Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-31
III KENTUCKY CRIME.

H~
Piles as they apply to the press. the Ana
conda4 STANDARD this morning essays a
flank movement on the Inter Mountain,
by accusing this paper of condoning the
feint on the part of a demoralized and
dismantled foe is so clearly ar effort to
defect the existing newspaper contro-
versy from the points in issue. as to de-
serve no reply whatever. Still. it is per-
haps in order to show the utter Stiffness
of the accusation. as the Inter Mountain
! has never initiated the usual custom of
it's contemporary, by running away from
any serious accusation that is mad
| against it.
In stating that mo apology could be
! offered for so horrible a crime" the Inter
| Mountain certainly put the case in just
a strong a light as if it had thrown
in an extra handful of qualifying adjec-
tives. Having aiken the grounds h a
! there was no justification for the crime,
! this paper proceeded to show that Goebel
| was a man of violent extremes in feeling
! and action-the sort of a man to invite
similar conduct on the part of others.
| and tempt some irresponsible crank to
| the commission of a crime. The fact
! that a hot-headed, over-bearing political
agitator. who was trying to steal a
| gubernatorial seat that had been denied
him by the people, after robbing a state
convention of the nomination for that
office. has been shot by some unknown
| man. wshose motive may or may not have
been a political one, does not suddenly
Ftonvert the unfortunate victim of the
wretched assassin into a paragon of
virtue, or wipe out the disreputable po-
litical history of his past.
When Goebel was nominated for gov
ernor it required a large number of po-
licemen, many with drawn revolvers, to
preserve order in the democratic state
convention, on account OF the clamor
that he was manipulating that body by
fraud and force, regardless of the rights
of the opposition. The better class Of
democrats in that state Immediately or
ganized an independent political move
ment. which divided the democratic vote
and elected the republican candidate.
AS to Taylor's election there was no
question. It passed muster under the
eyes of the election board, the majority
of whom We're democrats A certificate
of election was issued to Taylor and he
took his seat. Goebel, however, held the
wlhip-hand with the democratic majority
in the state legislature, and taking his
| contention into that body, the work of
unseating Taylor was inaugurated, the
scheme being under Roadway when the
central figure of the conspiracy was
stricken down.
The Standard objects to any reference
to these historical facts, in connection
With the announcement Of the assassina-
ton, assuming that we are thereby at
tempting to justify the crime, after the
statement has been made hat no apology
could be offered for it. The Stiffness of
the assumption is apparent on it's face.
Goebel, backed by his wing of the demo-
cratic party. was laying the foundations
for the preparation Of a great political
crime-a crime that could be reached by
public sentiment, though not by the
!. .oyrtc-opl uyhi1a ax,arV ctan that wa
taken added fuel to the flames that
burned in the hearts of an outraged peo.
pie, no one will justify the horrible crime
that may cost the misguided man his
life.
Until the assassin and his motives are
known, it is unfair to intimate hat thu
republican, as the Standard would have
the public believe. When Garfield wa!
assassinated the crime was at once lait
at the door of the Conkling men. but tn,
sequel showed it to have been the worl
of an irresponsible crank. A similar re
suit may follow the shooting Of Goebel
lille TIE presence OF armed men wear
ing Taylor badges, in the vicinity of tn
state house, has been commended by non
not even by Taylor himself-it is not a
all unlikely that their presence had mucI
to do with preventing the riot tina
. threatened the public peace when Goebe
was shot. His followers were in a moo
to seek reprisals from the republica
9 party, without waiting to discover tn
assassin or learn his motives for til
crime.
WHA1 WILL BRYAK DO?