St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-17
THE MONTANA CONTEST.

The Montana contest case will afford
the United States senate an excellent
opportunity to demonstrate whether or
not that body is capable of rising above
the low plane Of partisanship to the
broader one of craftsmanship, and thus
manifest its ability to decide grave
public question exclusively on its equi-
ties. The question before that body in
wolves the right of state to representa-
ton in the senate. as we'll as the right of
the people of state to determine for
themselves who shall be their repre-
Sentatiyes. The opening arguments,
made by the counsel for the two sets of
claimants last Saturday before the SEN
ate committee on elections, disclose
the following facts: The Democratic
claimants are before the senate with
cloud on their title. The Republican
claimants are there without even the
shadow of title. The cloud resting
upon the claim of the Democratic claim
ants is no fault of theirs. 1t was cast
there by the skullduggery of their op-
ponents. That is the plain English of
the case, and fair statement of its
equities. The two Republican claim
ants appear with a title which is fic-
fitious on its face, and is soaked in
fraud and corruption. The whole coun-
try knows that. There is not aud never
has been doubt in the mind of any IN
prejudiced American citizen that ma
JOrity of the votes in Silver Bow county
were cast for the Democratic legislative
candidates. Ii the two Montana gentle
men who are now in Washington
seeking to be admitted as Repub-
lican senators were to speak from
the depths Of honest hearts, they
would admit this truth. 1t is notieea-
able that their counsel did not ask the
members of the senate election commit
tee to go behind the two sets of returns
and ascertain the true expression of the
people of Silver Bow county at the
polls. But the counsel for the Demo-
cratic applicants did. The Republican
contestants rested their case upon the
technical advantages they supposed
they possessed, regardless of the fact
that those technicalities were created
Tor the express purpose of defeating the
will of the people of Silver Bow county,
They were created simply as a pretext
for setting up claim to something they
had no right to, relying on the partisan
ship of the senate to give validity to
their fraudulent title. The Democratic
contestants simply say to the senate, "Go
to Silver Bow county, and if you find
there that majority of electors did not
vote for US, then we relinquish all claim
to seats in this body. Otherwise we in
EiSt uDOn the verdict of the neonle heinz
registered" That is all there is in this
Montana case, and the grave and rev.
erend senators may talk upon technic a
points from now until dOomsday-they
will never convince the American people
that Messrs. CLARK and MAGINNIs are
not entitled to be recognized as the SEN
atOrs from Montana.
At the same time, we fear the senate
is incapable of taking the just and more
elevated view OF the case. Some hints
that Senators HoAR, TELLER and
other Republican members of the
committee dropped out on Sat
urday, indicate that the Repub-
tican majority will bury conscience
under the shadow of party necessity
and perpetrate another outrage upon
popular government. This is melan-
choly view to take of it, but we see
nothing to justify any other. The most
lamentable part of it all is that men in
high station will attempt to justify
sc0undrelism under the plea of party
necessity. II is a fearfully bad eX-
ample to set before the rising genera
ton, and may yet prove to be the de-