The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-08-15
WHERE REPRESENTATIVE RAN.
KIN Is WRONG.

From the Washington dispatches to
the Chicago Tribune we quote the fol-
lowing interview:
u think / know perfectly we'll what
the Anaconda win try to do to me-"
Miss Rankin said. They'll try to do
TO me just what they have done to
every one who ever tried to oppose
them in and out OF Montana. They
own the state. They own the govern
ment. They own the press. First I'll
be oasted from one end of the state
to the other. Every newspaper will
print my shortcomings, real or fan
cied, in the largest type in the COM
posing room. All the mud and all the
bricks in the state will come hurting
in my direction. They probably won't
assassinate me, because they use
somewhat more subtle methods now
than in the old days"
We might ordinarily dismiss Miss
Ranllin's comment for the plausible
reason that Washington at this sea-
son is a most uncomfortable place
where the terrific heat reaches the
brain. distorts the vision and makes
4 crouch of the sunniest tempered
people.
We choose, however, to take Miss
Rankin seriously. She has painted a
black picture of Montana and if the
colors are true then certainly it is a
newcomers as we'll as our own people
If the voters of Montana are so SUI
pine. so cowardly, so weakninded as
to permit a single corporation to own
their state. their government, their
newspapers, then certainly it is no fit
dwelling place for honest men and
women, and in all justice we must
advise our eastern friends against a
change of residence TO this bailiwick.
II Miss Rankin is wrong, then she is
guilty of the foulest Misrepresentation
Of Montana, of our people and our in
the state at u time when we are
striving most earnestly to increase its
population and its material prosper
ity.
Is Miss Rankin's Indictment true?
Is Montana owned by u corporation?
II that is true, then Miss Rankin, her
self. must be Il corporation hireling,
since she is part of the government.
Was she not elected to congress las
fall by a very substantial majority?
II the state, the government and the
press are mere cogs in this great cor
porate machine, then her nomination
and election must have been dictated
by those who own everything. II there
are enough free and independent cit
liens in Montana to elect Miss Ran
Kin, then certainly there is no basis
to her charge that the state and gov
eminent are owned by !, corporation.
Is the press of Montana corporation
owned? We have no means OF knowing
the source of investment in all news
papers OF the state. We only know
that the two daily newspapers OF
Missoula are not owned by the cor
poration Miss Rankin describes, nor
are they subject TO any direction, save
that of the proprietors. We regard
Miss ltankin'S reflection on the owner
ship and honesty of the newspaper
press of Montana as unWarranted, lln-
just and untrue. The charge on its
face is wholly absurd and vii! be
sternly resented by the newspaper
many have struggled desperately to
keep their publications alive during
3 period when the cost of everything
connected with the business mas
scared TO the skies. If the newspapers
were owned by the copper octopus
there would not be much iinanca,
worry in business offices.
We regret this outburst of Miss
Rankin beyond measure because it
sToakens our confidence in he. value
as representative of Montana in the
congress of the United States. We do
not like the sort of advertising that
she gives to the state. We see a lack
of poise, hard sense and intelligence
in one who of all representatives ever
elected to office from this state had
the widest opportunities for good.
We have ~ Mud OF bricks to hurtle
at Miss Rankin and we have no de-
sire to print her shortcomings in big