Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-05

facts to the surface. without regard az
to who may be aided or injured by them,
Under the circumstances. the opportunity
is afforded the unbiased citizen to sit in
judgment and draw his own conclusions
from the presentments made by the re-
spective contestants. That this will be
the attitude of the average American,
pending a summary of the evidence. there
can be little doubt.
To Montanians the contest presents it.
self in a more interesting and important
light than to the American public at
large. Familiar with all the details of
the .long-drawn feud, which has injected
it's poison into the political affairs Of this
state for years. to the irreparabla injury
of the commonwealth, the average Mon
tanian recognizes with disgust the pro-
f~essions of purity that may emanate
from either wing of the democratic party.
Men who are now prominent in the fight
against Senator Clark have for years re-
sorted to every ~disreputable scheme
known to the undertow of politics, to
carry out their political ends, involving
the illegal use of money in the corruption
of voters. the coercion of employees, and
the purchasing of corporation laws from
the same legislature that IS alleged to
have sold out to the agents of Senator
Clark. While the conduct of these men
does mot lessen the offence of Mr.. Clark,
if he be guilty of the charges preferred
against him, and should not be held up
in mitigation, they nevertheless afford
the friends of the senator ample room TO
question the sincerity of his enemies and
the integrity of their statements.
Did the charges laid against senator
Clark emanate from other sources, pub
lie sentiment in this state would be less
But coming as they do from members of
a factional.w wing of the democratic party,
that has furnished ample evidence of it's
ability to resort to as disreDutable and
methods in attaining political
ends as the ingenuity of man can invent.
such Observation-Disclosures true or false
have little weight with the Montana pub
lie.
Believing in the capacity of either wing
of the democracy to go to any length
which political intrigue may make pos
sible, the independent citizens of this
state would like to see a senatorial in
that would not only probe the
Clark proposition to the limit, in the
for truth, but which would just
as thoroughly analyze the political meth
DDS of his accusers, to the end that Mon
tana may rear a harvest of purer poll
tics from the unsavory reputation at
tanned. The feeling is general in this
money was illegally used in the interest
of Clark, that the fight against him by
the opposing wing of the democracy is
not waged in the interests of political
purity, but for the purpose of settling the
question Of political control, to the end
that a gigantic rust, that is already buy
ing up newspapers by wholesale, may
dominate and control the legis-
latlve assemblies of this state. Thus,
while our Independent citizens encourage
a full and free investigation into the
charges against Clark, they urge equal
zeal in probing into the methods of his
party enemies that the rotten founda-
tons of the democratic hierarchy may be
uncovered, and the state protected from
the infliction of grievous wrongs in the
years to come.