Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-01-08
STARTING OUT 2ICHT

The rebuke administered to the defense
in the Clark contest, when objections
were made to the introduction OF what
would be designated as hear-say evil
dence in an ordinary court of justice, in
dicates the purpose of the senatorial
committee to make it's investigation a
most thorough one. The committee is
composed of men capable of weighing
the relevancy of evidence. and they do
not feel the necessity of circumscrlb1ng
their work with the technical rules that
are laid down for the protection of a
man on trial before the ordinary jury.
With authority to pursue any course it
may desire in the search for truth, the
committee has chosen to hear and con-
slider statements that may have only an
indirect bearing on the questions in
issue.
Undoubtedly, this is a much wiser
method of investigation than conducting
it within narrow limits, and the Ameri-
can public will applaud the decision of
the chair when it indicated to x-Sen
ator Faulkner hat it would not en-
terrain the objection which he made.
Being the court of last resort, it's COM
potency to sift the wheat from the chaff,
and adjudge every statement made on
it's merits, is quite al we'll defined as
it's ability to render a final verdict in
the case.
Not only will the wide latitude which
the committee has prescribed for itself
give the prosecution ar opportunity to
submit evidence which may be only In
directly relevant to it's, side of the
case, but which could not, under the
rules, get a full hearing in a state court;
but it will enable the defense to elab-
crate it's theory of conspiracy to much
the value of indirect evidence cannot be
over-estimated, for circumstances which
would be worthless as ev~idence-when
standing alone-may count for a great
deal coupled with known facts. Thus,
while the plan Of investigation may
prove advantageous to the prosecution,
scope in which to combat the charges
against Senator Clark.
The committee has placed itself in a
position to thoroughly probe into the
merits of the proposition in hand from
all points of the compass. This would
seem to indicate a purpose to satisfy
itself as to the claims of both parties tt
the controversy. If so, the politica
methods Of the democratic party, in botf
factions, will undergo an exposure o.
inestimable value to the people of thi:
state. 1t is competent for the committee
to make an investigation of this charac,
ter, for the democratic legislature is OF
trial quite as much as is the senate
which it elected. Incidentally, those VIII,
made a democratic legislature of thi
type a possibility, are on trial, insofar
rs the question of good political judg
ment is concerned. Hence, it becomes
the p~rerogative of the committee t,
make an inquiry into the politica
methods pursued in this state, that i'm
portant questions of veracity may be in
diligently settled.
This idea is made clear at the incep
ton of the case, by the evidence givel
by Mr.. Stiff, speaker of the house O
representatives. AS the presiding Office
of hat body, Mr.. Stiff swears that h
vas offered $4,000 to vote for Mr.. Clark
but that he asked $50. 900 as a considera
t~ion-acting in the capacity of a detec
tive. The defense will quite ~naturall
claim that Mr.. Stiff was offered nothing
but that he wanted to sell his vote 70
$50, 900. The latitude which gave NJ,
Stiff the right to say that he was ap
preached by men other than Mr.. Clarl
will give the defense an opportunity t
show why and how Mr.. Stiff was electe
speaker, in the attempt to weaken tn
force of his statements In combattin
Mr.. Whiteside's testimony, the defens
may find it necessary to avail itself G
the wide scope Of questioning allowed b
the committee. II 1t should seek t