The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-09-11
Monday. September II. 1898.
WHAT If TIE DID:

The Butte Miner and a few other
Democratic papers that follow the Min
er's lead. are particularly distressed just
now at what they are pleased to term
Senator Powers apostacy to silver III
failing to urge on Governor Rickardsthe
necessity of an extra session Just what
Senator Power did say to Senator Jones
on the memorable occasion when he was
requested to perform this act OF political
qualification does not appear. The
Miners Washington correspondent start
ed the excitement by reporting that Mr..
Power had refused" to join in a tele-
gram with the silver senators to Gov.
Richards urging the extra session on
purely silver grounds. Mr.. Power avs
he never saw the telegram. nor did a
majority of the silver senators. Senator
Jones is then heard from to the effect
that he approached Senator Power to
induce him to lead off in the making of
such a telegram to the governor. and
according to Senator Jones. Senator
Power responded hat 'he was moi inter
ested in the matter and refused to sign"
to which Senator Jones adds. bv way of
explanation In as much as he assumed
that attituce nothing further was done.
Whether Mr.. Power is correctly quoted
in this matter or not. we are willing to
assume that he is. and that he did tell
Mr.. Jones that he felt no interest in the
matter of urging an extra session OF the
Montana Legislature-and why should
he? When ii appears. as it must appear
to every person of ordinary intelligence.
that the extra session scheme was only
to give Mr.. W. y. Clark another chance
for election. ii is not 10 be wondered that
Mr.. Power lacked interest in the matter.
There never was a holder or more
brazen attempt to coerce the movement
of the people for the benefit of the indi-
yidual than this same extra session
scheme. now happily dead. though the
Miner doesn't seem to know it. Its mo
tive is and was SO palpable that it is
almost idle to refer to it. and we do not
believe there is a man in Montana who.
regardless of politics, will not agree to
the proposition that Mr.. Power. right
fully and Loyalty. had no interest in the
matter" and that he would have been
recreant to his trust had ne allowed his
favorable request to embarrass Governor
Richards in d matter OF such moment
The attempt to charge Mr.. Power with
treason to the silver interest because he
refused to play a trump card for Mr.. W.
4. Clark's benefit is SO pltiful and triy-
ial a diversion from the main issue that
it engages the attention of one The
most ardent silver advocates in the coun-
try gave up all hope for the cause after
its overwhelming defeat in the house.
and the Miners attempt to pillory Mr..
Power as a traitor to silver is ridiculous.
Any day during the session Of the last
Legislature a silver senator from Mon
tana could have been elected if Mr..
Clark had been willing. and it is SO
broadly asserted as to Dear almost the
semblance Of verify. that but for the
same gentleman's opposition and intiu-
ence. the appointed senator. a valiant
champion of the white metal. would now
be sitting in the vacant seat. With
these things so fresh in his memory no
one would wonder that Mr.. Power
should declare himself as having no in
terest in giving life to a movement that
would probably result in returning Mr..
W. A. Clark as his colleague. The
JOURNAL hopes he did say SC, and lots
more in the same strain. and only re-
grets that the first explanation Of the
matter coming from Mr.. Power did not
contain this emphatic declaration.