The San Francisco call., 1895-11-03


way Tor new party, destined later on to
cut very important figure in National
politics. The causes which led to the
death OF the Republican and Democratic
parties N Nevada arose from several condi-
uons, but the principal factor in the turn
Ing down OF Renublicanism and Democ-
racy IN the Sagebrush State was the fric-
ton which had been in evidence for many
years between the press of the State and
the central committees.
During the palmy days of Nevada money
mad always been very lavishly spent in
political campaigns. When the Comstock
was IN Its prime campaign was in reality
sort OF grand carnival of easy finances
with the public, and large sums were
handled by the Central Committee to melt
away in various dlrections-no one exactly
knew where. The papers generally sent
In their bills for advertising and job work
about thirty days after everybody else was
paid, and if they got 80 cents on the dollar,
or enough to pay for the extra composition
aud other expenses incurred during a hot
campaign, the publishers considered them
selves as running in reasonably good luck.
In some instances the publishers bills
were repudiated entirely by the committee
or laid over until the next campaign, at
which time all old scores were wiped out,
and that was the end of il.
In order TO receive better treatment from
the hands OF the politicians, press asso-
citation was formed, embracing all the
newspapers OF the State and the publishers
notified the central committee of their re-
spective parties that all advertising in the
future must be paid for in advance as the
press wished to place itself in q position
Is a6Vanrau hot cd
by the spen-binders, brass bands and
saloon-keepers.
This step on the part of the publishers
caused great deal of friction with the
local committees, and at one of their meet
lngs heId IN Virginia City the Newspaper
Association was alluded TO as a gang Of
"bloodsuckers, and the statement was
also made that cam paign could be very
much better conducted without the assist
ance OF the press.
These remarks having reached the CEN
traI committee OF the Press Association a
meeting was called and the committee
decided that in the next campaign the
Republican party, which was then the
dominant party of the State, could run its
politics without the assistance of the
newspapers.
The action of the committee was ratified
by meeting soon afterward held in the
Reno Journal Office, and a resolution was
passed by which each publisher in the as
sociation bound himself TO support no
man for any office who was not unequivocal-
ly committed to thefree coinage OF silver at
a ratio of Is TO l. The resolution was de-
bated two hours before adoption.
The newspapers then began their cam
paign of education in favor of starting q
new party in Nevada, to represent the one
idea of free coinage, not so much as a ques-
ton of local import but one which affected
the shoemaker of Massachusetts, and the
cotton planter of Alabama as much as it
did the silver miner of Nevada. The Ques-
ton has always been treated by the people
of Nevada as proposition not so much as
affecting local silver mining as it does the
question of a greater circulating medium
throughout the United States based upon
the bimetallic union of gold and silver as
money everywhere.
For years the people of Nevada had kept
the State in line as a part of the solid Re
publican phalanX, with protection and
digh tariff SIS the text of the party creed,
put a discussion of the subject soon made
II apparent to the average mind that
Nevada, which manufactured nothing,
could in no way be benefited by a tariff
which made everything it consumed about
double the price that such commodities
would command If a high tariff did not
prevail for the benefit of the Eastern pro-
ducer. One had only to consider the ques-
ton IN that light to see what one-sided,
jug-handled affair the whole thing was,
when everything which Nevada consumed
was protected, and silver, about the only
thing which she produced, was legislated
against at every opportunity.
The papers, however, advocating a new
party were notified by the political bosses
that their course must be changed or they
might get into serious trouble. No atten-
ton was paid to these threats and when
the time for calling the primaries ap-
preached in 1892, the Central Committee
met at Virginia City and sent out its usual
> . 49, -l,r = "A.
tisements, notifying the public OF the date
OF the primaries and State Convention.
The time for which the papers had so
long waited had now arrived, and the a6-
vertisements, instead Of being printed, as
had been the usual custom, were uncere-
moniously pitched into the waste baskets
and no further attention paid to them.
The result OF this action was what might
safely be called paralyZer upon the Re-
publican Central Committee, as well as on
the party il represented. The time gradu-
ally slipped by for the primaries to be
held, but in most of the counties of the
State there were no primaries, and very
little information in any corner was to be
had regarding the time Of the Republican
State Convention.
In few weeks good many people were
wondering what had become OF the Re-
publican party in Nevada and men able to
answer this question were hard to find.
Meanwhile the Dem ocratic newspapers
had taken the same course of action in re-
spect to their own party, with exactly the
same result. While this quiet work was
going on other influences were active in
assisting to completely reorganize the old
parties Of the State upon the ruins of
which a new one was to be built. A call
was issued to the silver men of the State
irrespective of their party affiliations,
TO assemble at Reno and promul-
gate a platform. This call was
extensively published in all the news
papers of Nevada, and the convention was
doomed increasingly in every quarter. As
result there was very large gathering of
leading politicians and the convention
was very lively and enthusiastic one.
AS different speakers, who had been
formerly prominent in the counsel of the
old parties, were called to the platform TO
announce their conversion to the new doc
trine of silver above party the opera
house resounded with the cheers of a vast
audience. 1t was at this convention that
the tragic death of George w. Cassidy
occurred. He had been for over twenty five
years political leader in the Democratic
party and the editor of the Eureka Sem