Daily inter mountain., 1900-03-21
ITS WOUNDED HONOR.

After rejecting over the matter for
forty-eisht hours the Anaconda Stand
ard has permitted itself to wax wroth /
over the following excerpt from a plank
in the platform adopted by the republic
can city convention: /
We congratulate the people of this .
city and state that the two factions !
of the democratic party whose political
history and conduct. whether acting
Jointly or severally. has been stain
and reproach upon the fair name and
fame of Montana, have at last turned
states evidence against one another, !
and that their corrupt and demoraliz- I
ing assault upon the independent man. /
hood and integrity of this common |
wealth is now exposed before all men.
1t is not the literary construction Of
the foregoing that challenges the bellig-
erent instincts of our contemporary, for
1t is a model of conciseness and clearness
of expression, and contains years and
years of democratic history within the
limits Of few lines. It's grievance lies
in the public recognition of the fact that
in trying to drag it's party enemy down
to destruction and disgrace the Anacon-
da wing of the democracy has succeeded
in exposing it's own political methods to
the world. 1t would be impossible to
express the colossal blunder of the Stand
ard and its following, in dragging into
the national forum a matter which
should have been settled in the courts Of
our state, with more aptness than to say
that the two wings of the democracy had
turned states evidence against each
other.
The testimony brought out under oath
in the senatorial investigate amply JUS
titles the foregoing expressions by the
republicans of this city in convention
assembled. If the democratic feud con-
cerned the democratic party alone, and
public interests did not suffer from the
internal disturbances of that political or
ganization, the situation would present
a different phase. But in it's efforts to
destroy it's democratic antagonist, the
Anaconda wing of the party was not
content with the employment of the po-
litical agencies which this state afforded
nor was it willing to entrust it's criminal
CIdi SSS " Tic AOIIOI anu Integrity VI OuI
courts. It was not satisfied until the
fair fame of our commonwealth was
dragged through the mre of a senatorial
investigation at Washington, and. the
good name of our beloved state be-
smrched before the world
Who dare assert that the evidence
given before the senate committe ha!
improved the standing of Montana a
home and abroad? Who dare deny tha
our state has been injured and the repu
tation of our people affected by it? VIII
will say that both wings of the demo
cratic party are not responsible for thi
condition of affairs-the one by forcinl
the issue into the senate, and the othe
by giving an alleged justification for sucl
an act? BY what right, then. can an
one question the propriety of the forego
ing plank in the republican platform
Has even the immaculate STANDARD
robed in war paint and clout of purit!
with Shanghai feathers in it's hair an
right to criticise the republican party fo
telling the truth?
That newspaper seeks to show hypC
crisy where it cannot show falsehood, an
questions the sincerity which lead to til
adoption of the plank referred to.
cites the wholly irrelevant fact that Sc,
eral republican legislators voted for NJ
Clark for senator, as evidence that IL
conduct of at least one wing of the dem,
cratic organization is condoned.
says: "Seventy-five per cent of the r
publicans elected to the last legislatu
were bribed to vote for Clark" This a
legation on the part of our contempora
implies positive knowledge to that e
feet. With such knowledge in hand.
the Standard institute criminal procee
ings at once against those men and t