Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1891-09-24
Democratic Activity.
Inter MountaIn.l


There is something suggestively hui
morous about the unanimity with
which the millionaire Democratic or
gans OF the state are calling for the or
ganization of political clubs within
the free trade and low wages line.
These organs are predicting that a
great victory will result from organi-
zation. OF course it is all a sorry
bluff. The reliance of the Democratic
chiefs in this state is not organization,
it is not argument, it is not facts; but
it is Doodle and fraud. There has not
been Democratic victory in Monta-
ma since 1880 that was not the direct
result OF bribery and corruption.
Sanders defeated Maginnis in 1880.
Botkin defeated Maginnis in 1882.
Knowles defeated Toole in 1884.
Sanders defeated Toole in 1855.
Carter defeated Dixon in 1890. In
each case fraud, the corrupt use of
money or the money or the intimida-
ton OF employees by the big corpora
tions reversed the fair result, and
every maB in the state, who has a rec
ollection for facts, knows it. 1t is not
to be supposed, therefore, that the
big chiefs of Democracy, having de-
pended solely on evil agencies for the
past decade and been successful in
most OF the contests during that time,
are suddenly going to reform and join
the political church. 1t is not to be
supposed that the men who carried
Wilder's landing and Wooley's ranch
who voted soldiers and Indians and
absentees and dead men; who i'm
ported for one election 1000 men
from Washington territory and voted
them like sheep for Maginnis; who
made arrangements with the North
ern Pacific mineral land thieves for
the delivery OF their entire vote in re-
turn for promises for freight; who
sent Republican voters to counties in
which they were not registered and
voted repeaters in their places in Hell
ena and Butte; who utilized 400 alien
Italians, not one of whom could either
read, write or speak the English Ian
guage; who, under threats, compelled
every man over whom they could
crack a whip to vote the Democratic
ticket or bestraddle the fence, while
loyal Republicans were doing the fight
ing for the party men and measures;
who depended for success upon the
barrel and the whip, the booster and
repeater, the spy, the traitor and the
slave, and not on a fair discussion OF
principles, not on a candid compari-
son of party records, not on facts and
figures and reason for the vindication
of their position-it is not to be sup
posed, we say, that these men are act
ing in good faith when through their
organs they call upon the rank and
file OF their party to organize clubs
and discuss issues. Whoever knew
the Democratic organs i'll this state to
discuss issues? They find fault with
protection, yet they dare not advo-
cate free trade. At the Anaconda
convention, which nominated Joe
Toole for governor, the platform
adopted fatty demanded protection
for the products of "our mines and
farms, our forests and our flocks," F"
and yet because wool is not selling for
a dollar a pound and because lead is
not as precious as gold they say the
Mckinley bill is fraud, denouncing
it daily, yet lacking thecourage openly
to advocate free trade, which in reali-
ty they favor in the interest of foreign
labor and low wages. They demand
the free coinage of silver in one breath
and in the next shout for Grover
Cleveland, its greatest enemy, for
president. For effect upon the public
mind they ask for an enlarged curren-
cy, but all their efforts are directed in
favor of single standard candidate
for the presidency, under whose rule
they know they could depend upon a
contracted currency and consequently
tighter money market and higher
rates of interest for the banks for
whose sole benefit they are conducted.
Do not these opposing professions and
practices furnish food for thought for
the workingmen of this state? Do the
latter not understand that the mil.
lionaires have sent agitators among
them to stir up third party move
ment with a view OF splitting the Re
publican strength and thus contribut'
inp TO Democratic success and the