Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1899-03-01

statesmen, Dut tncy nave
bribed II, and have paid men to rep
resent them ard not the constituent
cies that sent them there. ! do not
base my statements on the incident
OF the 100000 only, though that Is
enough. That money did not fall
from heaven; there is reason to
think that the communications be-
tween our legislature and heaven are
not SO frequent nor the relations 80
close as they might be. That money
came from a corrupt source, to- be
used for u corrupt purpose; and l
don't suppose that ten men In the
state have any doubt as to what
that source and purpose are. A can
didate, fOrsOoth! Candidate is a
Latin word meaning "white-robed,"
so called because in ancient Rome
those who sought Office put on a
glittering white toga, to symbolic
the integrity of their character and
the purity of their patriotism. lmag-
inc our candidate In clothing that
would typify his political character!
Nothing but the jettiest black broad
cloth would meet the requirements OF
the situation.
Continuing, DR.. WATSON contrasts
the pride all feel in the Montana vol
u%nteers with the shame brought upon
the state by the boodlers and bride
takers, and says these two million
aires should be confined in the peni-
tertiary.
But ] suppose some one may think:
Oh, he is going too far: he is going to
extremes; he IN ~injuring his case by
violence. But have | uttered a word
that ia not true? Icharge that these
two men are bribers and corruption
lists. Are they not? l charge that
one of them tried to bride his way to
the United States senate six years
ago, and IL doing the same thing
now. Ia that not true? / charge
that both of them were bribers and
cOrruptionists In the capital contest
three years ago. Is that not true?
And l claim that, these things being
true, II they had their deserts they
would both Of them be doing time in
Deer Lodge. Is that not true? And
II these statements, or any Of them,
are true, are not these men merely
unconvicted criminals and felons? |
assert that they are the most dan
gerous criminals In the state, and
that the state would be gamer in
point of its dignity and security were
every prisoner in Deer Lodge to be
liberated and only these two men in
generated. There is not u criminal
In the penitentiary that so richly de-
serves to BE there az these million
aire law-breakers. All of them to-
gether have not done One-tenth Of
the damage to the state that either
of these men has done. | know a
man in this city that stole an over
coat in the winter time to keep him
self warm; and he was sent up four
years for it. | read of another that
stole a bicycle, and he was put In
jail for two years. l know of an
other that stole money from his en-
ployers, and he vas sentenced to five
years for it. Why, then, are not
these arch-criminals, who debauch
legislatures and steal ~senatorships.
punished for their crimes? Is the pos.
session Of a million or Of millions a
license to commit crime? Unques.
tionably it is. Then why not make
it SO in proper legal form? Anote AT
the close of the penal code would dc
the business, to-wit, shut nothing In
the foregoing code shall be held to
apply to a bona fide millionaire"
Montana was the Treasure state,
hencefOrth 1t ia the Doodle state
The dictionaries will not be Obliged
to give long explanations of what a
pocket borough or a rotten borough
is. They can simply put it this way
Pocket Borough, or Rotten Dor
ough-see Montana"
Who Is to blame for the shame and
disgrace of the state? Two men can
not disgrace 10000. Only the PEG
pie a disgrace themselves. 1t Il
equally natural and wrong to hole
the legislature responsible. The leg
islature ia not responsible. The leg
islature are our creatures; they rep
resent the people. The legislature II
a free government 10 the mirror IN
which the people may see themselves
Sometimes 1t may be a little worse
sometimes it may be a little better
but, on the whole, it fairly and justl,
!, represents the people that chose 1t
, 1t hasits crooked element. orit would
not be truly representative. 1t hal
its honest element, or 1t would no
be truly representative. 1t has ,
large element that waver between
these extremes; AZ have the people
Honesty. dishonesty and patriotism
are probably distributed through tn
population In about the same pro
portion as we find them In the legis
lature. Don't blame thelaw-makers
They come from us; they are just lik'
us. We elect, support, reward them
Why should they be much better thar
their constituents? They are not
and will or can be. They ar,
carved out Of the same block as we
made out OF the same dirt; tarret
with the same brush. The presen'
Legislature, indeed, is probably a lit
tie above the average both In poin1
of ability and honesty. II we tried ,
dozen times we could probably no
elect a better legislature; and W,
never shall he able to do 1t till tn,
people themselves are better thar
they are. Don't pitch into the poll
ticians. They r not responsiblefol
a single one Of our political evils, no.
one. They are only agents, the mel
that we delight to honor, tn,
men that, Of the whole body po
lite, we deliberately choose Il
make and execute our laws for us
Again, he IL but a stupid dema
gOgue who blames a political party
for the public shame. Political par
|, ties are nothing but the freely anC