The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-10-23
IN THE MKINLEY MIRE.

I
In it's struggle to make itself ap-
pear consistent, the Tribune stumbles
! into such deep holes that it is some
times difficult to see just where it is.
For instance, to justify itself in asking
the people to vote the Republican
ticket, it feels obliged to hold out the
idea that, after all, Mckinley and the
gold standard men who Will control his
/ administration are really friends of
silver, and can be depended upon to
champion financial reform, if we send
Republicans from the west to reason
with them.
That is a position assumed by some
alleged silver men who have desired
an excuse for supporting the Mark
Hanna candidate, but it is absolutely
opposed to the attitude of those Re-
pubIicans who hold that it is necessary
to elect Bryan. These insist, and most
correctly, that there viii be no hope
for silver in the event of Mckinley
election. How can a man who holds
that view vote for Republican con-
gresham and a Republican senator
on the theory that these could induce
McKinleysto favor silver?
Taileyrand sometimes played Napo-
leon false in order to curry favor with
his enemies if the latter should 'tri-
umph over him; but he never bene-
flied himself thereby, or advanced the
interests of France Nor would the
men who have enlisted in the silver
army benefit themselves or their cause
by setting sail to catch any Mckinley
breeze.
The situation is simply this The
Republicans who are in the fight for
silver know that there is no hope for
it from the Republican party. They
have, therefore, determined to sup
por. Mr.. Bryan, and the only question
with some of them is as to how far
they should go il building up a party
at his back The logic of the case is
so directly in favor of their giving
their support to the Democratic can
didates for congressman and senator.
and so many of them are announcing
their purpose to do so, that those who
are attempting to here hold together a
branch of the anti-silver party find it
necessary to offer the hope that Nc
Kinley will give US a silver admins
tration.
1t seems to The Herald that it would
be a great deal more consistent to
support Mckinley. The necessity. un-
der which the Tribune finds itself, of
making implied promises for Mckinley,
in order TO save votes for the Repub-
lican congressional and legislative
tickets, lays bare the Inconsistency of
it's position and emphasizes the in
vulnerability of the proposition that
none but Mckinley men can consist
emily support Republicans for congress
or the legislature-that earnest sup
porters of Bryan must inevitably make
their assistance effective by voting to
give him Democratic support in the
house and senate.
The Tribune further displays the
weakness of its cause when it seeks to
introduce such questions as that OF
state legislation on irrigation as a foil
in the contest. Partisans are inclined
to assert that their party can always
do things better than the opposition,
but OF course every candid man will
admit that it is absurd to assume
that a Republican legislature would
deal with an irrigation problem more
wisely than it would be handled by
Democrats.
But if the Trihunes idea were COR
rect, still the people of Utah would
not, on that account, jeopariize the
interests Of free coinage in the small