Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-31
Has Served to Keep Anaconda
In the Background.
TAXES ARE MUCH HIGHER
Than In Other Cities and City Con-
tracts Are Let at Most ExOrbi-
tant Rates.

TIC the Inter Mountains:
IT is to be distinctly understood that we
are not out to fight the Anaconda COM
pany. Our fight is against the democratlc
party and the political conditions whlcn
have been brought about by the unfair
methods of the Standard and its crowd
of~bulldozers and political heelers.
The political conditions which exist
here are hard to describe, because they
are unlike anything in any other city.
For years it has been the practice before
each election to drive men into the courts
by the dozen, nave them register and
then educate them to put the X mark al
the head of the democratic ticket. Many
of these men, hundreds would not
be putting it too strong, can neither
read nor write the English Ian
a Notwithstanding the fact that
a very large percentage of them ana
their witnesses swear that they came
to this country when under seven
teen years of age, and have been in this
country from five years to in some cases
ten years. The court is owd every
year with those men. They undoubtedly
with their witnesses in many instances
are guilty of perjury, but there has been
such a condition of terrorism created by
the democratic machine, that they are
uldOc " DclIcNc lAd II luCy oo AoS w
come citizens and vote the democratic
ticket they wi. lose their job. Most of
this work has been done through the
boarding housekeepers and petty bosses
Called at the Works straw bosses.) On
election day these men are driven to the
polls in gangs under the direction of some
one of their cOuntrymen who under
stands English, and is under the absolute
control of the STANDARD and the ma
chine. But few of these men reside here
more than a few months, and the result
is that new men take their place and the
same process is gone through with year
after year. In this city, outside of the
wards where this kind of work is done,
there is Invariably a good safe republican
majority.
1t is also a well known fact thai the
democratic machine has caused it to be
given out Immediately before each cleo
ton that any man voting for or advo-
eating the opposition would be dis
charged, and there is no question that in
the past many a poor fellow has lost his
position because he exercised what he be-
lieved to be his legal rights, i. e. to vote
for n advocate the election of any man
he thought he shout This policy of the
machine has been pursued with so much
persistency and SO openly and shame
lessly, that many of the men holding
places of trust have in private frequently
expressed in the strongest terms their
disapproval of these methods. 1t is easy
to perceive with the use of these methods
why the machine has become such an en-
CINE of oppression, when counselled AND
backed up by a paper of the Standard
stripe. For years no man can receive a
nomination unless he has the approval OF
the Standard and the machine, upon the
democratic ticket either for a city OF
county Office. This statement will be de.
MED but the truth of it can be proven by
hundreds of our best citizens. The result
of this ring rule has caused men to b.
placed in the most important offices wht
have no other qualification than that Of
absolute subserviency to the 'ring;'
offices have been created and positions
made to feed at the public crib mer
who if the people had a chance to exer
else a free expression of their will, coul6
be elected to no Office, no matter how in.
significant. Another and great damage
to the people because of the Standard an6
the ring rule is. and has been the exorbi.
tant price the city has been compelled tt
pay for light, water m printing. 1t /.
well known that at the time of letting tn,
last contract for the city printing, thu
Recorder put in a hid as we'll a 6 tn.