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

Butte seems 10 have been harmless FOR
everybody. except Mr.. Clark-the STAN
dard cannot see hat the cause Of
silver has been helped or damaged by
IL, because the whole broad question Of
party policy is stiIl open.
The only difference is that the success
Of Mr.. Clark in Silver Bow would have
sent to the state convention a delega-
ton committed to a policy; last nights
precinct result insures the presence In
the convention Of a Silver Bow delega-
ton absolutely unbound and perfectly
at liberty To do that which. on an in
terchange Of views among the delegates,
is found TO he mos; ~cxpedieut.
Meanwhile. st is legitimate To take ac-
count Of some Of the factors that helped
to make Mr.. CIark's showing so surpris-
ingly bad in yesterdays primaries. Gn
the first place. democracy is kept
shamefully short Of the representation it
is Justly entitled 10 IN this years state
convention. because oc the vote Of the
so-called Clark men in the recent meet
ing Of the democratic state committee.
Silver Bow county is the backbone OF
democratic strength I'm Montana. On
every fair consideration the county. as
the result Of It's astonishing democratic
growth I'm recent years. is entitled TO a
much larger membership than IT gets
in the democratic state convention. II
would have la a fairer show but for
Mr.. Clark's friends on the state
committee-they seemed. from the first,
to he afraid Of Silver Bow county-they
allowed II, in convention membership,
nothing better than II had years and
years ago. That fact was remembered
in Butte yesterday.
Then. II transpired that for this years
operations Mr.. Clark conspicuously
lacked the support Of several prominent
citizens Of Butte who hitherto. for one
reason or another. have felt disposed
TO make his political cause their own.
In Instances these are men who incom-
parably outrank Mr.. Clark himself in
the ability to persuade voters and In
the gift Of campaign management. IL
is not for the Standard to inquire INTO
the motives that prompted these men
lilhi II lntlt business the important
fact is that several Of them. whose help
in politics any political aspirant might
covet. were out Of it this ~year-they
seem to have been prompted by the
opinion that the threadba~e plea Of an
alleged vindication due Mr.. Clark has
worn out its welcome IN Butte circles.
That was a factor that counted yester-
day.
In the third place, there is the large
element In Butte which is utterly sick
and tired Of the ding-dong and the pet
tiness and the weary monotony OF what
has become un~pleasantly notorious as
the "Clark-Daly night" They discov-
cred in Mr.. Clark's recent action what
seemed to them to be nothing less n
an invitation or a challenge 60 the re-
ncwal of feuds which Montana is sick
Of: the vote taken yesterday must be
taken as distinct notice by these demo-
Gratis that they'H have no more of IT.
Let that notice be needed, The stand
ards ardent hope is that the coming
gathering Of Montana democrats will
testify by its methods and by its action
that democracy i'm Montana Is to spin
no more around the narrow area of two
or three business blocks i'm Butte. but
that democracy's doors are open Wild
and that especially the party's young
men in this state may aspire to recog-
milton, I'm full faith that when due II
win be accorded and In assurance that
the Ioftiest honors I'm the party's gift
are not for the rich or the ~wrangling
few but rather for the man who merits
well.
As the Standard views IL. therefore,
the results OF yesterday furnish no oc-
caslon for personal illusions, FOR spite
ful comment. or for filings at the van
pushed champion Of "a side issue--the
question Of his political preferment has
been passed upon by his n~eighbors, and
there let the case rest. The result sim
ply returns the democratic party In
Butte and throughout Montana TO the
seasons real issue-to the place whore
ii was before a personal element was
lnterjected into current politics.
A few days hence the state conven-
tIon will go on record with it's win re-
specting all the matters that essentially
. concern eilver's welfare. on that ques-
ton the line was not drawn in Butte
yesterday. To be sure. the effort was
made to draw IL. That effort was a
fiction; II VAS a political trick that
failed.