The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-07-15
Abusing the President.

termination to drive the president of the
United States into private life seems to
be the result of intense and deadly |
of opinion would account for. During
The past several years that paper has
feviled and misrepresented his every
public act and accused him Of designs so
ubiquitous, of conduct so reprehensble,
of weakness so contemplate, of SUBJ
eerviency 50 disgusting and Of a nature so
RESPECTABLE that We're there a particle OF
truth in any of such charges, congress
would long ago have begun impeachment
proceedings against him. and no good
citizen in the land would hesitate to
tndorse the act. Last week the Ana
conda paper, in "a bitter and vengeful
article, accused him of responsibility for
the Spanish war; attributing to his
'cowardice' the failure Of diplomatic
settlement with Spain. Such a perver-
sion of the facts Of recent history yet
fresh in the public mind is monstrous.
1t is an abuse of the liberty of the press.
TO stigmatize as coward the man who
when a lad offered his life in his coun-
try's cause. served with such gallantry
that. volunteering as private, he return
ed with majors commission and who
after distinguished service in congress
was twice elected president of the nation
to stigmatizs such man as a cowardly
timeserver responsible for plunging his
country into a needless and cruel war,
is an outrageous and unjustifiable ex-
hibition of rancor which no newspapers
constituency in this country will approve
or tolerate.
Sunday morning the Standard gave an
other exhibition of ill-temper, possibly
based on the results of the presidential
campaign. Secretary Long having been
reported to have made some pleasant ref
erence to the ppularity Of the president
among the people, and likened it to that
of Washington, the Standard flies into
a rage and proceeds to show that Wash
ington was much greater man than
Mckinley. So he was. Secretary Long
never asserted the contrary. He doubt
less merely pointed out some points. of re-
semblance or compared the intensity and
unselfshness of their patriotism. Let
the Standard quote the language of the
secretary and thus illustrate what a
fimsy excuse it had for making a man
of straw from his remarks and proceed
ing to demolish it with such wealth
of historic and rhetorical ammunition.
But President Mckinley needs no de-
Tense in the columns of any republican
newspaper. Patriotic democrats are
among his staunchest Supporters Pa
triotic democrats in the house of repre-
sentative gave him vote of confidence
in the shape of a $50,O0O,0 900 emergency
fund when the war broke out. Patriotic
democrats in the senate voted to ratify
the Spanish treaty when the war ended.
Patriotic democrats VOLUNTEERED their
glorious achievements, for they were
glorious in spite Of the Standards
peevish and malevolent misrepresenta-
tions Schley, Hobson and Fitzhugh Lee
and the immortal Dewey who smashed
the Spanish navy and saved the cities
merchant marine in Pacific waters-they
were democrats and they fought their
country's enemies and gave no aid and
comfort to them whether Spaniards or
Tagals. Among the brave sons Of Mon
tana who enlisted as a matter of patrl-
otlsm there We're no political lines
drawn. They fought side by side for the
honor Of the flag and not a single one
of them can the Standard quote in sup.
port of the charge that the war was
avoidable, or that it was a war of con.
quest, or ruthless and cruel and blood.
thirsty conflict, either in Cuba or the
Philippines, or that either it's origin OF
management reflected anything but cred
1. on American arms, American pa
triotism and humanity. In another col
umn of the Inter Mountain today appear.
an interview about the present and past
work of the government in the Philip
pines and the richness and importance
OF the islands. 1t is the talk of q
Mr.. Pierce who returned last week
from volunteer service, having sacri
feed his business in Butte anl
enlisted in the First Montana Whe1
president. His interview is inter
est;ng and timely. supplying informatio
based upon personal experience
though not pertinent perhaps to this pro
test against the Standards vicious al
tack on the president and the principle
anyol~etf In the acquisition of the Phi
irpines. That attack is so unprovoked. s
bitter, so persistent. 80 baseless. this
It is almost In applicable. being mad
between campaigns when the country