The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-11-14
DIVISION or

Yellowstone Journal: The Billings
Gazette takes up the question of the
division of the state in a recent is
sue and discusses it seriously, forcibly
and at length, but without reaching
definite conclusions, except that d.
vision is yearly growing to be more of
a necessity. The presumption is that
division is a long way ahead if at
tainable ever. It does look like a hard
case to settle, especially as there has
existed for generations in congress a
.well-settled opposition to the gener-
al proposition OF dividing sovereign
states. The only case wherein this
policy was disregarded was in the
case of the Virginias, and this was
done by a war congress and was prac-
tically a war measure. 1t is not i'm
probable, if the corporations and the
mining millionaires keep up their
monkeying with elective privileges of
this state, that division will become
a val necessity and a war measure in
Montana. The people are about
through with this kind of business.
Both sides have experienced and have
realized the futility of winning vic
tories in which there is no glory and
no results behind the throne, and in
order that these questionable trophies
may be gained, the people of the state
have to submit to representation in
public place that in the main is shame
full. In order to control the vote of
the rabble, the rabble has to be rec
ognized and as the manipulators care.
nothing who govern so that they are
creatures of their will, the result has
been that our high offices have been
filled with ignoramuses and repro
bates who have brought shame upon
the commonwealth when they failed
to excite derision.
AS we have said, it is not improba-.
BILE hat these conditions may become
too irksome and some day it may be
all the state against Silver Bow coun-
ty and it's dirty politics. With the
growth of population in the agricul-
tural and pastoral counties, and with
the impetus that national irrigation
is going, to give these districts, it is
not impossible that another decade
may see the mining politicians at the
mercy of the people. The trend is
that way. The incoming population
is ninety per cent republican and as
we in this campaign-herded all the
corporations and all the m~illionaires
into the different camps of the demo-
cratic party it may be safely said that
the people of Montana must look to
the republican party of the state for
it's complete restoration as a common
wealth of the people. 1t will be bet
ter this way than to divide the state,
even if we could, for whatever line of
division might be agreed upon, it
would be sure to leave some honest
people in hopeless slavery to the mil
lionaries and the corporations.
1t is well for the people to remem-
Der that the victory just won in this
state was won by the republican par
ty against all the corporation influ-
ences of the state except the Heinze
faction and that the republican par
ty had none of his money. The fact
that the republican party was the only
party of any principles acting in this
campaign, brought to it many dis
gusted democrats and it is only neces-
sary for the party to maintain this
standard and resolutely reject any in
reference of corporations or million
aires for it to continue to win. Let
these men of dollars fight their bat
ties face to face and not e the
shoulders of a people who are honest
ly striving to build up an honorable
and respectable commonwealth.
THEY ARE PROGRESSING.