The Western news., 1901-05-15
To Advertisers.
WEDNESDAY, MAY Is 1901.
AN,IRREPREssIBLE CONFLICT.

AN'IRREPREssIBLE CONFLICT. .
Our two sucker contemporaries,
the Ravalli McGintycrat, alias Dem
ocra., aud the Ravalli Republican,
continue, by lnsinuation and by di-
rect accusation, in their attempt to
create the impression that the West
ern News is ''knouher" and hostile
to the best interests of the conmun-
ity.
No doubttbey are proceeding up
on the theory that lie well stuck to
will stick. Perhaps it will in this
case with the unthinking and un-
observing.
Judged from the viewpoint of the
company's sucker organs this paper
is culpable. They maintain that
any paper or person who opposes
company policies, be they right or
wrong, or whether they conflict With
the real best interests of the mass
Of the peopleeor not, are ''kpockers"
Because the Western News un-
hesitatingly denounces the dirty
work of the company bosses and
henchmen it is declared to be a
"knocker." For example. last sum-
mer when the Western News, on be-
half of the people, demanded that the
company fulfill it's written contract
and furnish the town with pure
water instead of the vile fluid that
was, being pumped up from the mill
pond, and again when it denounced
the men who blacklisted and forced
the wives and children to go hungry,
OF men who had simply exef cis.d the
American privilege of voting accord
ing to the dictates of their own con
science, instead of abjectly sub
mitting to the dictations of the under
strappers over them, this paper was,
according to the sucker organs,
shocking" the community!
As matter of fact the Western
News is not hostile to the company
so long as it confines its activities to
the industrial sphere and does not in.
fringe upon the rights of others. On
the contrary. this paper will gladly
second, to the extent of its ability,
any efforts the company may under
take that will tend to assist in the de-
velopment of town, county or state,
or promote the general welfare.
But when any corporation pre-
snmes to dictate in political affairs in
furtherance OF its own special inter-
ests and to the detriment OF the mass
OF the people; when it seeks to con-
troll the judicial, Legislative and exc
cntive functions of the state or when
It's local bosses are guilty of brutal
and tyrannical usurpa5ions aud tram
pie upon the rights OF the people, the
Western News will be found right in
the middle of the road calling a halt
even at the risk OF being styled
"knocker" by the sucker organs.
Showers of epithets, and the most
elaborate deceptions, cannot confuse
an intelligent public as to the real
situation nor disguise from it the
true character of our sucker contem-
poraries. Unhappily, but unavoid-
ably, an irrepressible conflict must
wage between the Western News and
they. Conflicting interests are rep
resented. The McGintycrat, alias
Democrat. and the Republican, are
owned by and in large measure re-
ceive their support from tho Anacon-
da company, and hence must stand
for the policies of that close corpora
tion. Corporations are VIGOROUSLY
selfish and it oftentimes happens
that their activities do not promote
the general welfare On the other
band the western News is the prop