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Show Politico-Personal Tho onrly effort of tho Smoot crowd to bring ahout a fusion of tho Republican and Democratic organizations it would bo a grotesque error to call them political parties baa startled rumblings rumb-lings of political activity, and, while the rank and file hasn't yet begun to sit up and take notice, the politicians are already discussing tho coming city election. Leaders of the American party are absolutely confident of victory. They believe that the party will carry tho city by oven a greater plurality than it carried it in tho county, election last fall, and there is every Indication that the efforts for progress, for development and for the upbuilding of a- greater Salt Lake which the American city administration has put forth will result In the re- l turn of tho American party to power. Tho attempt of tho opposition to throw dirt on the city administration has failed. The muck-rakers muck-rakers may not know it, but the Sheets case has ceased to excite even a languid interest on the j part of voters. When the average citizen bother's to talk about the Sheets case at all nowadays, his I discussion is usually confined to raillery over the utter failure of County Attorney Hanson to get into court with any kind of a complaint against the chief. Your average citizen not meaning thereby cne who takes his political doctrines from a bishop bish-op or a block teacher knows that Salt Lake Is more prosperous today than at any period in its history; lie knows that outside capital has come in here because two years ago the word went forth that the power of a. bigoted and reactionary church rule had been broken, and that the city government had been turned over to broad-gauge, liberal-minded American business men; he knows that if the news is heralded broadcast next fall that the church is again in the saddle, the eastern investor will give Salt Lake the go-by thereafter, and wait until real American citizens are again put on guard before he puts his money In here. Aside from these reasons, however, a little calculating cal-culating will show that the American will win. There will probably be a fusion ticket Inthe field, butit will get no more votes than the Republican ticket did last fall. The church leaders and their henchmen at that time threw every possible Mormon Mor-mon Democrat to the Republican ticket, and they can't throw any more this year. There will bo a Democratic ticket in the field. Ther are enough self-respecting Democrats loft who will never consent to their party being made the verlform appendix of Reed Smoot and "Fussy "Fus-sy Jimmy. ' This Democratic ticket will poll approximately ap-proximately as many votes as the Democratic county nominees polled In the city last fall. The pluralities of the American county candi-1 candi-1 dates In the city in 1907 ranged from an oven 1,-. $ GOO to G10. This is an average of 1,106, and that Is Virtually the plurality which tho American party can count upon in the fall election this year. While the Inter-Mormon Is howling that tho American Amer-ican party Is demoralised, it has as yet failed to print the name of a single deidrtor. Moreover, the American party needs to elect but four members of the council to control that body for another two years; the church to control con-trol must elect seven. Come what will Uiere is absolutely no doubt that ho next city council will be American, and that if any church hireling slips into tlie mayor's office his power for evil .j. will be destroyed by that control. There is no danger, therefore, that Reed Smoot will annex the government of Salt Lake City to his politico-religious machine. |