The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-15

Last night, at the democratic pri-
maries in Silver Bow county, w. A.
Clark's senatorial plans n specihca-
tons got it right in the neck. His de-
feat was even more overwhelming than
the one he met Monday night in the
The county convention to be
held next Saturday will have a men,
bership of 1s5. Some scattering and dis
tant precincts are yet to be heard from,
so that the exact figure cannot be
given, but it looks now as if in this
county convention Mr.. Clark will have,
all told, from Is to Is delegates.
This is the more remarkable because
of the long and vigorous fight Mr.. Clark
has made. He was at it all summer.
Up to Z o'clock last Monday night his
supporters were loud in their predic-
ton of a victory as the result of what
they declared to be "a well-orgahized
effort" During recent weeks Mr..
Clark's te~n-dollar-a-day patriots have
been thick in Butte, his headquarters
for the distribution of the stuff have
been in lively operation, his money has
run in rivulets into the hands of alleged
workers, who put these dollars into their
pockets and never where it would help
Clark, who doesn't realize two bits
worth of benefit out of his plentiful
shower of gold.
1t was a Clark fizzle all along the line.
Every city-of-Butte precinct went
against Clark, the precincts where la
Dor is congregated, the precincts where
wealth c%enters, the outskirt precincts,
the business-house precincts, the pre-
cincts where swell society lives-it was
all the same; Clark lost them all; he
lost by an overwhelming vote the pre-
cinct in which he lives. Yet men who
are close to Mr.. Clark's political plans
declare hat more money was dumped
in his effort to swing Silver Bow county
than ought TO be required for the legiti-
mate expenses of a whole state cam
paign in Montana. Whatever may have
been past experience. it is certain that
Mr.. Clark was no niggard this year in
point of the expense. 1t can never be
said that his effort to buy Silver Bows
primaries funked for lack of good coin
backing.
But it didn't do any good-not the
least little bit of good. The Clark sena-
torial boom-the one for 1S98-is a REM
nant and a wreck. Possibly an attempt
will be made to raise it but. as it looks
now, if it were put or canvas and
made a work of art, it o be a good
companion piece for a picture of Ger
vera's Cristobal Colon. At the o of
the sounding of curfew in the tower of
the town hall, last night, a survey of the
local political field revealed the fact
that there isn't enough left of the Clark
senatorial candidacy to sweep up with
a broom.
1t had been suspected, after Mon
day nights rout at the primaries that.
spite of the caucus Knockout, the Clark
forces would get their second wind and
stand up for another round at last
nights primaries. They did. in fact.
try to do this in good heart but, some
how. they couldn't. and the primaries
were worse than a repetition of what
occurred at the caucuses. Several things
happened during the interval which
helped to dispirit the Clark forces.
Among other things, on the morning
after the caucuses Mr.. Clark's Butte
Miner came out in a pitiful wall that
added ~perceptibly to the decentralization
OF the already disheartened forces. This
Miner lamentation. which was naturally
assumed to be inspired. was a wet
blanket. 1t didn't dry all day Tuesday
or leave the forces in good form to be
up and dressed and in good fighting
trim on Wednesday. The whole story
is that. for Mr.. Clark's long-fondled
senatorial ambition. Monday night
was the inquest and Wednesday night
the ~obsequies.
Beyond a shadow OF doubt. this re-
suit at the Silver Bow primaries is ac-
cepted as satisfactory by the citizens
of Butte. They are sick of Clark and
anti-Clark quarrels. ms the opinion is
that last nights decisive results ought
to put an end to that business forever.
Every intelligent resident of Butte
knows that, from the first, the pretense
about true democracy" and anti
fusion was an empty mockery. No
citizen of Butte was in doubt as TO the
real purposes of Mr.. Clark's activity
it was as clear as day.
The popular demand now is that the
democratic campaign, honestly repre-
sentative Of all Montana-and hot of
local factions-be permitted TO proceed
IN its merits. You could hear the k
of this sort Of talk in many places in
| Butte last night. In Instances u came