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Some Republican Editorials
SUTHERLAND CALLED TO ACCOUNT
It Is curious to see that Senator Sutherland
Dome homo with the subterfuge in his mouth
that tho republican party did not agree to revlso
the tariff downward. He says it agreed to re
vise the tariff, but said nothing about revising
It downward. But revision downward was tho
only thing that Was even thought about, nothing
was possible to say about revising it otherwise.
It was understood fully that it was to be a re
vision downward, not upward, nor to leave it
as It was. If anyone had suggested, and could
bare persuaded the people to believe it, that
tariff revision meant revision upward tho repub
lican party would havo gone down to defeat.
President Taft took it as a' matter of course that
the tariff revision was to be downward; at Mil
waukee September 24, at Des Moines September
26, 1908, and at Cincinnati September 22, 1908,
President Taft was explicit in his declaration
that the republican platform meant tariff revi
sion downward. Anyone who might havo con
tradicted President Taft at that time and have
said that revision . of the tariff did not mean
revision downward as Mr. Taft continually said
it did, that man would have been denounced as
an enemy of the republican party and a per
sonal assailant of President Taft's good fait' .
And that Is true today. To argue now that tariff
revision did not mean revision downward, loses
sight not only of the sentiment of tho country
at the time, but of the whole tendency of the
campaign. Salt Lake Tribune, Rep.
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TUB PRESIDENT'S SERMON
In his sermon in the Mormon tabernacle yes
terday President Taft argued strongly for peace
and good will. Peace and good will aro excel
lent things, and there is no quality that he
praised that ought not to adorn our lives. And
yet we believe that many a man, quite untainted
by bigotry, will think of many other texts that
might have been profitably expounded yester
day. "What concord," asks St. Paul, "hath
Christ with Belial?" There thus appear to bo
some things with which the Christian can not
maintain concord. Perhaps Mormonlsm, with
its greedy, grasping for power, its political deals,
its polygamy and tho rest, is one of those things.
Every one who has lived under Its sway knows
what its temper is, what its ambitions are. Can
we, ought we, to live at peace with It? Many
Americans, and Americans who believe in tho
widest religious liberty, and the broadest tolera
tion, will answer this question In the negative.
"What fellowship," the apostle again asks, "hath
righteousness with unrighteousness, and what
communion hath light with darkness?" There
thus appear to be limits to the concord of which
Mr. Taft is so good-natured a preacher.
We remember the sojourn of another Ameri
can jyeeiflent among the Mormons tho late
BjBnjaniin Harrison. He, too, addressed Mormon
audiences, and he Improved his opportunity by
glorifying the American home, presided over
bygone, w,ife. A'nd the whole nation applauded
his courage and his steadfastness to the highest
American ideal. He, too, was a lover of peace,
but he did rot think that it could be established
or maintained between two Irreconcilable forces.
We do not share the feaTs felt by many at tho
spread of Mormonlsm. For, In our opinion, the
whole .tendency of the times is against it, as
far as It stands for polygamy. So, while it is
undoubtedly a dangerous force at tho present
moment, it will become less dangerous as tho
years go by. But there is a conflict, a conflict
between Mormonlsm and the law, and between
two social orders. The so-called Gentiles who
live in Utah know how powerful is the tyranny
of tho Mormon oligarchy, know how corrupt
It is.
In our opinion it would have been far better
bad the president kept away from the taber
nacle, the official center of this un-American
cult. Far from doing this, ho appeared in tho
pulpit of the tabernacle and preached peace. In
this he followed the precedent set by his prede
cessor. But it was a bad precedent nevertheless.
There Is nothing in It to which any one can take
exception. On the contrary, the message Is one
that the American people as a whole needed to
hear. But the words would have had greater
weight had they been spoken from the pulpit
of the church of which the president himself
is a member. His appearance in a Mormon pul
pit will be construed mistakenly, of course
by the Mormons themselves as a sort of official
recognition of their systom. And this will havo
tho effect of weakening tho influence which his
excellent counsel would otherwise havo.
