The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1889-10-24
PRESS OPINIONS.

Minneapolis Tribune-"The truth
ABOUT Montana; Ever since the election
IN Montana the democrats have been en-
oeaVorlng to create the impression that
the republicans have been and still are
engaged in an attempt to steal the state.
ms is clear case of thief crying stop
thief. The ruse has met with a certain
degree of success only because, accord
ing to reliable private information, the
democrats have held control of the sour
ces and channel of news. "They have fill
ed the news reports so full of democratic
claims that the eastern public do not
know where we stand," says a leading
republican of Helena in a letter to a
friend in this city.
The republicans fought against great
odds. 10 win they had to overcome the
influence and money of all the million
aires of Montana and the democratic ma
tional committee and the outrageous CO.
ercion on the part of great individual and
| corporate employers of labor. But for
the new election law they would probably
have been defeated. AS it is they have
elected every state officer, with the excep-
tion of governor and majority of the
lower house of the legislature while the
senate is tie.
Secret balloting affords no protection
against Intimidation or fraud where prac-
tically all the voters are dependent up
on one man or a corporation. This was
the case in several voting districts in
Montana, which explains that one pre-
cinct returns III democratic votes out of
ia
The republicans are fully justified in
throwing out this precinct. 1t has been
fully established that the III men were
marched to the polls by their corporate
employer under instructions to vote the
democratic ticket or suffer discharge
When the true condition of affairs in
Montana is fully understood the honest
sentiment of the whole country will sus-
tain the republicans in their plucky and
courageous fight against intimidation
coercion, fraud and corruption.
Journal-"Cause of Delay" Of all the
absurdities that the democrats have beer
driven into by the emergencies Of theil
present situation, the most preposterous
is their assertion that the republicans are
responsible for the delay in the admis
sion of the Territory.
1t is made the duty of the county clerl
Of each county to forward the returns tt
the secretary of the territory. The can
vass in Gallatin county was made at al
early day, and the clerk performed hi
duty before the democratic mana gers hat
time to prevent him. The other countie
from which the returns have been re
ceived are Deer Lodge, Beaverhead, Mad
ison, Missoula, Lewis and Clarke, Jeffer
son. Meagher, Park, Yellowstone an
1 Dawson. In every one of these countie
: the county clerk is a republican.
Then look at the delinquent countie!
: These arc Cascade, Ga ytelu, Fergus, Gus
ter and Silver Bow. In these counties
with possible exception of Fergus, tn
county clerks are democrats. Can an
: one be silly enough to suppose that thes
= facts are accidental? The explanation
~ an open secret AS soon as the demo
: cratic boodlers saw that they would NJ
r he permitted to realize on the proceed
e of their crimes against the elective fral
G chise in Silver Bow county, they tell
l. graphed to all the democratic count
r clerks to withhold the returns from the
respective counties, and this has bee
done accordingly. If it had not been fl
this, the work of the state board of cal
r, vassers would have been done last wee
J. and the certificate of the governor avoucl
= ing the adoption of the constitute
! would be on its way to the president
b Such are the facts, and they fix the r
:, sponsibility for the delay unequivo cal
=. =, on the democratic conspirators.
AI;raoula Itam The ilemocratic nape