The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-11-16
MAY CONTEST
CLARK'S SEAT
Political Circles In Montana
Are Disturbed.
CHARGES OF BRIBERY
UP in SUPREME COURT
Real Motive of the Prosecution of
Real Motive of the Prosecution of
Attorney Welcome.
Friends of Senator Claim It Is For
Purpose of Establishing Record
Which Can Be Used Against Him
at Washington-Daly Faction De-
nies This and Says That the Pro-
ceedings Are In the Interest Of
Pure Politics.

Helena. Mont. Nov. 15.-The case OF
Attorney John B. Welcome in disbar-
ment proceedings has been on trial here
in the Supreme court for the past ten
days. and political circles are again
agitated throughout the state. Many
members of the legislature are at the
capital and a large number of wit
nesseS are present from nearly every
county in the state.
The suit was brought by the attorney
general at the instance of Fred White
side. ex-senator who seeks to deprive
Welcome of the right to practice in
the state courts, on the ground that
he was the agent of w. A. Clark dur
ing the last legislature and improperly
disbursed funds in the senatorial con-
test
The Democratic party of the state is
now. and has been for several years.
divided into two factions. the controll-
ing forces being directed on the one
side by Marcus DAILY and on the other
side by w. A Clark. Just how long .
this factional fight has been going on
no one seems to definitely know. but all
agree that it had its origin many years
ago.
Fight of Millionaires.
Twice the influence of DAILY. so it is
claimed, has defeated the political as
congress and again for the United
States senate in 1893. The strength
of the Clark faction was thrown to
Helena in the contest for the location
of the capital and resulted in the defeat
of the Anaconda influence and after
wards Clark succeeded in his. election
10 the United States senate. So that
up to the present time honors have been
about even.
X Three contests for political suprem-
acy of the state have been waged 50
bitterly that it is almost impossible 10
find anyone in the state who is not
strongly in sympathy with one side or
the other.
Both leaders are multi-nlillionaires
bankers, employ a large number of
men, have newspapers to back up their
opinions and are directly interested in
mining and nearly every other enter
prise that has been beneficial in the
material development of the state.
The friends of Clark openly assert
without reserve that. the present suit
is not really directed at Welcome. but
that the underlying motive is to estab-
lish a court record which can be used
at Washington as the foundation of
a protest against the seating OF Clark
in the United States senate.
Claims of Daily Faction.
The friends of DAILY. on the other
hand. claim that the present action is
purely in the interest of honest politics
and that Mr.. Daily is not personally
interested in the case. Some of them
mildly admit. however. that should the
ruling of the supreme court result in
the disbarment of Welcome. that the
evidence would be used in a protest
against seating Clark.
While this factional warfare is being
waged by the Democrats, the Repub-
licans are quietly encouraging the
fight, hoping to keep the party divided
and thereby elect the next legislature
and return Carter as his own successor
to the United States senate
Some of the most conservative citi-
zens deplore the fact that two men so
closely allied with the commercial in
te-ests of the state should be opposed
to each other when there are apparent
ly so many reasons why they should
be the best of friends.
Story of Alleged Bribery.
3 The case now on trial has developed
some interesting political history and
opened up again. all the evidence in
connection with the alleged bribery
case of the last legislature.
As matter of history it will be
remembered that there were numerous
charges of bribery. that an investi-
eating committee was appointed, that
Senator Whiteside produced and turned
over to the committee $4,000 which
he alleged had been given him by At
torney Welcome to secure his own and
two other votes for Clark.
Later the matter was laid before the
grand jury of Lewis and Clark cOun-
ties for action and after examining
forty-four witnesses the finding of the
jury was that while there was some
evidence tending to show that money
had been used in the election of a
United States senator, the evidence.
taken all together, was not sufficient
to warrant a conviction by a trial jury
After these developments j. H.
Ca;per RenuhIicau of F1afhead cOrrrtV