The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-10-21
MIR. WEED As AN ORATOR.

f. ID. Weed is an able young lawyer.
When the present editor of this paper
was arrested a year ago last July by
order of Judge McHattan, of Butte, on a
charge of contempt Of court, for writing
something the Judge did not like, Mr..
Weed was his attorney. He defended
the newspaper man succ essfully, had
him released from the Butte Jail on a
writ OF habeas corpus, and brought the
matter up before the supreme court
where Judge McHatton's action was
disapproved and censured, and the case
dismissed.
Apart from this most valid reason why
the editor should have a friendly feeling
toward Mr.. Weed, he had previously
been on amicable terms with him, per-
forming and receiving such friendly
courtesies as pass between men in allied
walks of life. Therefore when Mr.. Weed
last evening invited any member of his
audience to ask him a question at any
point where he was thought to be in
error, the editor believed that he meant
what he said. He was speaking of the
great advantage to Montana compre-
hended in the purchase by the treasury
of some 100000 ounces of silver per
month. At this point the editor asked
him if he would kindly explain to the
audience how it could possibly be of adj
vantage to the miners of Montana to sell
their silver, no matter what the amount
might be, if the price was less than the
cost of mining. which it is at this time
and has usually been since the demone-
t~ization of silver by the republicans in
1873:
To this query Mr.. Weed vouchsafed
no reply. He was not there. he said. to
speak of the philosophy of the silver
question. 1t appeared to the audience,
however, that he was there to make "a
standing challenge to which he was de
termined not to respond when taken up.
His address was Il tissue of sophisticated
misstatements from beginning to end.
and at one point. in order to bolster up
an argument that was decidedly weak
and ricketty he descended to absolute
falsehood. His language at this point
was:
There is no possibility of m~istaking
the position of Mr.. Cleveland on the sill
yer question. He is the open and
avowed enemy of the white metal. and
he has stated in the plainest language
that if he becomes president he will veto
any silver measure that is brought be-
fore him during the next four years"
Mr., Weed. being a well informed and
honest intentioned man, should not have
allowed himself to fall into such a pal
pable error as this. lie knows or ought
to know that no such a statement ever
issued from Mr.. Cleveland's tongue or
pen, and that his saying s was intended
to deceive his audience.
The only utterance by Mr.. Cleveland
that can be taken as in the least antici-
patory of his action if he becomes presi-
dert-tand right here Mr.. Weed may as
well note that Mr.. Cleveland will be the
next president of the United lStatesr
was to this effect: Il should certainly
deem it my duty. no matter what my
personal views might be, to sign any sill
yer bill passed by substantial majorities
in both houses of congress-
MI. Cleveland is not the man to do as
President Har rison has done, parade his
opinions and preiudices regarding pend
ing measures before congress with the
deliberate purpose of crippling and re-
tarding the action of the national legis-
lature, and we denounce the assertion Of
MI. Weed as wilfully false, and unworthy
of any man who claims the respectful
attention of the public. His audience
was composed chiefly of republicans who
had a right to an uninterrupted hearing
of his speech whether it was false or
true, but he should have been man
enough to live up to his challenge, es-
pecially when a perfectly legitimate
question was put by a man whom he
knew could have no other motive than
to get at the truth.
1t is a hard road that the republican
orators have to travel in this campaign,
and it is not to be wondered AT if they
get ratified when the current of their
sophistries is suddenly interrupted by
an injection of cold fact. Mr.. Weed
owes it to himself, and to his friends. to
either call in his brave challenge, and
desist from Haunting it wherever he
speaks, or else answer questions asked
him fairly, honestly. and to the best of
his ability. That is the only way he can
maintain the respect of the people who
attend political meetings, for after all
there are some honest republicans in
Montana.
Mr.. Weed is a republican Office holder.