No one, of course, believes that any serious
consequences will flow from the action of tho
president. No one will bocauso of it question his
devotion to American Ideals, and cortainly no
intelligent American citizon will for a moment
imagine that he had any Idea of "rocognlzing"
Mormonlsm. But ho has nevertheless made a
mistake. The people in Utah who ought to havo
tho support of our presidents aro thoso who con
stitute the Gentile minority, for they aro our
people, in a sense that tho Mormons aro not;
and it is they who aro holding up tho American
standards, and aro doing It undor great difficul
ties, and in tho face of many tomptatlons to
abandon them. Wo should think they would
feel somewhat discouraged and disheartened
today. Indianapolis Now, Rep.
THE WASHINGTON RATING
You can not always toll, you know, when you
see senators and representatives In Washington,
just how they size up at homo, and I am glad
to bo able to testify that however they (the Utah
members) size up hero, thoy do slzo up emphati
cally well in Washington. From one of Presi
dent Taft's Utah speeches.
There aro no insurgents In Utah's congres
sional delegation. Utah Is one of tho western
states whose representatives in congress made a
particularly close alliance with tho reactionary
forces in Washington. Neither Senator Smoot
nor Senator Sutherland voted once against Aid
rich not oven once. In fact, Senator Smoot
not only voted with Aldrich every time ho voted
at all, but with tho exception of Aldrich himself
he Is the only republican member who never
missed a vote.
Ho had 129 chances, and ho votod 129 times,
and for Aldrich every time. Ho was tho Rhode
Islander's chief reliance in tho tariff session.
Is it true that such a record gives a member
of congress an "emphatically" good standing in
Washington? Perhaps it Is. But If it is, then
there is something radically wrong with Wash
ington. And there is something radically wrong
in mistaking tho Washington rating for tho po
litical or moral Tating put upon a senator or rep
resentative by the country at large. Kansas
City Times, Rep.
CONGRESSIONAL VIGILANCE
The second assistant postmaster general ex
plains that under the law the railroads continue
to receive pay for carrying mails on a basis es
tablished every four years, "whether they con
tinue to carry much or little." Ho has asked
congress to give the department authority to
divert the pay of tho railroads when the malls
aro diverted. So far the recommendation has
not been complied with.
It will be recalled that congress was inactive
when Representative Murdock called its atten
tion to tho fact that by a gross error it was
enormously overpaying the railroads for carry
ing the mails.
When some influential interest has a stake in
perpetuating an abuse it is mighty hard to get
action in what its members delight to call "tho
legislative branch." As a body congress cares
precious little for that hazy personage who was
referred to jocularly In the tariff debates as "the
Ultimate Consumer." Kansas City Times, Rep.
A Fine Tribute
Referring to tho lata John A. Johnson,
Thomas W. Lawson has written for the Boston
Journal this beautiful tribute:
I have ridden with him the hot day through
in tho dusty, nerve-racking railroad train and
I've been with him when he listened to tho
fealty message of tho leaders of his party which
cooed about that crown and throne which is
the dream of all red-blooded Americans; and
I've brought him the taunt of his great rival,
and yet in all I never once saw that childish,
merry twinkle leave those wonderfully love-begetting
eyes, and I never heard a discord in that
voice of trust and faith and charity and good
will to all. Ah! but he was such a man, such
a good man.
John Johnson's vision was all outward. Ho
had no .mirror and hnd he ono ho would have
hold It to reflect the beauties and tho goodness
of his follows.
Tho othor ovoning Erman Rldgway, his good
wlfo and mysolf woro In tho 'bus with this
groat man on our way to hoar him lecture.
