Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-11
TUESDAY. APRIL II, 1899.
BUSINESS AND POLITICS.

The better part of citizenship is to &C.
cept political conditions as they come.
and to celebrate the conclusion of a cam
paign with united efforts for the common
good. The issues involved in a political
contest, whether pertinent or otherwise,
serve their purpose in shaping up the
alignments of a campaign. But when the
battle is over and the verdict of the peo-
pie has been rendered., duty appeals to
every good citizen to periodically accept
results.
Whatever may be the animosities en-
gendered by the controversy, they should
be relegated to the political world to
which they belong and never carried into
the field of legitimate business effort. The
business world is non-partisan in charac-
ter and should not be dragged into the
political field as a controversial feature.
The effort now being made in Butte to
SoIiS IN iotS 'liS NohilNlSh hilo ilC
business world is certainly a great mis-
take and can result in no good to the
community. The lines upon which the
municipal controversy was waged in
volved nothing that j~ustitics a post
bellum attempt to drag any business firm
;n+A Tho - c+1,,,>ntI of n ,,,1i3in1l r,N-
Business men. as leading citizens Of q
community. as men closely associated
with. the life of the commonwealth. as
taxpayers and conservative guardians Of
the public good, are in duty bound to in
terest themselves more or less in the
trend of political affairs. But it does not
follow that in the exercise cf this pre-
rogative their business houses should be
made targets for public attack. and tina
an after-electlon effort should be made
to arouse business prejudiccs in the COM
munity.
Business rivalries, which find natural
expression in numberless ways, can take
care of themselves within their own
sphere. They have no place in the con-
test of political parties for supremacy,
and certainly should not be dragged into
anybody's political hospital for dissec-
ton after the verdict of the polls has been
rendered.
The republican party made its late
campaign in this city on the issue of good
local government, and sets the example
of peace and good will, without which
good government is impossible, by accept
ing the results of the election as patriotic
American citizens should do. 1t makes
wal on no business interest in this COM
munity, and gives it's approval to no
course of procedure that would stir UP
business strife in Butte on political
grounds.
NOLnlIS can 40 more 70 tlic INJURY DI
Butte than to attempt to make the late
campaign an excuse for attacking bust
ness interests that are cOntributory tC
the upbuilding and growth of this city
1t matters not whether such interests
were for or against any particular ques-
ton involved in the contest for political
supremacy, they are part and parcel OF
this progressive community and should
be immune from public attacks.
The republicans of this city will moi
without protest permit the imputation tc
be made in a public way tina the results
of the late election, insofar as they were
favorable to that party, amounted to an
interference in the business rivalries OF
this city or the condemnation of business
men who may have zealously supported
the democratic ticket. The business
rights and privileges of no one were In
issue, and the democratic and republican
business men We're alike entitled to the