The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-02
The Straight Facts.

7 T will be a cause for deep regret to
this page if the Standard, at the
threshold of the new year, finds it
self compelled to conclude that its val
ued contemporary, the Inter- Mountain,
proposes to back down from certain
solemn engagements. We are compelled
to revert this morning to matter
which would have been a part of last
years closed-up business, so far as GER
tain preliminaries are concerned, had
our Granite-street neighbor not been
unfortunately backward in it's manner of
winding up some of 1885 outstanding
engagements
Briefly, the case is this. Last Thurs
day the Inter Mountain permitted its
Washington correspondence to say. re-
specting current opinion in that city:
Many expressions have been heard,
coming from prominent democrats both
in official and congressional life, that
the democrats of Montana made a great
mistake, politically, when they repud-
lated the silver republicans and the
populists prior to the recent election
Promptly the Standard impugned this
assertion. This newspaper said, last
Friday. that the Inter Mountain cannot
make it's correspondents word good
and it added: 1T is not true that these
Washington people put the case as the
Inter Mountains correspondent recites
it is not at all true. The Standard
challenges the Inter Mountain to joint
inquiry into this assertion. We wager
that the Inter Mountain cannot make
its correspondents words good, on the
testimony that can easily be taken in
Washington"
That evening-last Friday--the Inter
Mountain took account of what the
Standard had said, and it added, 1.-The
challenge is most cordially accepted"
Next morning the Standard expressed it's
satisfaction over this acceptance on the
part of the Inter Mountain, and it
promptly named trusted and exper-
fenced man-to whom the Inter Noun
tain certainly cannot object-to repre-
sent the Standard in the proposed joint
inquiry.
All that is lacking is for the Inter
Mountain, for it's part, to name its man.
Unfortunately, our contemporary did
not do that last Saturday. On the con-
trary, the Inter Mountain revealed
what, we are bound to say, looks very.
much like purpose to evade the issue
the Standard" it said Saturday,
"cares nothing about the qualifying
statements which show why the prom
inent democrats have expressed their
regrets. etc.
That's right: the Standard cares
nothing a all about the alleged qualify
ing statements. The original state
ment is the one which the Standard
challenged; and the Inter Mountain ac-
cepted the challenge. That is the state
ment which was distinctly quoted
namely, these words in Thursdays
Washington correspondence in the Inter
Mountain:
Many expressions have been heard COM
ing from prominent democrats both in
official and congressional life, that the
democrats of Montana made a grave mis-
take. politically. when they repudiated
the silver republicans and the populists
prior to the recent election.
We assert that this statement is un-
true If it is, then the alleged quail
flying statements" are also false. and.
in that event, not worth bOthering
with.
ut is the desire of the Standard
says the Inter Mountain, ito go to
prominent democrats and ask them to
submit to an interview, and either af-
| firm or deny whether they said that the
| democrats of Montana had made
| grave mistake" That is it precisely
That is what, in so many words the
| Standard proposed-how otherwise
would you go about it? Yet the Inter
Mountain says that would be mani
testify unfair
| Unfair to whom? Certainly not to the
democrats in question. Is it unfair to
ask prominent democrats in official and
| congressional life whether, respecting
public question, they made the state
ment imputed to them in the Inter
| Mountain? Have no fear, good neigh