The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-19
The Constant Kicker.

ADMIT tnat the Stduuaru u
right. Several days ago this page as
sured the democrats OF Montana who
live at a distance from Butte that the
antics OF Mr.. Clark and the Miner are
In no sense to he dignihed with recog-
milton as a political bolt. 1t takes bolt
ers to make a bolt; II takes men OF ac-
count in politics to run a bolt success
fully.
Among those who are accustomed TO
write about politics or who have a good
deal TO do with political affairs. the
word bolt has a ~well-defned signih-
canoe. II has a certain dignity-it does
not imply, necessarily. a course OF con-
duct hat Is ~censurable or unworthy: on
the contrary. as every reader knows.
to BOLT is everywhere regarded. in this
country's political circles. as the great
North American privilege" But. in
politics. IL takes men to make a bolt
men in numbers sufficient to be of ac-
count. and. properly speaking. the REL
alive importance or comparative insig-
nincance OF the Individual has no bear
ing. as far as the mere definition Of
the word bolt IL concerned.
1t has never been said. for instance.
that Roscoe Conkling bolted the Gar
field administration-his action was
otherwise described. Two years g at
the republican national convention In
ST. Louis. Senator Teller and a few
other friends Of silver came 10 the
rot commonly described as a bolt. In
fact. a comparatively new phrase came
into use as the sequence Of what hap
pened at st. Louis. Almost always
you read or hear that Senator Teller
and his associates walked out" You do
not read Of a Teller bolt. historic as the
incident was.
Custom has given the word a signi-
ncance implying numbers; that, as we
have said. the Clark people didn't have.
Their performance was rot a bolt; the
Miner correctly describes It's own con-
duct by calling II a kick. and that Is
precisely descriptive. You cannot give
to the word kick a praiseworthy sig
| nlhcance; from the mule. through the
prize ring and so up. or down. to pre-
cinct politics, a kick is-simply a
kick.
Touching this matter local illustra-
ton is not lacking. In Butte, at the
charter election. in 1898. the Standard
Joined In a bolt. That year. In the in
terest OF Mr.. Clark's water company
which was the curse of Butte then as
IL In to-day. the Miner advocated the
election OF Cowan for mayor. The
Standard promptly refused to support
Cowan-the Miner said the other day
that the Standard agreed to support
Cowan. but the Miners statement is
wholly and u~nquslihedly false. The
condition in lutte at hat election was
what would properly be called a bolt.
What was the outcome? The Vim sup
ported Cowan: the Standard supported
Mantle. The result was that Mantle
carried every ward in Butte: in a total
poll OF less than 5000. his majority was
$50: and his majority was almost as
large as the total vote polled for Cow
an. the Miners Watering candidate.
That was no little. pusillanimous, un-
availing kick-that was a bolt and II
was a winner.
But the Miner likes to kick; it Is an
old hand at the business. As we re-
marked yesterday morning, two years
ago. the Miner refused TO put up Lind
says name. a regular democratic nom
inee. for district Judge. Judge Lindsay
was not an Anaconda-company attor'
ney, but II developed that at some par
OF the time when he was a law student
he had read law In the Office of a firm
that had, on some occasions. been IN
the Anaconda company's service. Tha
settled Il for the Miner: II devoted III
campaign energies to rabid abuse o
Lindsay. and II supported Baldwin
with the result. as quoted yesterday oil
this page. that Lindsay led the Jude
larry tickets by hundreds. receiving
s.4o5 votes. Baldwin. the Miners candi
date. received 2,so5.
There's no lack OF Illustration. !
was the same with Regan. democratic
candidate for sheriff two years age
: The Miner detected n trace OF Amazon
! da company in its assay Of Regar
That was enough-it did what IL coul
= - IL. our A. q. ,u,al A.