Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-03
A MIDDLE COURSE.

In discussing municipal politics this
morning the Butte Miner takes the ex-
traordinary position that there can be no
middle ground between the c~ontendins
democratic factions, which the repuph-
can members Of the city council can take.
1t assumes that affairs have reached a
point in this city when every man must
align himself with one wing or the other
of the democratic party, whenever a con-
test arises between them. According to
the logic Of our morning contemporary
If a controversy should be sprung in the
city council over the selection of a dog
catcher, it would be the duty Of the re-
publican aldermen to Immediately an
nounce themselves as either Clark or
anti Clark on that proposition.
The Miner means we'll, from its point
of view, but apparently cannot under
stand that there are some men in this city
who do not recognize the ~inalienable
right Of the democratic party, or either
NlIS u H. W 01d(C POAAeASo Ga
fairs. Such men fail to discover any good
reason why every proposition that arises
dn this city-good, bad or Indifferent
should be settled either in the interest
of one faction of the democracy or the
other, irrespective of the views of those
citizens who owe IN allegiance to neither
win of that organization. They believe
that business propositions should be
handled by the duly accredited agents of
the people on business principles, for the
common good Of all: and then when
lican party has a right to be heard. They
are not as yet willing to admit that there
is mo middle course" between the two
wings of the democratic party. When
things reach that pass in the city Of
Butte, the republicans will initiate the
children of Israel in Egypt and prepare
for an exodus. However, the danger is
very remote.
In referring to the questions in issue
before the city council, the Miner says
this is more than a democratic fight"
ton the voters registered their opposition
to the policy Of n wing of the democ-
racy in it's Everlasting battle to injure
men prominent in the affairs of the
democratic party" 1t will be news to a
great many people to learn that this
proposition was an issue in the late city
campaign. The republican platform did
not touch upon any question of that
character. 1t did not enter upon a de-
Tense CT any democrat against any other
democrat, directly or indirectly. In fact,
it didn't take up the question of demo-
cratic family troubles at all, but de-
clared for good local government n
made the fight on that issue.
THE people of Butte" to whom the
Miner refers in contradistinction to the
dominant wing of the democratic party,
made an honest effort to improve local
conditions without reference to the toes
that We're thereby trodden upon, but they
did not align themselves with either one
wing or the other of the democratic party
to accomplish that end. One wing of the
democratic party, it is true, assumed to
fail into line and support the republican
ticket. The Miner, as the newspaper
organ of that wing, published the
ticket-not as a republican ticket,
however-but as an Independent ticket
and advised it's democratic follow
ers as independent" voters to sup
port it. This was done for one rea-
son, and only one reason. The dominant
wing of the democracy, in control of the
city convention Of that party, adopted
resolutions denouncing Hon. w. A. Clark,
the senator-elect
The Inter Mountain refused to recog-
nize those resolutions as pertinent TO the
issues of the campaign. The republicans
regarded them as being as foreign to the
question OF reform in local government
as the other ~extraneous democratic reso-
luton respecting embalmed beef. The
campaign was fought on issues of a pure
~ local character, the fight between the
two democratic factions having no bear.