The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-28

sake Of the mighty dollar. We cry out
against them by spurts; occasionally
we preach a sermon on the subject, but
the praetorian guard of political mon
opolizers care nothing for these things
The machine only puts forth extra eff
forts to control the primaries, to pack
the conventions, to dictate the nomin-
ations, to levy extra assessments on
candidate for more whiskey and more
newspapers to champion their cause
The machine has no soul, no conscience,
no God. 1t simply exists to buy votes
with money, offices and whiskey. Its
aim is to enthrone Pontius PLATE and
release Bara bias in order that they
may aid to build UP the glory of Amer
lea. We might as well put UP our Of
fees at public auction to the highest
bidder as to allow machine to select
candidates for us. Every state seems
to have it's supreme boss, who says,
You shan't be nominated unless we
say so, and we won't say so unless you
pay for it..
Another thing which we must face
is this: We are fast becoming nation
of lrunkards When you consider that
there are more than 100000 saloons in
the United States: that many of them,
l do not say all of them, are hotbeds
of vice, profanity. gambling and i'm
looms and gambling houses are schools
and nurseries of the great majority
of our voters; that they are the places
where the politics Of the nation are
being discussed and combinations are
being formed for the election or defeat
of candidates for office. is it any Won
der that we have incompetent and cor
rupt officials? Is it any wonder that
many of our officers are in e,1lusion
with mr. 90 ~ arS 2
Do we know that many of our officers
are elected with a definite Understand
ing that they are to keep hands off?
Do we know that the liquor dealers are
organized and the gamblers are organ
ized-organized for what? Is it to make
man a better citizen? Is it to bring
peace and happiness to the homes of
our people? Is it that righteous laws
might be enacted upon the statute
books of the state? Let history, let
the friends of law and order, answer.
AS conditions are at present the influ-
ence is all on the side of the manipu-
lator. There is no organization back of
the official who means to do his duty,
and if he does it against the wish of
those who placed him in power he will
soon have to don his burial robe, so far
as his reelection is concerned.
We need not expect reformation I'M
til the sentiment of our people who
favor law and order, honesty and eff
cheney in governmental affairs is be-
ing crystalized in an organization that
will show a strong and united front.
Let the ring feel as a positive certainty
that they who belong to the true line
of succession to Tweed, Croker, Quay,
Platt, must step aside.
The time has come when an outrag-
ed citizenship must assert itself and
sweep away dishonesty and villainy
and crookedness from the offices of our
land
Are there bad men in office? Who
is to blame? Are there bad laws?
Who is to be found fault with? Are
there good laws uninforced? Who is
to blame? Sin lies at our own door.
We have failed to organize and to in
sist on righteous legislation, and on
the enforcement of righteous laws. If
our nation should go down, the rea-
son will not be hard to find. 1t will
be because we prefer darkness to
light
This arraignment may be severe but
what is the use in embarrassing things?
The good people of this country have
it within their power to remedy things
and to build here the grandest govern
ment in the world: but the good peo-
pie are Indifferent and allow the af-
fairs of state to fall into the hands Of