Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-28
THE SITUATION I'm MONTANA.

The democrats OF the country are
con ident that their party will carry
the new state OF Montana. Some OF the
more optimistic among them, as Con-
gressman s. s. Cox, profess to believe
that three OF the four new states will be
democratic, but while this faith is far
from general, none doubt that Montana
will elect democratic state officials and
send democrats to congress. The mu-
nicipal elections OF two months ago
showed considerable democratic gains,
aud the late election Of delegates to the
constitutional convention was favor
able to the democrats. The
encouragement derived from these
facts is strengthened by the
belief that there are dlsseusions in the
ranks OF the republicans of the territory
| too serious to admit of the restoration Of
| harmony before the new state is organ
| lied.
1t is quite among the possibilities
| that democratic confidence regarding
| Montana may be disappointed. The
Helena Herald says: 1--WE know that
they have been promised Montana sure,
but the democrats outside of the terri
tory are more confident than those in
side. The late vote for delegates to the
/ constitutional con vention proves very
little, and that little does not show any
safe margin for the democrats. The
truth is, that great many voters did
not feel any great political interest in
the choice OF delegates to the constitu-
tional convention, for in the framing of
a constitution the issues which divide
parties will have very little regard,
consequently men whose business made
an imperative demand on their time
and attention did not leave it to vote.
The case will be very different, how
ever, when it comes to choosing a rep
resontatlve in congress and legisla-
ture that is to elect two United States
senators. Then national issues
will exert their influence, and
voters who we're Indifferent as
to whether democrats or repub-
licans framed the state consti-
tuition will feel some concern as to
whether the new state shall be repre-
sented in congress by men who are in
sympathy with the dominant party in
the country or Unidentified with the po-
litical organization which will be pow
erless for at least the next four years.
| With regard to the reported dissen-
sions among Montana republicans there
appears to be great deal of fiction
about it. There was recently published
a letter purporting to have been written
to the president by an old Montana re-
publican, one Richard F. Negley, in
which it was charged that the interfer-
ence of Russell Harrison in the politics
of the territory had been disastrous to
the republican party. The Helena
Journal says that prominent republicans
whom it consulted knew of no such per-
son as Negley, and it characterizes the
contents Of the letter ascrlbed to him
as drivel. 1t says there has been no
contest over any federal office except
that of governor, and this was settled
by the president to the admitted salts
faction of all concerned.
1t is probable that the republicans of
Montana were not as careful and Jealous
in maintaining their organization and
getting out their vote at the elections
thi spring as they should have been,
and the result ought to be an instructive
lesson to them. They elected the dele
gate to congress last November by a
handsome majority, and there Is no ap-
parent good reason why the vote of the
party should have been permitted to de-
cline. Active and earnest work will
now be necessary to restore it, and if
this is given there is more than a posi-
bility that democratic confidence re-
garding Montana will be disappointed.
The stake is certainly worth vigorous
effort to secure it.