The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1883-04-04
A MALICIOUS ATTEMPT TO MIS-
LEAD.

self in the character OF a tricky political
schemer who would not hesitate at acts
to which other men Of prominence would
never think of STOPPING, has written a
long editorial in which he shows plainly
that he either knows nothing about some
things he writes about, or else deliber-
ately t~alsifies for the purpose of venting
his spite on the present federal officials
more especially the governor who sat
down on some Of his schemes to further
rob the territorial treasury. Let us look
over some of his remarks. After stating,
in substance, that all the federal officials
will hereafter be made to keep time to
the governors music, he says:
The purpose is to revolutionize the
politics Of Montana by fair mea or foul.
The active workers in the democratic
party are to be indicted and harassed, as
in the case of prominent citizens of Ben
ton, who have been dragged to Helena
to answer charges of frauds at the late
election. 1t seems as if the powerful
machinery of the federal government
will be brought to bear upon such men
as these, while the Louis Rials and other
men of that ilk who co-operated in SNUG
Cling across the line illegal half breed
voters will be permitted to go unpun-
ished.
The best answer tothe second sentence
in this paragraph is that the only person
who has yet gone to Helena-"dragged
there to answer charges of frauds at the
last election is a republican, a gentle
nan who was treasurer of the republican
county committee, and who worked
earnestly and honestly for the success of
the republican ticket, from Mr.. Botkin
down. IF some of the active workers
in the democratic party have also been
indicted they are no worse off han their
republican neighbers, and will probably
have the same chance Of proving their
innocence. The only half breeds in
northeastern Montana, where Louis
Rial was at at the time of the election,
and who cast any votes, with the ex-
ception of those few who voted at the
Benton precinct and who voted almost
to q man for the democratic candidates,
cast their votes at Reedsfort in the Jul
dith Basin. 1t is true that Mr.. Botkin
ran ahead of his ticket there-as he did
in many other precincts in Montana
but let us look at the vote polled there:
Botkin, rep, 20; Maginnis, DEM, 80.
Waterman, rep, 81; Johnson, DEM, 81.
Sheriff, rep, q; Stuart, DEM, SO. Dean,
So; Wallace, rep, %; Atchison,
DEM, 70; Kanouse, DEM, II. Stevenson,
rep, q; Murray, DEM, IS. Hatch, rep,
2; Anderson, DEM, 6; Rotwitt, ind, SO.
Folsom, rep, SO; McClintock, DEM, 68.
Allebaugh, rep. %; Cameron, DEM, 81.
Hughes, rep, 25; Howell, DEM, IS. Nc
Intosh, rep, Is; Berkins, DEM, s.. Miss
Nichols, rep, SO; Upton, dem., Sc. Nc
Farland, rep, 35; Wight, DEM, So. Pot
ter, rep, 81; Lapalme, DEM, Il. So
much for the British half BREED votes
which the Independent charges were
struggled across the line and which it
were illegal, and cries because al
to go UNPUBLISHED. That paper,
the Butte Miner, and the local demo
cratic organ have harped on this subject
ever since election, and have sought to
make the people Of Montana believe that
hundreds of these votes were struggled
over the border and cast for the republi-
can ticket. There were some American
half breeds who tried to vote at Wilder's
Landing, but they were driven away
from the polls by the democratic strik-
ers, who even by these methods failed
to make "Wilder's Landing solid for
Maginnis.n We have heard of one aged
half breed, who was born in Minnesota
and had often voted there, who had lived
over in the Dominion a few years, and
who on his return, to make sure, had
! pplied for and had been granted natu-
~ralization papers, who was not even
allowed to swear his vote in. We trust
this is about the last we will hear of the
half breed vote. The more the half
breed question is ventilated the worse it
will be for the democratic party. That
party and their organs have cried half
breedyoten a good deal, but they have
never seen fit to give any facts. We
give facts for them. IF they know any
they can prove, let them turn them
LOOSE, or keep their mouths closed.
Dr.. Turner keeps reliable seeds from
- Il --L1 -