The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-28

accusations and what he said was ut
terly in no spite or resentment. He
would not say that all the 40 men Who
We're voting for Clark had been bribed
He knew there We're some honest ,rtn
among them. But the charges of 5rib-
cry were true; everybody in Helena
knew they were true. In all his walks
in the city he had met only one or
| two people who did not believe them.
1t was fearful temptation to a poor
man to be offered $4,000 for his 2ote,
and he did not wonder that many fell,
| for human nature is weak and a man
| with mortgage on his home and a.
| family of children to bring up, is apt to
yield. The speaker said if he were on
| a jury he did not believe he would vote
| to send poor man to the penitentiary
| for yielding to such an awful tempta-
| ton as that.
| But every man who accepted such a
bribe would live to regret it. His
neighbors would know it and he would
be stunned and despised as long as he
lived. 1t was a pitiful spectacle to Mr..
Toole to see the men whose votes had
been purchased attempting to justify
themselves in the eyes of
the world. What was the
matter with this man, who had
preached the gospel of Christ? If ne
wanted to change his vote from DR..
FOX, why didn't he pick out an honest
man to vote for? r..
Mr.. Toole said he had the sincerest
| respect for the churches, he recognized
the vast good they were accomplishing
in the world. But it had been his OBJ
I servation that ministers were as weak
and frail as other mortals
AS to the first conversation between
them that Senator Hannah had referred
| to- Mr.. Toole said he did tell the
| senator that he and his friends were
willing TO vote for any good, clean man.
1t seems now that Senator Hannah was
| not in that class (great laughter), and
| he apologfzed for making such a serious
mistake. AS to the other conversation,
| Mr.. Toole declared:
Il say to Hannah now, looking Kim
| in the eye, that I had no idea when I
| asked him to explain his vote on the
| floor of this house, that he intended to
change his vote to w. A. Clark
Toole went on to describe the great
| good that Hannah could accomplish
among the Filipinos, if he went back
there with the Bible in his hand and
| $4,000 in his inside pocket and as he
| elaborated the picture, the house went
| into convulsfons of laughter.
The two men were looking squarely at
each other, Hannah nervously squrm-
| ing in his chair hfs face purple with
rage and shame, while Toole was as
cool as cucumber, his face wreathed
in sarcastic smiles. Toole ended by
voting for Fox. The serious speech of
the day was made by Representative
Hedges, republican of Fergus county
Mr. Hedges said.
Representative Hedges.
'Mr. President: I desire to say a
few words relating to the vote which
| shall cast. Rumors rejecting upon
the political integrity of the republic
can members of this assembly are still
current; rumors of things that will
happen if republicans vote for W. A.
Clark. and others. l resent the state
ment that any republican will vote for
democrat for the United States SEN
ate. | resent the statement that any
republican will absent himself from
this assembly, that his absence may
benefit any democratic candidate. 1t
is true that not many moons ago,
certain business men, mostly of Helena
and claiming to be republicans, took
upon themselves the responsibility of
demonstrating to us the propriety of
our voting for a democrat for the Unit
senator. Having lost however, their
own identity as true and recognized re-
publicans, this was easy for them to
do. But the truth is that with scarcely
an exception. they would not to-day
be recognized by the faithful here in
Helena, or in Lewis and Clarke county.
L am proud to say that this city,
and county, has a host of as true re-
publicans as can be found anywhere
these men who have extended to us
the right hand of fellowship which we
have been able to recognize have told
us invariably to stand firm to our party
principles, which, incidentally, give
these men the business they transact.
1t is true that personally l have been
identified with this city as long as al
most any of its residents. 1t is true
that many other old citizens of this
city are now, like myself, residents of
the county which l have the honor
to represent, in part, upon this floor.