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Show H;V SPRY STANDS PAT FOR WHISKY. ; H- A S was pretty generally expected by those H'jTf CjL. wno nve watched closely the tide of (: events surrounding the introduction and passage H r of the Wooten prohibition bill, which was finally HfcL ratified by an overwhelming majority of the sena- By tbrs and representatives in both branches of the t Legislature, the measure has been vetoed bv Uv Governor William Spry, after holding up the bill K until the Legislature had adjourned to prevent K any chance of it being passed over his veto. If f nnything further was needed to prove that Gov- r , ernor Spry was in the camp of the liquor dealers, H this is certainly evidence enough. m In this matter Governor Spry has failed ab- K solutely to keep faith with the people. He gave ' his word of honor as a gentleman to members of B the senate that he wouuld return this measure ip" with his action, favorable or otherwise, to the leg- R' islature in ample time for them to take such action Rf as they deemed advisable before adjournment. He failed absolutely to keep faith and make his 1' promise good. And why did he fail to keep his H promise? Because it was learned by the oppon- l fints of the measure that some of the senators Hl'?. ' had changed their attitude on the proposition, and K that the senate then had sufficient support for the m rf , prohibition measure to pass it over the Governor's Hp head. That made a difference. When Mr. Spry Hf? made this promise he had every assurance that Ht " should he veto the bill there would not be the re- H i -y quired two-thirds majority necessary to over-ride H j his veto, and he felt safe in giving the promise. H; ' When he founud that there was a change in the F ' attitude of certain senators, he backed down and H T took another tact, determined to stand pat with H a his friends, the saloon men, and prevent the pas- H - sage of a prohibition measure at all hazzards. H The Record is not accusing the Governor nor H t any membor of the Legislature with having sold H out to the whisky trust, but there is no denying H f the potency of the filthy lucre, and it has been said H ' that every man has his price. $160,000 is quite a H ,' lot of money, and that is stated on good author-H author-H ty to be the sum contributed by the saloon elc-H elc-H ment to defeat the prohibition measure. Just H how it was used, none aside from the "inner H circle" will perhaps ever know. But when a cause H so disreputable as the whisky traffic can get the H support of practically all the daily papers, the H i governor of the state, and can make Dr. Jekyll H : and Mr. Hydes out of about half of the Legisla-H Legisla-H t . tors, it is a sorry comment upon our condition as H a state and people. In both houses of the legisla-H legisla-H ture there were men a number of them who H were doing all they could to render the prohibition H i" measure ineffectual, who did not dare to do other-H other-H i wise than vote yes on the bill when brought to a H t roll call, because they were afraid to let their con-H con-H ' stituents know that they were opposed to prohibits prohibi-ts , tion. H The reasons set forth by Governor Spry for M vetoing the prohibition bill are weak and silly. H Of course, he had to say something, and the H.- reasons ascribed were perhaps as good as he B f could invent, without making a clean breast of B- ft and telling the real reasons why he would not t sign the bill. B J And the subsidized press refused to print any- BUir thing that was not favorable to the whisky trust. M They were owned body and soul by the liquor ele-B ele-B ' ment, and friends to prohibition were unable to B get any of the real facts beforo the people. The B Deseret News pretended to support the measure, B but was very careful not to say anything that B would really injure the interests of the saloon B , men. All the papers were out with their micro- B scopes looking for arguments against prohibition. B but all turned a deaf ear against such utterances B aa came from Senator Seegtriller of this district, B: if froin Repreaent-ativo Maybf of Uountiftil, el it). B- 'Ibese men were heroes in a yood cauae and Jad B the courage of their convictions. They stood as H - giants before whom the slimy tainted whisky pol- B lticians quailed, because they had honor and right wm" upon their side. But not one word of commemla- B tion was uttered for them by the Salt Lake press. JB Ladies and gentlemen, it was a dirty mess a B reproach upon our citizenship a stain upon the B integrity of the men in whom we placed our tru.st. B But the question is not settled. Right and decen- B cy, outraged, will rise with dignity and might, nnd B when next the Utah Legislature is convened, we B , feel constrained to promise that a prohibition bill B will be enacted and placed upon our statute books, H and instead of giving tho whisky merchants a m year and nearly a half in which to arrange their affairs, as was proposed this year, the measure will be made operative upon approval: and when it has been approved by the senate and house, thero will be a man in the gubernatorial chair who will be ready and willing to affix his signature. Salt Lake papers will please copy we don't think! m |