The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-27
Special Dispatch to the Standard.

|
| Helena, Jan. 26-This has been day
of turmoil, passion and excitement.
Men are filled with rage and bitterness.
The strain is such that gun plays are
| momentarily expected. 1t would have
taken very little to have turned to-
| days joint assembly into riot, when
| Senator Whiteside denounced Repre-
| sentative Carr as a bribe-taker and
Carr, livid with fear, screamed out that
| Whiteside was liar.
| To sum up the memorable events Of
an historic day, the grand jury rose
and reported that it had not found evil
dence sufficient to warrant the convic-
| tion Of any man for bribery by a petit
| jury. Attorney General Nolan, in a
speech of extraordinary power .:on-
| demned the report of the grand Jury,
declaring that the $780, 900 cash was con-
| elusive evidence that crime had hecn
| committed. The news of these proce,.l-
| ings reached the legislature just as the
| two branches were meeting in joint as
sembly. Clark gained one vote, that of
Swindlehurst silver republican Of Park
county, making Clark's total 40, sight
short of a majority.
When his name was called, Senator
Whiteside rose to a question of personal
privilege and delivered speech that
will live forever in the minds of every
body who heard it. It was Whiteside's
last opportunity to speak. The parti-
san action of the majority of the sem
ate half an hour before had made that
plain. The democratic senators who
can senators voted solidly to adopt the
majority report of the committee on
elections and privileges in the Geiger-
Whteside contest, thus revealing their
intention to unseat Whiteside at the
afternoon session and give his place to
Geiger.
Whiteside's speech to-day, like the
one he delivered on Jan. 10, when the
bribery exposure was made, produced
profound impression. Whiteside was
terribly in earnest. What impressed
the audience more than his oratory was
like a lion, defying his enemies to do
their worst. When he pointed his fin
ger at Carr and denounced him as
be-taker the excitement was inde-
scribable. The members, breathiess
with curiosity and amazement, turned
in their seats to gaze at Carr, who sat
almost in the exact center of the hall.
When Whiteside thundered II dare
you to deny it, sir" Carr was seen to
rise slowly in his seat, his fact now
red as fire and now a sickly, yelloWish
white. You're an infamous liar' he
snarled like whipped cur. You're
perjurer.' Instantly mems passions
rose to the boiling point The scene was
intensely dramatic. For moment it
looked as if there might be a bloody
tragedy. Nobody would have been sur
prised if guns had been drawn
In fact, some men could be seen with
their hands on their hip pockets The
wild beast in every man seemed to have
been let loose and on many a counte-
nance the dominant expression was one
of ungovernable ferocity. Fortunately
this spasm of fury was only momentary
The frmness of Lieutenant Governor
Spriggs in demanding order had much
to do with it's restoration. Whiteside
continued the remainder of his terrible
arraignment of W. A. Clark. his meth
DDS and his men, uninterrupted. After
the roll had been called Carr broke
down and cried.
Nor was the excitement of the day
over. The afternoon session of the SEN
ate, when the Geiger- Whiteside con-
test was a special order, drew another
great crowd, which witnessed the most
scandalous proceeding that ever took
place in a Montana legislature out
side of w. A. Clark's bribery opera
tions. By a vote of IA to 8, the majority
being composed of Clark democrats and
republicans. a resolution was carried
throwing Whiteside out and seating
Ge1ger, without SO much as giving the
senators an opportunity to look at, much