Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1887-1890, 1889-07-10
THE CONTENTION.

The committees which President CLARK
announced today will serve to expedite
public business and concentrate the at
tention of delegates on special subjects.
Some of the committees are composed OF
five members, but there are others with
seven, nine, eleven and fifteen members.
This arrangement will give the minority
fair representation and will enable the
committees to submit reports with Il fair
prospect that they will represent the
opinions of the convention at large on
leading questions. The arrangement
ought also shorten debate. When d
committeeman has carried his point and
secured favorable report from IL large
committee, the convention will doubtless
accept that report without calling for fur
ther explanation from at least the author
of the section or article in question.
There may be some 'cranks" lurking
in the convention with the fell design of
retarding the public business with their
hobbies, but so far they have not come to
the front. 1t is to be hoped that the
members will have the prudence to sup
press such bores and go on with the work
for which they were elected.
The appropriate address which Mr..
Clark made should encourage the mem
bers to pursue persistently the task which
the United States as we'll as Montana has
| set them His words merit close atten-
tior. He said:
We have reached an eventful era in the
history Of our territory. Montana, whose
origin in the widest regions Of the west
over a quarter of Il century ago, some OF
you have witnessed, has Notwithstanding
the disadvantages and embarrassments
that attend a territorial form of govern
ment, experienced phenomenal devel-
among the territories, the gem and the
about to put off the garb of territorial ex
istence and assume the dignity of state
hood, and the work of this transition is
conflded to our hands.
While we may we'll congratulate our
selves upon the honor that has been con
ferred upon us, we should be admonlshed
that there are likewise most solemn and
important duties imposed upon US.
| We are to build q structure that shall
exist through the ages to come; that shall
exert an influence for good or for evil
upon the destinies of generations yet I'M
born. 1t is work which cOmmends it.
self to our most serious consideration; n
work which challenges the exercise Of
of our best and noblest faculties-a work
to which we should bend our best ener-
gies, and to which we should subordinate
every selfish personal and partisan con
siderati0n; to the end that we may pre-
sent constitution that shall be worthy
of the state, that shall be acceptable to the
people, and that will enable Montana to
embrace the golden opportunity now first
presented, and which if neglected may
long be deTerreu, to take the proud posi-
Ilon to which she is entitled in the great
sisterhood Of states. thank you gentle
men for the honor you have conferred
upon me.
There are no "burning issues" to pre-
vent the consumation so much desired.
1t ought to be possible to frame a consti-
tuition that will be acceptable to both
democrats and republicans. If such q
constitution is formed the democrats will
have done as well as if they had carried
| by force of numbers, sections and articles
framed by themselves. But if the repub-
licans repeat the tactics pursued in the
last legislature, they must be opposed
resolutely. "Be just and fear not" should
be the guiding principle of the democrat.
ic majority.