The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1885-02-21
SARTOR RESARTUS.

an intense interest in the affairs OF
the MINER and exhibited an unfair.
an unproft ssioral and an ungsnt1e-
manly spirit towards 1t. Not content
with acting the part of newspaper
scavenger IN Messing about the col
umns Of the MINER, picking out
words here and there, disjointing
sentences and perverting their mean
ing, he has p%ersistently, wilfully and
malicicusly misrepresented and, In
plain language, lied about it. While
much can be condoned In u who
has long since passed through the
portals of second childhood and
who,e senility is soured by sue
cession of disappointments, there is a
limit beyond which his chatter be-
comes disgusting and u~nbearable.
Our garrulous, quarrelsome neighbor
has parsed that limit. His misrepre-
sensations connot longer be permitted
without notice upon u part.
Now let us look into the cause OF
this perversion of the truth by our
embittered neighbor, and in doing so
we are compelled to use very plain
language. During the last campaign
| he was q candidate for an office
| Kicked from one convention into
another he obtained the nomination
and was more thoroughly booted at
the polls by the peopl'. The busl-
ness manager of the Inter Mo~ntas"
was also a candidate for Office and
was sat down upon by the people at
| the polls. The defeat of.these gentle
men was charged to the gamblers.
1t was also charged that the Demo-
cratic ticket was elected BY fraudu-
lent votes, that Mr.. Too!e was elected
bv fraudulent votes and that the gam
blers were the go-betweens who
manipulated these fraudulent votes.
| Then the cry went up ''The gamblers
must go.'
Now gambling has been going on
right under the nose of the Inter
Mountain for years. The editor OF
that paper saw it upon every hand.
He was as fully cognizant of its im-
morality, Of the misery it caused; OF
the cold an / hunger it entailed upon
its unfortunate votaries and of its de-
grading tendencies as he is to-day.
But not a word did he utter against
the v:ca; not a word did he breathe
against the practice; not a word OF
sympathy did he express for the hum
ery wives and children OF the victims
of the babit-the bowels of his COM
passion moved not. He was deaf to
the cry, dumb to the appeals and
blind to the sufferings OF the distressed
families of the chronic gambler.
Why has he not before discov-
cred this faint upon the moral
atmosphere of Bntte? There is not
an observing man in the city but
knows the reason. The gamblers
then worked for and voted wih his
purty. The first sheriff Of this county
was counted among the boys but the
Inter Mountain exhausted its voc 'bu-
larry Of adjectives in his praise. He. was
elected, and it is but justice to the
gentleman to say he made:a good
sheriff. But not q word was then
uttered against gambling by. the
Inter Mountain. Gamblers were
hail fellows. we'll met with that
paper.
Two years ago it had the gamblers
upon its side, and elected its sheriff.
Not a word Was then uttered against
gamblers and gambling by the Inter
Mountain, and not until it failed to
control that element in an cleo
ton did it discover that gambling
was wrong; that gambling was
wicked; that gambling was demon
alizing aud was financially. physi-
cally and mentally running scores of
people in Butte. Herein Is shown
the hollowness, the emptiness of the
professions of our neighbor, and the
animus of his present fight.
AS o. as the MINER is concerned, |
its position upon this question of
was plainly and unequivo-
cally defined some time ago. 1t re-
tracts nothing from what it then
said. 1t would gladly zee every
table in the Territory
burned in one grand bonfire, and
the many bright intellects
which preside over them turned in
the direction of more ennobling and
more remunerative pursuits. The
MINER heartily favors any bill that
will suppress OF restrict the vice. If
the legal talent in our legislative
halls can frame a more effective bill
than Mr.. Forbis' we will heartily sup
port it. But if the same talent and
wisdom cannot improve it then let
US have that.
The MINER recognizes the fact that
there is a large, Influential and res
pectable portion of the people Of the
Territory who favor Mr.. Forbis' bill.
They are sincere and honest in its
It also recognizes the
further fact that there is a large IN
duential, and respectable portion of
the people Of the Territory who op-
pose MI. Forbls' bill. They are sim
cere and honest in their opposition
to it. AS a journal disposed to be
fair to all the MINER has opened its
columns to a hearing of the opposi-
ton. For doing this the MINER has
oeen denounced by our neighbor and
BY the pulpit. 1t will survive all such
displays of narrow-mindedness and