Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-06

selected at random, of newspaper COM
ment On the condition of things In this
state, as set forth by the Standard:
Denver Times: 1t is however. fair to
say that the matter is far more than this.
Montana has been cursed, almost from
the time that statehood was first agi-
tated until this date, by a long-drawn out
series of political debauchery that has
mad the name of that great state al
most synonym for legislative corrup-
tion.
Portland Oregonian: In Montana the
grand juries are fixed at the beginning,
and the coming ones will be fixed" till
the statute of limitations shall have run.
Boston Herald: The opposition to him
Clark comes from another rich man
who had a feud with him. and the poll
ticians of Montana have been divided in
their support between these two million
aires. All politics appears to be UNI
scrupulOus there. The state is strong
ly democratic.
\ Chicago Tribune: Clark ould be I'M
seated and the legislature of the rotten
rough state of Montana be given an
opportunity to elect a senator honestly, If
it car.
Though the rotten condition of political
affairs in this state is very properly
charged up to the democratic party, Mon
tana unquestionably suffers enormously
such advertising throughout the nation.
1t is equivalent to saying hat our .peo-
pie are vile and corrupt. or stupid enough
to be Indifferent, when they allow a
party guilty Of such crimes to remain in
power. However we'll deserved the CEN
sure may be, insofar as some people are
concerned, the. structures are unfair when
applied to the commonwealth as a whole.
Had the Standard, while believing in
the guilt of Senator Clark. taken the po-
sition that the courts on the one hand.
and the United States senate on the other
hand. were fully as competent as itself
to handle the crimes imputed to the leg
islative assembly, Montana could have
escaped such injurious advertising as the
foregoing. And the results of the Clark
Observation-Disclosures they may be
would not have been changed one iota.
Because the Inter Mountain made a plea
with the welfare of this state,
and refused to pass upon either the guilt
or innocence OF Senator Clark, the STAN
dard maliciously tries to make it appear
that this PAPER is a CLARK organ. With
the tactics of a thug it would align ev-
cry man, woman and child in the state
with it's peculiar methods of warfare,
and force them to bend the knee to it's
patented political system of doing things.
1t would count as the friend and sup
porter of the opposition wing of the DEM
ocracy, all who refuse to pay the tribute
of confidence and respect to the faction
represented by itself. This is manifestly
unfair to the large number OF men in
this state who hold aloof from both wings
Of the democracy. and who recognize in
finite capacity for political intrigue in the
ranks of each.
The independent citizens Of this state
of which the Inter Mountain is a repre-
sentative-stano ready to protect the good
name of Montana against the combined
efforts of the two wings of the democracy
to destroy it's reputation. While willing
to accord fair play to those accused Of
specific crimes against the m
wealth, leaving the question Of guilt and
innocence to the Judgment of the courts,
they are not oblivious to the political
crimes that have been committed by both
wings of the democracy in this state.
In sue o~ffenses the responsibility can
not be individually fixed, and they can be
indignant people.
To such crimes belong the packing Of
caucuses, the colonization of wards, the
coercion of employees, and the casting Of
inhabitants. 1t is practically impossible
TO reach the responsible parties in such
cases, yet the crimes are none the less de-
structive to good government. Both
wings of the democracy nave from time
to time practiced these ~offenses to q
greater or lesser degree, as the exigencies
of the political situation seemed to war;
rant. and the public has suffered accord
ingly.
If greater crimes are now laid al the
doors Of individual democrats, it is large
ly due to the school in which their poll.
teal education has been attained. Be-
cause the Inter Mountain has called at
tention to these facts. especially to the
cases in 1898 which are still fresh In the
memory of the citizens of Butte, the
Standard renews its false statements that
this paper is welded to the interests of