The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-09-21
WILBUR =. SANDERS.

Al IHo hohaiu6tlOn OF This gentleman a!
f their candidate for delegate to congress thu
republicans have rendered themselves deserv
ing of a vote of hanks from the entire de
mocracy of Montana. In making their selec
ton it was probably not the intention of oul
republican friends to heal and smooth ove1
any little dissentlons which may have existed
in democratic ranks, but if such had been
their purpose they could not possibly have
adopted a better or surer method of accomp.
fishing 1t. Previous to his nomination there
renamed a lingering though rapidly dimin.
ishing trace of disaftection among democrats
whose devotion to the principle of rotation
was so strong as to overcome their apprecia-
ton of even the eminent services and proven
ability of Major Maginnis, but the nomina-
ton of Sanders has banished and annillilated
every trace of such disaffection. That NOM
ination-the very name of Sanders-has
acted as a rallying cry for the democrats, call
ing upon all stragglers to fall into ranks and
take position against the most relentless, the
most eXecrable foe the Montana democracy
have ever commended against. That he de-
serves to be thus characterized will scarcely
be disputed; and since his nomination has
placed him before the people in the attitude
of a public man it is eminentlY fitting that
We should refer to the qualities he has devel-
oped in an extensive legislative experience in
Montana and explain to newcomers why it is
that no one deserving the title of democrat
could possibly vote for Wilbur F. Sanders.
In his legislative career Sanders has re-
vealed his character as an open book for the
inspection Of the world, and as We peruse it
we read: A extreme partisan, narrow
minded, bitter, unfair and untruthful." And
who that knows HIM will challenge the truth
tulness of this description? Sanders is a
representative black republican Of the most
radical, most Objectionable type. He IS a
representative of the carpet-bag system in the
south and of everything else that is ultra in
the policy OF the extreme radical republicans,
and'no democrat can vote for him without
giving the lie to the most Fundamental of the
principles by whose profession it is that he is
entitled to consider himself a member of the
democratic party. In the speeches which he
never lost all opportunity of intlicting upon
his tortured legislative audiences, no insult
was ever too gross, no contumely too wanton,
no falsehood too brazen to be employed by
Sanders in disparagement of democrats or
in aspersion of their motives.
A strange democrat, indeed, is he who, for
getting all this and remembering only that
he did not have his own way concerning
some detail of the county ticket, OR similar
trife, can turn humbly and fawningly kiss
the hand that has never wearied in its efforts
to strike down principles held sacred by the
democracy. Those are general reasons why
no democrat should vote for Sanders, but
there are particular reasons, and particularly
good reasons, too, why no West Side demo-
crat, or even any West Side man, save only
an extreme radical, of course, should vote
for him. Sanders political narrow-minded-
ness is so excessive that it runs into section
alism. In the legislature he has ever been
the persistent enemy of the West Side, and
not only in the legislature, but everywhere
else that his malevolent influence could be
employed. 1t is to him that we are indebted
tor not having a term of court at Butte, as it
is we'll known that it was his infuenceon the
Montana Supreme Court that led that body
to decide against the measure. The matter
did not concern him or his county in the
least, but it gave him an opportunity Of vent
ing his spleen against the West Side, an op-
portunity which was not allowed to pass UNI
improved. Missoula county is also indebted
to the same gentleman for the blocking game
CO o,,on,ccf,Jl. humane, 81, .--
any consideration Ivy the legislat ure of meth
DDS of strengthening that county's impaired
credit.
We wish it understood that in this article
we make no reference to Col. Sanders as an
individual, and especial when we declare, as
we unlesita1ingly dc, that as IA politician he
is unreliable, nntruthful and thoroughly dis
honest. He belongs to the school of politi-
clans who believe it "smart F" to deceive, and
who always prefer chicane as a means of ac-
complishing any purpose, even though it
could be achieved much more easily by
truthful dealing, fair and above board. In
political matters he has never scrupleI to
employ misrepresentation, to use a mild term,
as a mask behind which his concealed bat
teries could be brought into position, or as a
false flag of truce to take all unfair advan-
tage of an opponent. If elected to
congress not even the most faithful Of his
constituents could have the Last confidence
in his promise to attend to any business re-
quired of him; Or even that he would not
swing around in dead opposition to the inter-
ests in whose protection his friends would
consider themselves entitled to claim his in
fuence. Another thing we may remember
is that in the Montana legislature he has