The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-01-07
A SERVICE OF PRAYER
offered For The Legislative Rep.
reSentdtiY9S 10 Helena
FOUNDERS SPECIAL SERVICE
The Butte Preacher Talks to Mem
bers of the Montana Legisia-
ture and Shows Some
Living Pictures.

the Rounder tabernacle this evening had
the effect of bringing larger number OF
people than usual to that place of worship.
Nearly the entire front row was filled by
the honorable senators and represen.
tatives. Many of them had already been
over to Helena to get the lay of tho land,
but on receipt of an invitation to attend a
special service, designed solely for their
benefit, they returned on this evenings
train from the capital city. Nearly all
the Silver Bow delegation were on hand,
and they brought with them quite a few
representatives from other parts of the
| state.
| The Rev. Mr.. Rounder announced as his
text, THE prayers of the righteous
avaieth much" He said in the course of
his sermon:
| There may be some in my congrega-
ton who, at the first thought, might not
clearly understand why it is necessary
that the prayers of the church accompany
our representatives about to go over to
Helena. To demonstrate the urgency
and propriety of this special service to-
night, il is only necessary for me to call
your attention TO the Legislature of two
years ago.
"Men who, to all appearances, were as
honest as you are; men who bore good
| dS you DedTs men as nlEnlN
respected and as highly honored as you
are, went over to Helena two years ago
just as you are going now. We all had
confidence in them rs men of integrity
| and honesty. We believed them to he
men in whose keeping the honors of the
| state would be safe. But, nevertheless,
| men in whom the greatest confidence was
| placed fell To eternal disgrace before the
| corrupting influences of man who
| thought he could buy seat in the United
| States. and who, TO gain his selfish ends,
| did not scruple TO make the Montana
| Legislature and the state of Montana, n
byword throughout the nation for political
roItenness.
such being the case, it would seem fit
and proper that the prayers of righteous
people throughout Montana be offered up,
first, for the salvation of the state ITSELF
so dishonored at the last legislative ses-
sion, and secondly for the men heretofore |
honest, now about to brave the untried |
perIls and sins of the capital city.
IF were TO choose the most effective |
way of impressing upon your minds the |
fact that honesty is after all the best pol |
icy, / would choose that might be able to |
present on this platform tonight, directly |
before your eyes, living pictures of the |
men who sold their state for a few thou |
sand dollars apiece two years ago. Who |
is there in all the world TO do them honor
now? They have sunk as completely into
the oblivion of dishonor as though they
had never been born. Name If you can.
any one of them all who to-day possesses
an atom of respect In the community
where he lives. Wherever any of these
Legislators who proved false to their trust
may have taken up their residence in the
past two years, the result has been the
same. In whatever street of whatever
city he may walk, one passer by remarks
to companion or thinks to himself,
There goes a man who sold the honor of
his state for money. | wonder how much
he got The dogs of Montana disdain to
bark at them.
Il am free to admit that the tempta-
tions before the members of the last legis-
lature were OF an unusual and overpower-
ing character. During long years these |
men had met with small temptations and |
had wea;hered them and remained hon
est. But their price hadn't been reached |
until they got to Helena and ran against |
man who wanted a seat IN the United
States senate and was willing to pay well |
for it.
"While this divides the dishonor of dis
grazing the state with the briber, | do not |
admit that the fact that the brIbe was
large Is a sufficient excuse. / am one of
those who believe that a man who steals a :
million dollars is just as much "A thief as ,
the man who steals "A loaf of bread. | am
one OF those who believe that a bank en- I
DeZzler who makes successful trip TO '
canada Is just as much n thief as the ,
pckpocket who is sent up for 30 DAYS for
taking $40 that is not ms. | am one of
those who believe that man Is not the
less thief because lac does his thievinp J
on wall street. l am one of those who
believe that the cgslator who sells his vote I
Tor 5000 is just as dishonest and lust as J
dlshonurable as the man who joins an in q
dependent club on election day and sells 4
his vote for -.
ut seems to have come to the pass i'm
these closing years of the nineteenth CEN 5
Jury that honesty Is a surprise. Instances q
Of remarkable honesty, loyalty and fidel- :
NY often cause greater wonder now adaNs
IMAM stories OF dishonesty, trcachery and
deceit. Notwithstanding this there was
never a period i'm history when honesty
was more greatly priced and rejoiced al. |
Lven when not quite sure we would be
honest ourselves, under the same circum-
stances, We commend honesty in others
and thieves and rogues join with honest
men IN condemning treachery and deceit, |
Some men rather enjoy putting them
selves IN tho way of temptation. They
AXE to be tempted. Some worked all the |
wires they could last year to secure legis-
alive nominations on some party or other
m order doubtless that they might see
whether they could Withstand temptation
'r not. l am confident that such men |
we're not elected-very few of them were,
anyway.
The prayers of the righteous availeth |
much Ii is true that the prayers of the
'lghteous never before tackled "a Mon
ana legislature, but l have faith to be-
ieve that they might have some effect
sven on that. believe il possible for even
! man to hold Office IN Montana and re-
main honest. Men passed through the
Montana legislature two years ago and
their own honor and that of
he state they represented. With all the y
corruption aud dishonesty and Il sloyalty. {"
here were white pages even on the record ~
II the legislature of 1888. w
Upon You, the members Of the Mon Q.
ana legislature Of lS.'5. devoves "A greater W
ask than ever rested on a legislature be- >
ore. Your duty j. not alone To perform N
aIihtuly the routine business before YOU \.