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Show MUCH ADO. Onoof the amusing things in local journalism is the frantic effort of the new Smoot paper to draw the Tribune into a newspaper controversy. It seeks to do this by an ebullient berating of the American party organ on its excoriations on the misdeeds of the prophets, and what is alleged to bo the consequent damage to the community. Under this terrific fire cracker bombardment, the veteran newspaper preserves an attitude of proud, lofty and haughty indifference, and up to the present has not even vouchsafed a sneer at the yelpings of the infantile journal. It of course realizes real-izes that the object of the Smoot organ assault is to draw tho fire of the Tribune, so that thereby the infant terrible of local journalism would js copiously advertised, and some few people might be decoyed into subscribing for the Smoot paper in order to read such responses as it might make to any aspersions in which the Tribune might indulge. in-dulge. This change of policy on the .part of the new paper is quite startling. For a number of months it was so mild mannered that it appeared ready to eat out of, the public's hand. The first time It ever ventured anything above a whisper was when it entered into a silly plot with some feeble brained Smoot politicians to stop a prize. fight for political reasons, on which occasion many people learned for tho first time that there was such a paper, and it is but fair to state that the informa-ion informa-ion was anything but a distinctly pleasant surprise. sur-prise. , But the Smoot sheet is now becoming more ambitious, am-bitious, and is (of course aware that some free advertising from a real newspaper would be a great help. It has never been a factor in local journalism and its case is becoming desperate. Mr. Smoot's( tenure in office seems to be painfully limited, lim-ited, and the paper realizes that it is time to drum up things, because if Mr. Smoot is ejected from tho Senate there will no longer be any rational excuse ex-cuse for its existence except upon merit, and that contingency besides would cause a good sized tremblor in Its pay roll. If the Tribune chose to respond to the attacks, there is plenty of heavy artillery it could shift into position and use with good effect. ' For instance, assuming for ,a moment that the Tribune's criticism criti-cism of hierarchical encroachments is In one sense damaging to the community, as charged, after all that, what of the personal organ of Smoot? t It is a journalistic creation hired to condone offenses which are the alarm and shame of the entire nation; offenses which, if committed in any other state, would be treated in tho same way as any other violation of law or the principles of free .government. It was created to advocate dishonest politics, to champion the cause of a political juggler jug-gler who debased 'the American ballot In this state and who overtly defies the sentiment and power of this country. It is such a poor slave that If Apostle-Senator Reed Smoot retains his seat in the Senate and next fall comes here and dictates every Republican Republi-can nomination from congressman to legislator and county official, it will be forced to applaud the depredation just as supinely as do the masses of the Saints when called upon to approve him by the uplifted right hand. It really seems merciful on the part of the older journal to refrain from swooping down upon this journalistic youngster, which every day unashamed un-ashamed basks and brays in its subsidized swaddling swad-dling clothes. |
