The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-07
They BLUSH FOR SHAME
Honest Montanans in Washing
ton Subjected to Jeers.
CARTER FEELS GRATIFIED
He Believes the Election of Clark Will
Disrupt the Democratic Party in
Montana-S Sarcastic Editorials
in Eastern Papers.
Washington Bureau of the Standard,
No. 1145 G Street n. w.

pleasant for the Montana contingent in
Washington these days. The common
form of salution and greeting whenever
a Montana man comes in sight is,
How is your old Doodle state to-day?"
as the market bull or bear this morn
ing?" Wouldn't your new senator like
to buy few votes down here? He
can get them dog-cheap compared to
the ruling price at Helena." And so on,
ad intinitum, ad nauseam.
The plain fact is that the election of
Clark has made the name of Montana
a by-word and reproach in the East
No Montana man who visits New York,
Philadelphia or Washington, will fail
to be painfully impressed by the con-
slant repetition of insinuations, jocu-
lar illusions and mean comments gen
orally, all voicing the prevalent opin-
ion that Montana legislature is run on
the principle of a meat market-so
much pork for SO much money.
1t is not the fault of the honest peo-
pie of the state that these reproaches
are circulated. But this does not alter
the conditions in the least. Montana
men have to hear these reproaches and
particularly when the hearers are COM
PEELED to admit that the auction-block
insinuations are correct.
Thomas H. Carriers little clique of
republicans at Helena are charged here
with having done the business as a re-
suit of negotiations between Hanna and
Clark's agents Senator Carter is him
self not at all displeased with the cleo
ton of Clark and has expressed his
sr,,1 ti,o in,, p,,@
even the senator does not like the sug-
gestions that are made by nearly every
man he meets pertaining to how much
the II gold republicans received for
electing Clark. His excuse for them
has been that they must have thought
that Clark's election would permanent
ly disrupt the democratic party OF
Montana But then some of the in
quisitors retort with an inquiry as to
whether disrupting the democracy
might not have been rewarded at the
ruling price. So, all in all, Senator
Carter is not reposing on a bed of roses,
Notwithstanding some citation because
of Clark's success.
Senator Mantle has taken no part in
the contest, and has expressed neither
eXultation nor depression at the result
in Helena. But he has grown very
weary of the constant iteration of the
accusation that Montana men are in
the market, and have just been bought
and sold like punches of onions or
pounds of limburger.
Independent of the personal phase
of the old contest between two tnflu-
entail democrats of Montana he said
to the representative Of the Standard
to-day, 1.-The present situation is greatly
to be deplored. The scandals connected
with the late election subject our state,
her legislature and her people to a criti-
cism that is not only unpleasant to
listen to. but on every hand there are
comments and suggestive remarks that
are calculated to do the state and her
citizens great harm. In this respect
the events at Helena are peculiarly un-
fortunate"
Representative Hartman is asked
about one hundred times a day If his
one vote cost him 100000, and he has
replied, mo, / was raised out of the
game" or returned some other evasive
answer. designed to close the conversa-
ton quickly. Harry Cunningham's
life in the office of the secretary of the
senate has been a hard one. His as
sociates have for several days kept up
a perfect fusillade' about boodling and
hoodlers and the pre-eminence of Mon
tana legislators in this line of bust
ness. AS Harry was once in the legis-
lature himself he does not pretend to
enjoy this kind of insinuation. Score
tary Hamburger and Jim Galen of Sem
ator Carriers office force and Miles Tay-
lor, Senator Nantes secretary, are al
so subjected to the same kind of ques-
tions, and find them very irritating, al
though they know that the friends who
ask the questions think they are only
joking. And SO it is with all other men,
bers of Washington's Montana colony
and visitors from the state.
This, then. is one result of the scan
dalous business at Helena. Another is
the comments upon Montanas honor
by editorial and paragraph writer's in
all the Eastern papers. All this is very
edifying and amusing, perhaps, to the
readers of these papers, but not at all
gratifying to the people of Montana.
For instance, to-day's Washington
Post has the following sarcastic edito-
rial upon the conditions developed by
the recent senatorial election:
rs it impossible to see, if not the
traditional bright side at least a lumi-
nous spark of some magnitude in this
Montana affair? Is there not something
of encouragement and hope shining out
of what one of our learned mugwump
contemporaries characterizes as the
illumination of Infamous corruption?'
Ought Americans to be ashamed, or
should they be proud of the fact. that
a seat in the United States senate is
deemed a prize worthy of the highest
aim of the most ambitious men? Not
only the multi-millionaires, but the
leaders of thought, the men of great
achievements in the most honorable
walks of life, fix the eye of hope on
the goal. Is there good cause for moan
ing and Wailing in the fact that this
republic, now in its 10th year, has a
legislative body of such a character
that to be one of it's members is an
honor so great that ambitious mer are
sometimes tempted to win it by a short
cut that will not bear rigid scrutiny?
THE point we desire to enforce is
that there is no cause for discourage
ment in the fact-if it be a fact-that
men of great wealth and corresponding
ambition are so Unfortunately DESTROYS
of a seat in the United States senate
that they will adopt costly and danger
Gus means in the hope of attaining it,
If the senate We're dominated by cor
ruption seat in that chamber would
be disgrace. If the senate We're not
just what it is-the most august, the
most honorable legislative body on