Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-29

memorable session, for two reasons.
First. it knew that the character of the
witnesses would be in issue. and that its
wv shortcomings would be paraded
quite as conspicuously as those of Its
political enemy; and, second, 1t would.
ocratic party behind Mr.. Clark and retire
to the rear a political organization to
whose leadership it aspired, as soon as
its hated rival for that honor could be
displaced. Hence, the Anaconda faction
of the party took no steps in a legal way
to make good the charges which it OFF,
cially made on the floor Of the joint as
sembly, and which. it was in duty bound
to submit to the official action of that
body or to the criminal courts of the
state. 1t placed itself in the position of
the witness who talks .bravely on the
street corner, but who shrinks from the
terrors of the court room.
-
In 1899 a new set of conditions had
arisen within the ranks of the democ-
racy. Through circumstances which
need not be exploited in this connection,
but which involved packed primaries in
Butte, colonized wards, fraudulent regis-
%tration, coerced voters, and numerous
other disgusting offenses against de-
cency and the laws of the state, the An
aconda faction of the democratic party
not only again held the balance of power
in a democratic joint assembly, but had
sufficiently increased it's following to
prevent the holding of a party caucus to
determine it's choice for senator. AS the
result of this, Mr.. Clark became a candi-
date before the legislative body in his
own right, without the official endorse
ment of his party. This being the case,
it was argued that an attack upon him
would have a personal application only,
and not involve the party behind him in
the same sense that it would have done
in 1898. when he was it's official candi-
date.
Therefore, the charges reached a grand
jury, which failed to sustain them; and
then found their way indirectly before
the supreme court, which affirmed them
insofar as one of Mr.. Clark's friends was
concerned; and finally reached the ulti-
mate tribunal in which they are now
being duly considered by fair-minded
and far-sighted men. AS the attack
upon Mr.. Clark had at last become indi-
vidualized, n steps had been taken in
a judicial way to determine the question
crimes, the Inter Mountain has held that
the defendant was entitled to a fair and
impartial hearing in the courts, and that
it was in bad taste for any to
in advance. That position was taken
when the matter was placed before the
grand jury. again when it came before
the supreme court, and later when it
reached it's final hearing in the senate Of
the United States. This attitude on the
part of the Inter Mountain constitutes
no defense whatever of Mr.. Clark, but is
in line with public decency, a sense Of
fair play, and journalistic good taste.
49,
If a man We're arrested for murder on
circumstantial evidence, this paper
would pursue the same course and rele-
of the case. 1t is less than decent to
deny the same p~rerogative to a promi-
nent citizen of this state, who is accused
of the crime of bribery, whatever a final
summary of the evidence IN both sides
of the case may unfold as to his guilt
or innocence of the specific charges
brought against him.
While the witnesses on behalf of either
side, who convict themselves on the wit
ness stand of perjury or self-evident
fraud, are proper subjects for criticism,
as they supply the facts for such criti-
cism under oath, it is quite another mat
ter to try the defendant in advance of
the completion of his hearing, when the
only purpose OF such a course is to preju-
dice the case through puDlC aSltallOn,
that sentiment may have as much influ-
ence as the facts in determining it's out
come. The Standard essayed the same
line of procedure in the Welcome case,
only to call forth a vigorous rebuke from
the supreme court, whose judicial field 1t
attempted to invade. If it over-stepped
the hounds IF nrOnrietv in that ease
what is it now doing when the senate
committee has the whole proposition in
hand, and can only be embarrassed in it's
work through the efforts Of that paper