The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-26
BELT MEANS BUSINESS
Demands That Gillette Fulfill
His Pledges.
BACKED BY BRAWNY ARMS
Conrad Lifted Him Out of the Mud and
Put Him on His Feet Years Ago.
Makes His Treachery Blacker.
A Grim Threat Implied.

Special Dispatch to the Standard.
Great Falls. Jan. 25.-If the heat of
the people of Great Falls over the cow
ardly desertion of Finn and Gillette
was great last night and day, that CT
Belt was greater STILL
In making up the legislative ticke.,
the democratic convention last fall tried
to secure not only body of men rep
| resentative in their character of the in
tegrity and common honesty of tne
county, but also one which in its per-
sonnel represented the various parts Of
this county. Thus the Hon. William
Bonner was chosen from Neihart, Finn
from Cascade, Gillette from Belt ard
Messrs. Stanton, Cooney, Kelly from
this city. Each man represented the
section from which he came. Thus t is
that while Nefhart and Great Falls are
proud of the honorable gentlemen
whom they sent up to Helena, Belt and
Cascade feel the blush of shame every
time that lthe names of Finn and Gil
lette are mentioned. Their shame is Of
course shared by every man, woman
and child in the county, but outside of
this shame is that when ones intimate
lIlenu goes NIOHS anu uOSS d WEoDS
that cannot be explained away or even
palliated So the people of Belt are tor
mented by peculiar feeling of anger
and anguish.
The Belt Democratic club, of which
Gillette was member, which stood 10y
ally by him through the campaign and
did yoeman service in his behalf. held a
meeting this afternoon. at which raso-
lutions embodying the following com
mand to Gillette, were passed and tc!e-
graphed to their disgraced representa-
tive:
"James Gillette, Cascade County
Representative: We, the undersigned,
composed of your neighbors and fell
low citizens, and who were mainly
instrumental in electing you to the
present position on pledges made by
you before the election to stand by
w. q. Conrad first, last and all the
time, demand that you fulfill those
pledges by returning to the support
of r1r. Conrad.
"Signed: Belt Democratic Club"
This open letter was wired to Gillette
and copy of it was telephoned to his
office this afternoon. AS it is a demand
which is backed by the brawny arms
of several hundred men, it may have
an effect upon the man to whom it is
addressed. even though all sense of
shame has fled.
In that connection. it is said by CID
timers that many years ago. before Gil
lette became acquainted with the Clark
gang, he was living down at Fort Ben
ton, or near there. He had no capital
and matters so arranged themselves
that it was finally question of obtain
ing help from others or going to the
wall. He sought that aid. and the nan
from whom he sought it was no other
than the Hon. w. G. Conrad, to whom
he is pledged in thousand ways. He
obtained the financial aid not as mat
ter of business, but as an act of frien l.
ship, and if he has since attained any
thing like the slightest degree of sue
cess in life. it is due to that kindly hand
which lifted him out of the mud years
and years ago. 1t was therefore a fact
that Gillette was bound to support Mir.
Conrad from start to finish in this fight
by ties which no other man in the dele
cation had upon himself. Gratitude,
even if common honesty was lacking,
should have dictated an unswerving
fidelity. 1t remains to be seen whether
the somewhat grim threat implied in
the Belt screed will have any effect
upon the recreant
Meanwhile, nothing else is talked of
here No matter what may be the sub
ject started, all converse tions ;lrn
eventually upon the perfidy of the TWO
members from Cascade. Even the boys
on the street know of it and discuss it.
That is their cry as they sell their pa
pers "All about Finn and Gillette sell
ing out to Clark" its worse than that.
for the figures which are quoted Upon
the streets of Helena as the price paid
for these two votes was known here
early yesterday afternoon, and COW
any one can tell the stranger the mar
ket value of Cascade county vote. 1t
is a sting which will rankle in the heart
of every honest man for years to come.
The campaign cries of Honest Bob
Finn and Honest Jim Gillette" have