Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-06
As AN INDEPENDENT ONLO0xER.

Though the Inter Mountain, months
ago, insisted that the Clark case called
for a senatorial investigation, N mas
repeatedly said that it should be probed
to the init, the Anaconda Standard Is
dissatisfied because this paper has also
suggested the propriety of making a re-
search into the political methods OF MS
accusers. No newspaper could assume
a more distinctively independent posi-
ton than the Inter Mountain, In the
broils that have taken place betwee
the two factions of the democratic party.
It is true, this paper has not pointed
out the virtues of either wing. for the
reason that we ave never been able TO
discover them, nor have We ever at
tempted to prove the innocence of any
man accused of crime in either faction, !
preferring to relegate the determination
of such offenses to the proper tribunals.
To both wings we nave extended the
courtesy of allowing it's alleged crimi-
IldlS oil OppOI OA1A A~NN |
spective cases legally passed upon. be-
fore assuming to condemn them as guilty
of the specific charges brought against
them. Every fair minded citizen would
accord this courtesy to a common horse
thief; n there is no reason within the
range Of decency and good morals why
1t should not also be extended to those
who have been specifically accused of
trying to make a democratic legislature
more corrupt than it naturally would
be. or OF trying to manipulate election
returns.
The Inter Mountain has. exercised the
functions of an independent newspaper,
and refused to pass either upon the in
nocence or the guilt of men accused of
specific crimes. believing that preroga-
tive to be the property Of tribunals es-
tablished for that purpose. A news
paper ma be justified in pointing out
circumstances that seem to indicate
either the guilt or the innocence of an
accused man, but to undertake his trial
and conviction within it's own columns
is at best a hazardous undertaking, for
it may result in al injustice which the
courts may be powerless to correct.
1t was on this theory that the Inter
Mountain objected to a newspaper trial
of John B. Welcome, when his case was
pending before an incorruptible court of
intelligent and fair-minded men. That
court found him guilty of moral turpi-
tude and governed itself accordingly, no
good citizen doubling the thoroughness
of it's investigation or the sincerity of
its purposes. We W no doubt that a
number of other democrats in this state.
in both factions, would discover that
their moral turpitude was in good work.
ing order We're an investigation to be
made through the machinery of the
courts.
Applying a rule that is conceded to be
fair to all who are accused of specific
offenses against the law, to Senator
Clark, it logically follows that the deter
mination of his guilt or innocence must
rest with the court Of last resort now
having the case in charge. Newspapers
may speculate on the probability of his
guilt or innocence. but no conclusion
reached by them will legally determine
the case one way or the other,
While taking the ground that the
charges against Senator Clark were Of
such a character as to necessitate a sena-
torial investigation, the Inter Mountain
has insisted that the newspaper trial given
hin by the Anaconda Standard has been
not only partisan and unfair-being con-
fined wholly to the prosecution-and that
no good results could. in the nature of
things. emanate from such a course Of
procedure, but that positive harm came
to the state through advertising this
as a rotten borough. Out
sid newspapers are only too glad to dis
courage emigration to our state from
their own less favored localities by seiz.
ing upon every pretext to destroy con-
hdence In the good people Of Montana.
The following excerpts are a few SAMPLES