The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-19
HISTORY OF THE CRIME OF ". A. CLARK
Interesting Sdeghts His Purchase of the Sixth Leg
slatve Assembly His Lobby of Boodlers, Pushers
Heelers, Detectives and Grand Jury Fix
ers Unpublished Facts.

I discover those who had common griev-
| ance with him. and this they did. Such
lobby was probably never before as
| sembled in the United States, and it Is
to be hoped that 1t never will be again.
Headquarters were opened in the Hell
ena hotel and in a room in the Iron
block down town. Rolls of bills of
large denominations were prepared and
the campaign was opened. 1t was the
purpose at first to do the work with
$1,000 bills, but the supply ran short
and the ammunition boxes were filled
with those of smaller denominations
Thus prepared, the Doodle gang waited
for the arrival of the legislators. They
had no arguments to offer, no facts to
present, no figures to show, aside from
those engraved upon the faces and
backs of these bills But they argued
that this was enough.
AS the members of the legislature as
sembled, it became apparent that the
only way in which the candidacy of the
shameless Butte man could be brought
to a successful issue was through the
unstinted use of Doodle. There was lit
tie or no sentiment in his favor Some
of the Lewis and Clarke members de-
clared themselves as supporters of the
man from Paris, but they did not make
the declaration with any degree of pride
and they sought to excuse their sup
port on the ground of the gratitude that
their constituents owed the Doodle aspi
rant for senatorial honors. From his
own county-Silver Bow-and from
Deer Lodge county there was not sin
gle man who was in line with the
forces of Mammon. Missoula county
and Ravall county had elected their
delegations in opposition to this candi-
date, but Walter NJ. Bckford had sue
ceeded in securing two men from these
counties. Woods of Ravalli and Nc
Laughlin of Missoula. The promise of
financial aid had also won over Par
ker, the silver republican from Granite
county. The rest of the west side
where Mr.. Clark was best known. was
arrayed against him. The line was SOL
id and resisted the repeated assaults of
the Doodle forces, even when the price
offered for a single vote was as high
as $4,000. The plan of the Clark forces
then developed into a systematic at
tempt to cut into the ranks of the men
who had been elected on a pledge to
support Mr. Conrad. the candidate of
Cascade county. This gentleman was
present and through this period Of the
fight as well as in the later stages, con-
Quoted campaign that was clean and
dignitied and free from any suspicion
of fraud or corruption. There was no
other avowed candidate than these two,
Clark and Conrad. The west side leg
islators announced themselves as Will
ing to support any good democrat This
qualification, of course, barred Mr..
Clark, but left the field open to any one
else whose record and character We're
clean. There was no objection to Mr..
Conrad and the vote of this clean body
of men was given to the Northern Mon
tana candidate. Could Conrad have
held in line the men who were elected
upon their pledges to support him, the
candidacy of Clark would never have
been possible. But the boodlers after
studying the situation, reached the con-
clusion that here. in the ranks of the
Eastern and Northern Montana demo-
Gratis. was their only opportunity, and
it was in that direction that their eff
forts We're directed. From all parts of
the state they summoned every man
that could be found who had griev-
ance against the Anaconda people. Here
was a man who had been foreman of
a gang of shovelers. He had been dis
charged for incompetency and crook
edness. He had grievance and he was
brought to Helena ito tell his troubles.
Here was a man who had been saved
from starvation by friends of the Ana
Conda company. In return he had
robbed these friends of $1,000, and when
his theft was discovered he had been
allowed to leave quietly instead of be-
ing sent to the pen. He had a griev-
ance and he was brought to Helena at
$40 per day. Here was a man who had
been discharged from the railway dur
ing the Northern Pacific strike. He
had not been reinstated and he blamed
the Anaconda company for it. He was
placed on the $40 list to tell what an
oppressor the company was. Here was
a man who, while he had never rendered
any service to the democratic party,
wanted a fat position in the legislature.
He failed to get it and had grievance.
He was secured at $40 to parade his
woes before the sympathizing public.
Thus was the Clark lobby composed
These soreheads together with the hood
lers mentioned above made up the list.
But all of this combined strength of
heelers sinks into insignificance when
compared with the Helena lobby that
was marshaled under the leadership of
Davidson, Steele, Cullen, Tom Miller,
young Carpenter and others. Some of
them We're republicans; some were DEM
ocrats, nominally, but all We're out for
Clark. Tom Miller divided his time be-
tween telling the anti-Clark people that
he was not in the fight and urging the
republican members of the legislature
to vote for Clark. His sentiments found
echo all over Helena. The city was
Clark mad. 1t made no difference if
the corrupt use of money was brazen
and open. 1t was all right as long as it
was for Clark Clark must get there
and the only way that he could get
there was to buy his way through. That
was all right. Let the purchase of
mems honor go on. Use every influ-
enCe possible to secure votes. Buy
them, COerCe them. steal them. threaten