Wo d had a Jolly good dlnnor and ho was snug
glod into tho corner muffled In his big fur coat,
and wo thought ho wanted to bo alone to toll
over his great speech, whon, as ho nearod tho
church whore his loeturo was to bo dolivorcd,
ho said, "I'm norvous tonight, Lawson, for I'm
going to make my loeturo tho simple story of
how I pardoned a boy and gave him back to bin
old mother arid fathor. I wnnt you to hear It,
but I know I'll cry and mako a country booby
of myself, and thon theso eastern pcoplo will
wondor what my great atnto was thinking of In
electing such a governor."
'Twas a big audlonco, big In intolllgonco, big
In sympathy with this latter day Abe Lincoln
of tho pcoplo and Governor Johnson told his
story and tho tears tricklod down his checks
and his gontlo volco was gontlor than Its wont,
but wo, his audlonco, yes, all of us, men, women
and children, wo criod, and at tho close of the"
story I said to the big, strong mannish govornor
of Now Jorsey, who had sat with bowed head,
as John Johnson, tho man, told tho simplo story
of how Govornor Johnson of tho great stato 'of
Minnesota gave their boy back to tho old fathor
and mothor, "Governor, 1 notice that you, too;
forgot that Governor Johnson was of the
onomy."
"Yes, yes, I forgot ovorythlng but tho story
and tho man who was telling It," and ho tried
to snoak away tho trail tho story had loft on
his cheek. "And If all democrats woro Uko Gov
ornor Johnson, thoro'd bo no enomy."
That night at RIdgwny's houso, after the
family had retired, I sat In front of tho open
grato with this, tho all-around best big man I
havo ovor mot, until the gray dawn was tap
ping at tho panes and time and tlmo again, as
I listened to his clear analysis of times and.
things and humans and their goodness, I would
break In and try to make him put on my smoked
glasses and sco tho out-thoro block, but he met
each attompt with his merry laugh. "Yes, yes,,
I'll agree that there Is lots that might bo mado
bettor, but, on tho whole, Lawson, It's a good
world and rv good people. I can .never bring
mysolf to believe but tho world and the people.
aTo getting better nil tho time." Ah! but he
was such a man, such a good man.
God was good to John Johnson. II endowed
him with all those riches which ma'do for hap-'
piness, hero und hereaftor, Birthed from tho
womb of tho common people, cradled in that
greatest of all world luxuries, poverty, ho cam
to tho starting lino a moral Hercules, bursting
with lovo of mother and adoration of wife, brist
ling with affection for humanity and charity and
forgiveness for his enemiui and muscled with
a superb honesty and veneration for God and
nature. Tho starter's bell was to him a joyful
"go." As ho ran ho saw no mire, no boulders,
no ditches, only God's great blue; he felt only
God's warming sun rays, and as he ran for them,
not himself, 'tis no wonder that his track was
fast and lib feet winged.
God was good to Govornor Johnson. Ho took
him as He took the sainted Lincoln, and all His
very chosen, while yet they ran, while yet their
follows cheered, whllo yet their souls wero
radiant with tho Intoxication of ambition's rays.
To us who were blessed with tho privilege of
his presence is left the consolation that ho was
and Is yet. Let us rain our tears, but not for
him. Let us weep for her whose sun Is set and
for the nation, which so sorely needs her valiant
sons, and for humanity, whoso champion has
gone over yonder. For myself, my sadness Is
mellowed by the thought that I knew him and
by tho faith that his shadow will for ages be a
dream-cradle for countless despairing souls.
BUT ALDRICn IS THE LEADER
Tho Tribune differs with tho president In his
Inferential invitation to the country to give the
democratic party control of the executive and
legislative branches of the federal government.
It is the Tribune's belief that the tariff can
be revised and revised properly by tho repub
lican party, and this may be accomplished In
tho next congress by retiring standpatters and
electing in their stead men of progressive ten
dencies. Chicago Tribune.
But Mr. Aldrich Is the republican leader and
when the republican party nominates Aldrich
men the Chicago Tribune will, in all probability,,
be among their noisiest supporters.
If
Hill
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