Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-17
MERRIAM N SMITH.

That the leaders of the democratic
party in Montana keenly realize the EN-.
barrassing position in which they have
been placed by the over-zealousness OF
Governor Smith to assist General Mer.
Ram, is evidenced by the attitude of the
press. While, the Idaho labor roubles
were confined to IDAHO. the democratic
papers, with scarcely an exception, re-
tired to their several and respective holes,
as the saying is, and drew the apertures
in after them. They would not touch the
situation with a ten-foot pole. realizing
as they did that the political %organiza-
ton which they represent is wholly de-
pendent upon corporations, trusts and
great combines of capital for it's per-
therefore, for the organs of the democ-
racy to make any inadvertent breaks,
which reference to the Idaho troubles
might lead up to. and thus deprive their
organized political appetite of Its pocket
book.
But to the CONSERVATION of the gentle
men of the democratic press, the Occur
dAlene troubles over-flowed into Mon
tana. 1t was reported to the democratic
governor of this state that there were
men in Missoula county VINO We're be-
lieved to be fugitives from IDAHO, and
that the federal troops We're after them.
What would his excellency do about it?
Shifting the air with the keen relish of a
Well trained pointer the governor of the
state of Montana SIS fell over his law
books, and stepped IN an embossed COPY
of the constitution of the United States,
in his anxiety to direct the sheriff of
Missoula county to assist" the soldiers
to arrest suspects, in violation of the laws
of this state.
Having become an issue in which Mon
tana is not only interested, but in which
her people are involved, it would seem
that the democratic press would feel like
crawling out into the open air for a few
minutes-long enough at least to see the
new moon over their left shoulder. But
the king bee of the democratic press-the
chief pipe organ in the bourbon conser-
vatory of music-the Anaconda Standard
maintains a silence as profound as the
dreamless sleep of a long forgotten god.
Within a few miles of it's publication
office. so or 60 men We're arrested, placed
In box cars, held for perhaps "a hours and
h shipped to Idaho and imprisoned in
bull pens-all in violation of the laws Of
the state of Montana and the constitu-
ton Of the United States-and yet not a
word either of approval or disapproval
mas appeared in the ponderous think-tank
department of this great leading demo.
cratic journal,
Under the circumstances, little can be
expected from the smaller fry. The Butte
Miner, however. has touched upon the
question to some extent, probably in line
with Its fixed habit of taking a different
chute from the Standard. This morning
II dwells for a time on General Merriam
with Doth feet. so to speak. It pictures
NiuSoot " tnat epauIetted worthy
into the wilds Of Missoula county, v.nk-
ing men out of Montana so apid, that
the governor of this state couldn,t GOT
his official lorgnette adjusted in time to
catch the flutter of their coat-tails as tbo,,
disappeared over the line..
Realizing that a democratic state .d
mlnstIation is about to take a disa strous
feacer into the shoals Of history. nv mr.
mitirg the wanton violation of the ,avs
governing the extraditicr of man enc
pected or crime, the Miner IS skilIfr1lv
trying-without any assistance fror, Tho
anaconda ~Stapdard-to attach a faw wal,
minated bladders to his exceIlen.y.s
Waistoand and keep him ahcat. It de.
Serves the hearty concentration of mar
VINO are democrats, without knowing
why. for 1t is ad.oitly e~ndeavoring to shift.
responsibility from the shoulders of Gov
ernor Smith te General Merriam. 1t laws
the fault Of the Missouia incident to tive
federal authorities rather than to the
state The public wsi,gbe SLOW, however,
60 accept This version OF AFFAIRS.