Daily inter mountain., 1899-04-15
ABOUT EFFlGIES.

drives another nail into the temperate
coffin this morning by lending aid and
comfort to the men of Sweet Grass
county who hanged in effigy man
named Beasley, who was reported to
have sold his vote in the lower house of
the Montana legislature last winter to
the boodlers who were said to be hand
ling w. A. Clarks hard earned money.
The practice of hanging a man in ef1igy
is reprehensible and lawless, and no
reputable newspaper should hesitate to
denounce the men who so far forget their
self respect as to participate in such a
proceeding as that which disgraced
Sweet Grass citizenship during the legis-
1ative session. Instead of hanging a
legislative corruptonist in effigy, there is
a widespread sentiment in favor of hang
ing such a creature in reality, That
would prevent damage suits being lnstl-
tuted by the party claiming to be ag-
erieyed and would have deterrent eff
feet in future legislative complications
unon the men willing to accept bribe
money This newspaper, however, does
not advocate hanging the members
whose necessities in their own opinion
MAY have justified dip into the cor
rupton barrel. If anybody is going to be
hanged, either in effiigy or in reality, it
might better be the men who put UP
the money intending it for the purposes
of debauchery or the men who were the
Instruments for its distribution Still
the best thing in all cases is to let the
law take it's course where corruption is
charged, and the accusers be given an
opportunity to prove their indictments.
The effigy business is wretched work. 1t
is moral murder and is never proof of
guilt, for the best as we'll as the worst
of men might at any time find themselves
represented by efigies on telegraph poles.
If a man in a public capacity goes
wrong it is the province of the party
press to expose his shortcomings and Of
his party associates in convention as
sembled to denounce his course of con-
duct and relegate him to private life
If his wrongdoirg be of a criminal ma
ture, the machinery of the courts should
be utilized to give him a fair trial and
mete out to him adequate punishment
If found guilty by jury of his peers
But the hanging of a man in effigy is
about as foolish as the attempt to pun
ish the men who do the hanging.
The Inter Mountain would like to see
the next state conventions in Montana
of all parties pass resolutions denounc.
ing corruption in politics and branding
as a traitor TO his party and his STATE
every man who can be positively PROVED
TO nave sou MS Nclt " any Splldeol 4tl
candidate It is certain that some o
the men in all parties who last winte
voted for Mr. Clark did so hOnestly-i
is morally certain that many of then
scared their consciences and disgracet
their party and themselves when the,
voted The latter should be held up t.
public odium if their guilt can be estab
lished, together with the name of tn
boodlers who corrupted them and of tn
men in whose interest they were corrupt
cd. if that also can be established. Th
denunciation of these men in the severa
party conventions should not be offere
in a spirit of spite or paraded by me
whose past records are as bad as thos
of the men to be pilloried. A convention
of democratic political pots, for instance
passing resolutions of condemnation @
thirty or forty democratic political ket
tles-wbat could be more ridiculous? TIL