The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-02-10
DISTINCTLY DEMOCRATIC.

CdCAs iOT MOlltuS past OH Tie SO-Cdlt0Q
"Heinze movement" the graceful
manner in which the Butte Miner ac-
cepts the decision CT the senate to
seal Tewey All Hopkins comes as a
surprise, i.ve.y reason existed for
believing that as soon as it heard
OF ii the Miner would proceed to give
an exhibition of righteous indignation
that would be tear compelling and
cause the Anaconda hill to take an
ether hitch southwark and further
threaten to wipe Butte off the map.
But it did nothing of the kind and
probably had a quiet chuckle at the
easy way in which it has been delud-
ing the people that its antagonism to
the youthful man of destiny is real
and sincere. 1t simply did as any
democratic paper would have done
under the circumstances-it declared
the thing to be just and proper, mas
much as the decision was one calcu-
lated to give strength to it's party in
a body where party power and infiu-
ence are important considerations. 1t
laid down, but to keep up its past pre-
tense added another by saying in
Justification of the decision that dis
gust on the part of the senate with
the house had induced it to decide its
own contests and not wait for the re-
publican majority in the other body
to conclude it's Investigations into the
charges of fraud made by one fac
ton of the democratic party against
the other, a charge involving the
legality of the election of of the
men whom the senate seated.
Even the fact that the men whose
seats were at issue voted on the &C.
ceptance and rejection Of the major
ity and minority reports of the COM
mitee on elections and privileges did
not strike the Miner as anything UNI
usual or which might be regarded as
not exactly in good taste. That it
seems to consider as a mere incident
and not worthy of comment or notice.
The one fact that appears luminous
before the vision of the happy Miner
is that by it's decision the senate kept
the democratic party in control, and
that whether ''Heinze' or CLARK"
democrats, all democrats r good
enough for it and may be relied upon
to make it as sultry for the republi-
cans as possible.
But while covertly rejoicing at the
action of the senate, the Miner would
have you believe that it still insists
upon a cleaning out of the move
ment" fellows in the house and with
mock solemnity says something about
"a few brave souls" rising above the
earth and doing Justice in this mat
ter by seating the contestants from
Silver Bow If justice can only be
done by seating the contestants from
Silver Bow, why, then, did not justice
demand that the contestants in the
senate from that county and Rosebud
also be seated? If it would be unfair
and unjust to ignore the claims of
contestants in one house, why, then,
by the same parity of reasoning, would
it not have been manifestly fair and
just to have hardened to the demands
of the men who are now compelled to
relinquish that to which they believed
themselves rightfully and legally en-
titled?
There is still another question that
might be pertinent at the present
time. If by a strict party vote the
senate saw fit to seat the contestees
N that house, why should the Miner
demand that the republican house of
representatives seat the contestants
in it's house, particularly as both con-
testants and contestees are democrats?
The senate having given it's VIE to
tllS 1llCA WlOGC SCdCS WSlS OoAllC0CCu
and thereby affirmed their claims of
a legal election, why should it be
deemed right that the republican
house reverse this decision and say
to the senate that it erred, that an
other lot of democrats had been elect
ed and that the men now occupying
seats are imposters?
The "Heinze" brand of democrats
seems to be good enough for the SEN
'te and consequently no fault should
be found with the house if it declare
them to be good enough for that
branch of the legislature.
For the second time and by a vote
more decisive than the first the SEN