way here at this time. Now, we do not say or believe that gambling can be altogether suppressed; when men want to play poker or faro they are pretty sure to find a way to do it ; and to stop this altogether is not practicable. But pretty much of all the forms of vice indicated above can be stopped by a word from the police, backed by An earnest purpose in those in authority to have such villainy stamped out. A little vigilance on the part of the police will do it ; they know better than any one else how, where and by whom the things complained of are done, and they can not only have them stopped, but can summarily compel those engaged in that sort of work to leave town. This police authority should be exercised without delay, for the good of the city ; it is a reproach to us to have it continued. If Chief Paul should get the word from and the support of his official superiors, he could end the trouble in twenty-fou- r hours. fol- anti- gambling ordinances in this city ; that so far as gambling is concerned the municipality might as well be without a police department. It would probably be a waste of time and effort to urn that the law be vindicated in this regard, for obvious reasons. But even those who hold gambling to be a privilege cf professionals and of certain classes who claim to belong to respectable society, should blush for shame at some of the games that are openly carried on, and are doubly a disgrace to the city and a direct injury to children and young people, for which the police department ought to be held directly responsible. There is absolutely no justification for what is virtually police protection to the policy shops, etc., that are allowed to ply their infamous business undisturbed under the very nose of the department. By the license given such places in permitting them to violate the law unmolested, children and young people are drawn in and trained to be gamblers, and at a time when parents do not have an opportunity to exercise a watchful care over them. School children and girls their fares, and shop-boy- s spend their street-ca- r lunch money, in these places, which offer special encouragements to the gambling mania. It is infamous that this thing goes on unrebuked by officers of the law sworn to give protection to the people; and unless there is a reformation in this particular soon, public indignation should effect extensive changes. Speaking of the Municipal Reform League the Provo Utonian says : Such organizations are common in many of the large cities of the country and, no doubt, there is work for the Salt Lake league to do. But there seems to be something wrong when such organizations are necessary ; there are officers elected and paid by the people to enforce the laws, and there should be no necessity for urging them to do their plain duty, or for private citizens to employ detectives to expose violators of the law. There is certainly great need of reform in the manner of enforcing the laws against certain crimes in all great cities, and the evil reaches farther than the perpetration of the offences which are permitted to go unpunished, because it has a tendency to create a disregard for all law, and thus the commission of other crimes increases. The Park Record rises to remark : The wicked City of Zion is about to experience a season of moral reform. A club, known as the Municipal League," having for its object the curtailment or suppression of vice, has been organized, and the campaign is now on. Every form of vice, from gambling down to legislation, is to be eradicated and the atmosphere left dean and pure. Park Kacortl : Governor Wells is rr a careful, Mercur Mercury: Gov. Wells in his vetoes has shown himself to be possessed of discrimination and a great deal of good horse sense. - Tintic Miner : Governor Wells has taken advantage of his constitutional rights and after the adjournment of the Legislature his reappointed Jhe McKinley men whom the Senate refused to confirm, and they will serve until the next session. We admire the Governors nerve in sticking to his appointees, even though we have but little use for a Utah man who is so blind to his own and to his neighbors interests as to be a McKinley supporter. Ephraim Enterprise : The Governor appointed a number of gold bugs to positions at his disposal and the Senate refused to confirm them. After the Legislature adjourned, the Governor immedtately reappointed the same men. We are of the opinion that his Excellency (exceeded) the authority given him by the constitution in reappointing these men. The constitution says the governor may appoint certain officers with consent of the Senate. Now the Senate not only did not consent to these appointments but it refused to confirm them. According to the letter of the constitution that ought to settle it so far as these men were concerned. If the Governor had appointed the men when the Legislature was not in session and then presented them for confirmation when the Senate met, their previous acts would be legal, even though the Senate refused to confirm them, but in this case when the Senate objected to the men before hand it looks as though the Governor had overstepped his authority. Dr. Dowling of New York was speaking of the incompatibility of a unfair Comparison. union of church and state in this country, relates the Middletown Record. He said : Patrick and Biddy had been a long time married, but did not get along well together, for they were almost continually quarreling. It happened, however, that one day when they were sitting together opposite the fire in came the cat and the dog and laid down between them and the fire, and also opposite each other. Presently Biddy speaks up and says : Faith, Patrick, isnt it a shame we should always be quarreling ; see the cat and the dog, how peaceably they get along. Och, Biddy sure and it isnt a fair comparison at all ; just tie them together and see how theyll act. 1 The great Intermountain weekly The Argus ser nmmanM 1 I 1 1 EXECUTIVE DEPARTHENT. er- - V ! . Woman. conservative executive, and the people made no mistake when they elected him. HOW IT WAS ACCOMPLISHED. The Deseret Xews treats the situation as lows: It is common repute that there is no enforcement of Broken-Hearte- d S te. I |