The Helena independent., 1893-08-20
SANDERS AND HIS MOTIVE.
His Attack ON tho Governor In y publI0
Speech Hebukeds

Speech Hebuked.
To Tho Independent.
Were tho governor al homo tho ulura
heaped upon the chief executive OF the
state at the citizens' meeting Friday night
by Ex-senator Sanders. would doubtless
paas unnoticed. The dsgusted audience
and the sentiment Of tho citizens rospcct-
ing tho attack would have been robukv
enough. II Is porhapa tfue that tho inses-
ests of the state oan be beat conserved by
paying attention TO disappointed and
diegruntled politicians. who improve every
occasion TO air their grievances with un.
seemly rhetoric.
In the absence of tho governor. however,
state, it is the better part OF good citizens
ahip to register d protest. not against tha
personai views Of Mr.. Sandera, which nra
not worth passing Thought. but againat
his llagrant mastntement OF fact. do
this, wholly upon my own responsibility
and without the knowledge OF tha gov
ernor.
| MIR. Sanders is accredited with snyinQ
Tint Gov. Richards. az "the highest officer
| i'll the state. has abandoned Gia duties. loft
| n deputy in charge and gone to Washing.
tom" And further, that 10 an agreeable
city to spend time in. but believe the gen-
tlemon who has been elected to tho office of
governor should do his dnty and remain al
home" If Washington be such ian agree.
able city to spend time in" during tho
torrld heat of July and August, how much
more agreeable it must be III the balmy ais
of winter and the aatty OF the social aenson.
Yet the painful recollection comes back TO
the average Montanian that senator San
ders abandoned his post of duty, and tho
agreeable city" and spent moet OF last
winter in Helena drawing his senatorial
salary in an effort to be re- elected.
1t 10 fact, as we'll known to Mr.. Sanders
as to the general public. that Coy. Rick
ards frat trip to Washington WAS purely
an official one, he having gone at the re-
quest of the state board Of land commits
sioners to secure, il possible, a reversion os
a ruling made by the interior Departments
against the interests Of thia state. Tho
action of the department. had not only de-
prived the state from securing the lands
assigned ii by the federal government for
tho various educational institutions and
public buildings. but also deprived the state
OF the federal appropriation OF S20,0 for
surveys Of public lands 1t was to save to
tho state the lands to which it was entitled
| for it's educational institutions and to se-
cure the appropriation for surveys. which
would lapse by limitation in few days.
| that led the governor to hasten to Washing
ton to labor night and day in the perilons
heat of midsummer at the imminenS risk OF
his health. Fortunately, the energetic ef-
forts put forth by the governor were suc-
cessfal, and the state and its inHtitutiona
Will profit accordingly.
Mr.. Sanders Is coQnizant OF these facts,
} and his cowardly attack on the governor,
in his absence, can be attributed to no
higher motive than squeezing the juice
from the eour grapes Of resentment In not
having received the favor for which he
plead when the duty of appointing asna-
tor fell upon the chief executive of the
I state.
Tho governors second trip to Waahine-
ton, from which he ID now returning. was
undertaken in behalf of the interests oil
silver. 1t WAS universally believed that ths
> presence of the Montana governor. as vel
as the executives Of the other silver states.
would add something Of weight and inilu.
I ence to the struggle for the rights Of tho
9 white metal. There is not man In Mon
tana. interested in the welfare of the state
who will criticise Gey. Richards for lend
ing his active influence to the cause of sill
yer at his own personal Inconvenience nnt
at his own personal expense. Even with
his we'll known opposition to free coinage
both as senator and plain every day citizen
Mr.. Sanders iE not warranted in criticisina
the governor for performing the highest
4 duty to the state in the crisis of the hour.
Ii is not worth while to debate the ax-
senator's proposition that $1,000 ia toe
high salary for any state officer to receive.
until ne emphasizes his new role 40 n ''fe-
| former" by converting back into tho treas
: ury three-fourths of the salary he received
as senator, aud apologies for trying to
keep the job. knowing nothing OF the
hard work, the mental drndgery. the skiii
: and experience and the responsibility
required of state officer. not
having met with that Hatterina
success before the Montana public
that would Justify him in conducting d
practical investigation for himself. Mr..
Sanders makes the mistake of classify inR q
such duties with those assumed by hiinself
rs senator. which consisted chiefly in draw-
| ing his salary. talking down Montnna's sl-
yer interests. postponing the military posi-
and patronizing the Helena lobby. Re-
speottuly. A. b. KEITH.