The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-04-02
PoPULIsM is DEAD.
The Ticket Has Been Withdrawn From
the City Election.

Great Falls, April 1.-The populists
have wisely concluded to withdraw
their ticket from the field of the city
election. The election of last fall, to
say nothing of the detection in the
ranks this spring, must have shown
them that populism in this city and
county is dead thing and the quicker
the dead are put out of sight the bet
ter for them and for others. This leaves
the fight on Monday between the two
old parties, the democrats and the re-
publicans, and then the question of
ascendancy will be settled for some
years at least. So far as the democrats
are concerned, it Is a square battle.
They challenge any investigation of
the records, knowing that they have
the figures on their side. A year ago
and the year before that the republic
cans attempted to juggle with the fig
ures of municipal receipts and expend-
lures with view to comparing the
cost of the city under republican and
Under democratic rule. The result to
the republicans was disastrous and the
experiment will not likely be repeated
They are now trying to pick UP the
trail which the democrats have pur-
sued for the past six years and by
promising the people to do anything
and everything, in their power and out
of it, to catch few scattering votes
for their office-seeking hunger.
The only question which the voter
will have to ask and to answer for him
self when he gets into the polls on
Monday rs this: Have the democrats
not fulfilled every promise made in their
city platforms and given the citizens
three administrations which We're al
most severely economical?" That is
the sole issue in this campaign, and if
it is honestly answered, there can be no
doubt that the democratic ballot will
be the result. From the eagerness to
register. which has been shown the
past week, one must feel certain of a
democratic victory.
The democratic party came into con-
troll of city affairs in the spring of 1894.
Although there was a republican mayor
in '95 and '96, a democratic council alone
has power in such matters. They found
that nearly, if not every city fund, had
been overdrawn. Warrants had been
issued beyond the city's legal limit of
Indebtedness. Every man and every
firm who did business with the city first
inquired which fund his warrant would
be issued from, in order that he might
calculate the amount of discount he
would have to stand. The republicans
had just closed a reign of extravaganza
and perhaps worse. The first step TAX
en- by the democratic council was to or
oel d tutlluS uOWI VI expense III every
city department and the order was ac-
companied by an intimation that the
officer who exceeded the appropriation
for his department would meet with
disagreeable consequences. Not only
were the departmental expenses cut
down materially but the council went
to work at once upon other matters, and
after long struggle succeeded in re-
ducing the cost of street lighting, the
oct nf att,tr ip,i1, e-fr
er general items. In spite of the legacy
of debts and lawsuits left to, them by
their republican predecessors, they sue
ceeded in one year in materially reduce
ing the margin that lay between the
city's financial condition and safety.
The work became easier with succeed
ing years, and now, thanks to demo-
| cratic methods and democratic officers,
the city has brought all of it's funds,
save one-the general fund-onto a
cash basis and one more year of such
economy will make the general fund
cash. To-day the city has on its hands
but one lawsuit, a case of dana ges
amounting to about $500. and that is in
the supreme court. Such is the finan-
ciering record of democrats in Great
Falls.
There was another matter. The dem
ocratic platform pledged its candidates
to use their best endeavors to secure
city ownership OF the waterworks at
| an equitable price. The democrats have
kept this promise to the letter. 1t was
no easy thing. 1t engendered much bit
| terness, and the men who led that fight
| for the protection of the city often had
a sense of loneliness and some doubt
| whether the public cared as much as
| they did. 1t was only at election time
| when the people backed the democratic
platform by overwhelming votes that
| they felt certain they were on the pop
ular as well as the right track. Again
| through democratic efforts, the city has
| possession of it's water supply and the
| benefit to the people Is immediate. It
| is hardly necessary to go into this SUBJ
| ject. The people of Great Falls are
| gamers by the sum of $18,00O not for
! one year alone. but for II more years
| to come under the old contract and to
| the average man the interest alone on
| this yearly saving of $4,000 is a consid-
Grafton, to say nothing of the principal
which amounts approximately to $780,
| 900. This is democratic administration
expressed in dollars and cents, and that
| is about all there is in municipal affairs
On the other hand, the republicans have
| always promised economy in admins
| tation. When tried the result was a
| deficit in the treasury and public
scandal. They kept discreetly quiet
about the city ownership of it's water
works and fought the democrats, who
| were trying to obtain the plant at a
reasonable figure, tooth and nail. The
| democrats had control of the water
| works for four months. They found
that the income had in that time in
creased at the rate of $1,000 per annum
They gave the consumer the benefit by
a reduction of 20 per cent. in rates I'm.
mediately the republicans counterfeit
this genuine coin. They promise il
their platform to give the consumer g
reduction of 20 to 30 per cent. in the
/ present ties. Unfortunately, that plat
form was written some days in advance
| of the republican convention, when tht
reduction ordinance was pending in tbs
council, and still more unfortunately
the author of that platform was called
out of the city, and not being presen
at the republican convention, could mo-
bring his counterfeit up to date. APP
parently he failed also to deputize any
one to revise his work and consequent
ly his nlatforDl was nTeSeDtpO to the