The new North-west., 1897-02-05
RELATING TO POWELL COUNTY.

No sooner had the bill for the creation
of Powell county been introduced in the
Legislature, than the Anaconda Standard
outlined its mode of warfare against the
measure by giving utterance to the fol
lowing insulting language directed
against some of the Oldest and best citi-
zens Of Montana:
"In fact, as near as can be learned, the
movement for division arises from the
ambitions of Deer Lodge politicians out
of job and few capitalists who have
made money out of the needs and distress
of the public and their fellow citizens.
"They see in a new county financially
weak rare opportunity for more plum
der"
What could be more insulting, or far
ther from the truth, than that statement!
Yet this is the sort of argument" the
Standard has resorted to whenever it has
seen fit to "discuss" the Powell county
proposition. But it has repeatedly told
us in its usual lofty manner that it was
in position to know that no new coun-
ties would be created by this legislature.
BY what authority does that newspaper
assume to know what will be the policy
of body of free and intelligent men who
were elected to represent the great state
of Montana in general and no special
community in particular? Does it mean
to insinuate that the Legislature will be
dominated by the Anaconda company, a
corporation whose past political intrigues
and transactions have been as dark and
blighting as the polluted waters that flow
from its smelters? We will not believe,
until the contrary is shown, that such is
the situation at Helena.
AS regards the quotation the Standard
saw fit to Gull from an article copied in
these columns from an exchange, why
was it not fair enough to quote the re-
mainder Of the article and inform the
legislature and its readers what victory
for the bill meant? Owing to it's limited
space, we presume, the Standard could
only find room for few lines of the arti-
Gle, which it gave in the hope that it
would add a little water to its wheel
1t was fast enough to print what defeat
of the Powell county bill meant in the
language of The Sheridan Paper-now
let us see what victory for the bill meant
in the opinion of the Sheridan editor:
"Victory for the bill means, to that ex-
tent at least, the end of millionaire and
corporation rule in this state. 1t will
serve as Notice to quit to all who essay
dictatorship in this commemorative af-
fairs solely by virtue of their dollars and
fhs6 aHEg9S IT i will be enRhaic PRO
Equality-those principles of which we
of Montana of late years have heard so
much and experienced so little.
"lf the Fifth Legislative Assembly Of
Montana be wise, honest and patriotic it
will pass the Powell county bill.'
THE NEW NORTHWEST has been giving
from week to week, since the Powell
county bill was introduced in the house,
extracts from the Montana press showing
how the measure was regarded by those
in different sections of the state who had
no direct interest in the matter, but
who chose to take the side of the weak
purely through the Unborn love of Ameri-
cans to see justice and right prevail over
wrong and oppression. If some of onl
newspaper friends have gone beyond the
bounds of press etiquette, in the eyes OF
the esteemed Standard, to express their
contempt for the Weyler warfare that is
being waged against us, and have struck
hard blows in our defense, they are album
dainty able to defend themselves against
all comers, and need no pouring of oil
upon the troubled waters at the hands of
this paper. The least we can do is to
express our gratitude to them for their
unsolicited aid and brave words at time
when true friendship and patriotism is
put to the test.
The Standards ability to distort and
evade facts and figures is only equaled
by its genius in misquoting and distort-
ing articles from this paper in such
manner as to make them misleading.
This paper has given the facts and fig
ures in the Deer Lodge county division
matter, and they have been laid before
the legislature. They stand out to pub
lie gaze as bold and unshaken as old
Mount Powell itself, and the attempts of
the Standard to distort them, or misquote
us, only adds to its confusion and fur
nishes more evidence why the county
should be divided.
The boomerang sent into the air the
other day by the Standard was poorly
aimed and came back with greater force
than the power behind it dreamed of.
The esteemed Standard will, we think,
In future be more careful in its allega-
tions that "boodle" is being used by the |
advocates of county division. The Deer
Lodge committee at Helena promptly
called the Standard down through the
independent, and the Anaconda paper
is now silent as an oyster on that subject
Heretofore the Standard has been pleased
to refer to those people who would COM
pose the county of Powell as "men of
modest means-ranchmen and stock
growers OF small property" Can the
Anaconda paper cite single case where