Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-26
TIVE DUTY OF THE noun.

1t is conceded by the democratic news
papers thai the republican aldermanic
candidates are men of integrity and char
acter, and If the same concession be- nad&
relative to the democratic nominees, the
issues of the city campaign extend be-
yond the mere question of men. y g,
Granting. for the sake of argument,
that the candidates on both sides are pa
t%riotic, we'll intentioned gentlemen. and
the question of the general effect of party
success developes into a issue which can
not be ignored.
1t will not be claimed that democratic
success will aid he's silver u or demo-.
cratic defeat injure it, for the city selec-
ton of Butte has no influence Whatever
on a question of that type. Is
Neither will republican victory or de-
feat have any bearing on national fl
nances. one way or another.
Expansion and the tariff question will
not be affected by the forthcoming city
election to any appreciable degree,
whichever way the fortunes Of local poll
tics may go.
But there is one question of national
importance involved in h city election
a question which rises above partyism, as
such, but which concerns the common
wealth as a whole.
And that is the reputation of the city
abroad.
investigation has placed this city. the
home of the chief contestants, in a most
unenviable light before the country. M
The press of the nation are advertising
Butte as the hot-bed of political corrup-
tion-a lamentable condition of affairs
brought about by the leaders of the
democratic party.
While the rank and file of that party
are honest men and patriotic citizens,
there is no Disgusting the fact that the
leadership of that political organization
has so comported itself as to invite the
finger of scorn from the outside world.
The thinking, fair-minded men Of that
party owe to themselves, and to the city
in which they live, every honest effort to
defeat the political aspirations Of b
democratic leaders until Butte is purged
| of the unsavory reputation which demo-
| cracy has given it. =
Nothing will do more to convince the
nation that the people of Butte-the lead
ing city in the state-do not approve
the political methods which have black
ened the name of the commonwealth,
thai the Geographic report the morning
after the city election that the party
which is responsible for the scandals that
have robbed Montana of it's prestige has
! been turned down" at the polls.
Such a report would prove to the world
that Butte respects the good opinion of
mankind is not willing to stand spon-
sor for the conduct of the democracy as
brought out and advertised in the
senatorial investigation.
1t is no reflection upon the standing of
individual candidates to say that their
personal merits or dement's will cut no
figure in the judgment of the country
at large on the result in Butte.
The American people, with their eyes
turned upon this city, by reason of the
senatorial sensation which had its birth
in this place, will look upon a democratic
victory as an evidence that the methods
elucidated before the committee at Wash
ington meet the hearty approval of our
people, and that Butte is ar excellent
place to keep away from.
A republican victory, on the contrary,
will be equally strong evidence that the
methods employed by h democratic
leaders meet the disapproval of the peo-
pie and that Montana is not so bad as
she has been painted. -
Regardless of the personality Of the
candidates in the various wards, the citi-
zens of Butte cannot afford a democratic
victory at this time, If they have the true
interests of his city at heart.
81 i
This morning the Butte Miner says:
'.The Miner still believes the laws Of the
state should he enforced as they relate