The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-08-30
JANGLE CONTINUES.

" = 0ooAo IA LE1O0S1AuluS L
award OF contract for the furniture
for the new capital show no signs
of abating. Governor Toole still adj
heres to his. position and in support
of his attitude has issued a public
statement defending himself and at
the same time declaring his love for
the laboring men The other members
of the board have but little to say,
except that they were prompted in
their action by a desire to show the
regard they entertain for the men who
toll and casually call attention to
their deeds to bear them out in their
professions of esteem and loyalty.
The Independent supports the govern
or, while the Herald takes the other
side of the controversy and claims
that the action of the majority was
proper and correct. By assuming this
attitude the Herald shows a wonder
fully forgiving spirit. The time is
not so long ago that the Helard was
made to suffer through the refusal Of
the governor to afix his signature to
a contract for printing, although the
contract had been formally let by the
preceding administration. In this he
received the sanction of the supreme
court, which in another case had prev
iously ruled that a coordinate branch
of the government could not be COM
PEELED to perform a clerical act in
the line of it's duties, at least not
by that court.
1t is barely possible that a spirit of
revenge is animating the Herald when
it assumes it's present position and
is using the opportunity to rub it into
his excellency. It calls attention to
the gentleman's action in the case of
itself and says if he had the legal right
to withhold his signature from a con-
tract duly made and entered into by
the state, he cannot question the legal
right of his coadjutors on the furnish
ing board to amend a proposition that
had not progressed beyond the point
OF an award. 1t then gives him a gen
tie hint to stop his Kicking and
take his medicine by reminding him
that it had nothing to say when
it lost the state printing
through his destruction of a contract
made with the state, not withstanding
the apparent injustice of his action on
that occasion. Backed by the govern
or's W action in the cause of itself
and the decision of the supreme court,
it would seem that the Herald has a
shade the better Of it and the advice
it gives his excellency would prob
ably be best accepted and followed.
Considering that the governor and
his fellow members of the furnishing
board owe their present positions to
their declared hatred of everything
savoring of friendship for the capital
istic class" and their undying love
and respect for the laboring men, it
does. strange that they did not
think to investigate the standing of
the Cincinnati house with the labor
ing people before awarding the con
tract to it. Had they taken this pre-
caution the trouble would probably
have been avoided and the explana-
lions that now have to beSmade by
his excellency would not be necces-
sary. Even Messrs. Hays and Donovan
cannot claim to be entirely spotless
OF sin in the matter. They are on
record as having voted to make the
award and the fact that they sub
sequently reconsidered their action
and revoked the award is not partic-
ularly to their credit, as that action
was due in a certain way to duress.
If the labor unions had not up the
matter and if President Mcdonald had
not gone before the board and entered
the vigorous protest he did it is safe
to say the contract would have been
signed and work on the furniture
would now probably be under way.
The whole matter is a democratic
affair and the row that exists is with
in the lines of the democratic party.
No republican is concerned in the
matter and none can be charged by
any member of organized labor with
willingness to spend the money of
the state in patronizing a concern no
toriously opposed to unions and organ
ization of labor in any form. None
voted to give trade to a "scab" out,
fit.
KEEPING IT UP.
No matter how the other side may
49, - L. 49, 49,