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Show ?try . ... i fi. i- ,, . . p.., I ! Collapse of the Smoot Machine. i . About the most defunct young personage po- litically in all the confines of Israel just at present pres-ent is one Reed Smoot of Provo. He came up from Provo, following an ancient anc-ient custom, smiling, urbane and confident, and attempted to win the campaign by the same base and bucolic methods which he had employed in former political campaigns, notably the one which resulted in the nomination and election of the obscure and mild faced Governor Cutler. But this time the Provo apostle was met by an indignant public, which entered against him a I protest so adult and vehement that his candi date met with unequivocal and humiliating de-I de-I feat. j It was altogether a very great day for the Gentile of Utah. In twenty-four hours they changed the political topography of a city, which j'iver since statehood had been completely dominated domin-ated by the ecclesiastical power of the Mormon - church leaders. At the same time they completely complete-ly ly annihilated the vicious political machine which ft Senator Smoot and his co-conspirators had been (JJ building up at the expense of civic decency and ' political honesty. The victory of the gentiles was one of mag-I mag-I nificent extent, and was particularly gratifying J because they won control of the entire adminis trative machinery of the city. The gentile mayor will have behind him a strong working majority in the city council, and for the first time in over ten years the country will be treated to the spectacle spec-tacle of a real American administration in Salt Lake. It is passing remarkable that the gentiles in I this fight were aided by a large body of the j younger Mormons, who for the first time in their political career entered an emphatic and effective ! protest against the political slavery in which they j had been held by the macchinations of the Smoot I political machine. The outcome showed the re sults of honest and righteous journalism, which without bitterness laid bare the facts of the political po-litical subjugation of the people of this community. commun-ity. After a struggle lasting many years, the i manhood of the city asserted itself in a way which cannot fail to result in the political liberty of the people and its material and commercial progress. Comment upon the result of the election this year would be barren without a reference to the crushing defeat administered to Callistcr and Fussy Anderson, the local representatives of the Provo senator. Every Mormon ballot which was cast for the Gentile party was directed against this pair of political nihilists, who, from the beginning, be-ginning, have constituted a twin political catas-torphe catas-torphe to their own people. While in the past they have been cordially anathematized for their corrupt and un-American political methods, they have at the same time been held in wholesome awe by Mormon and Gentile alike who aspired to political preferment. No Republican ever considered con-sidered his political chances of any worth unless he was bolstered by the support of this duet of bosses. There has been no limit to their officious meddling in municipal affairs. They have interfered inter-fered with everything from the passage of a street paving ordinance to the appointment of a grave digger. The machine which they were able to build up was more galling than the other ill-starred ill-starred political organization of which Senator Kearns was the leader, and which went to disastrous dis-astrous defeat two years ago at the instance of this same political pair, who went under the familiar nomenclature of Republicans, when they were, in reality, nothing more than church or Smoot tools, and in reality political anarchists. They have now been successfully whipped out of the political rialto. Their influence, by the result re-sult of Tuesday's election, has been completely shattered, and they will at no future time be political factors in the state or municipality. Their expungement from the list of political bosses is one of the most gratifying phases of the Gentile victory. Many Mormon Republicans regret re-gret the defeat of the regular organization, but their grief in almost every instance is tempered with secret rejoicing over the overthrow of Cal-lister Cal-lister and Anderson. |
