The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-24
ABOUT THE SILVER CONFERENCE.

The Anaconda, Montana, Standard
repeats the charge that certain gentle
men from that state were ''insulted on
the floor of the silver conference and
'snubbed." That was because they
were not seated as delegates. Yet they
were not delegates. Three from each
state were appointed by the respective
governors, and that was all. But we
are told the press urged others to at
tend. That is true. But how could any
of the papers. however bright and in
fuential, appoint persons as delegates
who were only visitors?
1t was all right for the press to urge
attendance, it was all right for the
gentlemen to come. They were well
received, they had a good time. and
they had no real cause of complaint.
They do not seem to be serious in max
ing any. but the papers are making 1t
for them and. as we think, without
sufficient cause Each state received
the representation in the conference to
which it was entitled and that was all
that could be reasonably expected
Montana papers went off half-cocked
over the address of the conference,
only three paragraphs OF which was
sent to them by telegraph, it seems.
But when the full text appeared they
should have been as fair about it as
the Butte Inter-Mountain. which says:
The best answer TO the stuff in the
Miner about the failure" of the Salt
Lake conference to do any practical
work for silver is the address adopted
by that body. The Associated Press
sent out only about half of it. The
rest of it will be found on this page
and is wonderfully cogent and plain
argument on behalf of Ilver's restora-
ton.
Mr.. F. E. Sergeant, one of the Mon
tana delegates. has q defence Of the
action of the conference in the Inter-
Mountain from which we make the fol-
lowing extracts:
What possible motive could there be
for me to ''snub" my neighbors and
friends, with whom 1 have associated
for years; whose friendship am proud
to claim, and who are eminently
worthy and deserving of all respect
and consideration? No such motive
done.
If there was any mistake it was made
by the people. the press; those who |
may have unadvisedly urged the gen
tlemen to go, and the gentlemen them
selves, who with characteristic gener-
osity and public spirit gave counte-
nance to the movement and honored |
the meeting with their presence, sup |
posing that they would be admitted |
to the deliberations of the conference, |
to which they were not appointed. The |
conference itself made no mistake in !
limiting its membership and its work |
to the numbers and the purpose for
which it was called.
1t was a strictly business conference, |
with a specific business purpose; its |
delegates representing every shade of |
political opinion were very enthusiast !
tic; its deliberations were entirely har-
monious, and the results Of its work
absolutely non-partisan.
The address issued to the people has |
been very severely critised, and I'M
justly so. for it is right in line with |
the educational plan of campaign |
which was the sole object of this con-
ference. In the preparation Of this ad- /
dress some of the brightest, ablest, |
most sincere and earnest silver men |
of the country participated; it IS a
Straightforward, convincing, perfectly
honest and business-like statement of |
the whole silver argument, and will
play a not unimportant part in the
campaign Of education which is about
to be inaugurated.