The Ravalli Republican. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1894-1899, 1897-10-27

Van Wick or Henry George. And
Mr.. Bryan declares he is not discuss
ing New York politics. Instead of
an effort to hold up the democratic
party in New York to principle we
have silence.
But enough of New York. We
have made mention Of the fact that
Mr.. Bryan declares he is not discuss
ing New York politics, why, we know
not, save it be on grounds Of political
expendiency. But the shaping Of
New York politics is not the only
thing he is not discussing. Mr.. Bry-
an is, or has been, in Kentucky, cam
paigning, and to his annoyance some
one bluntly asked if he favored gov
ernment ownership of railroads and
tclegraphs. This is one of the ques-
tions Mr.. Bryan is not discussing, so
he parricd it. Such opinion as he
has on this question he keeps to him
self, apparently he deems it would be
politically ineXpedient, hurtful of
his chances for Office to publicly
avow it. He errs in this for, if we
mistake not greatly, our people want
a leader who will lead.
1t is not only in Kentucky that
democracy is threatened with back
sliding to it's position held before the
Chicago convention, namely party
subservicnt to the moncyed interests
In Maryland the party has officially
turned its back On the silver question
and, far from suffering from such
backsliding, it is most probable that
the party that has thus stopped to
gain victory by the abandonment Of
principle will, favored by the dis
cord in the republican party, win an
undeserved victory. In Ohio, also,
we have disposition to put the sill
yer question to one side, and out in
Iowa VIC have Ex-Governor Boies
stumpng the state for the democrats
and urging d compromise on the
money question. There was an ef-
fort to bring about an effective fus-
ion Of democrats, silver republicans
and populists in Iowa. This was made
difficult by an act passed by the last
legislature and designed to retard
fusion by providing that the name Of
no candidate for office should appear
on the official ballot in more than
one place. This Of course made fus-
ion impossible in the old way of hav-
the same candidates appear on the
ballot under. the heading Of each
party. 1t made it necessary to ac-
complish fusion under one party
name, and fusion so accomplished Of
course destroyed the identity Of the
parties whose names were not taken.
| And as the democrats insisted on the
fusion being made under the name Of
the democratic party and had their
way, many pOpulsts who were not
ready to see the organization Of their
party destroyed and were not content
to have the fight made on the silver
question alone, rcvoltcd, boltcd the
fusion conventions. The result is
that the populist name has been pre-
served and that Il populist ticket is
in the field What figure the popu-
list party will cut in the struggle
and how far the diSscnSOn in the
democratic party, given incentive by
will affect the election, remains to
be seen.
Thus we find indications in nearly
fall the states to hold elections this
fall Of a democratic backslidng on
the silver issue. The democrats Of
PENNSYLVANIA and Massachusetts
seemed to set an example Of stead
fastness to principle in the midst of
discouraging surroundings. The con-
innc in hot II CtDtac Cnr|1rRH n.
cquivocallv for free silver coinage.
But now it seems that the Pennsyl-
vania democrats have caught the
contagion Of backsliding on the sill
yer issue. Last Saturday the demo-
Gratis Of pittsburg had Il political
rally. The rally was small, the
speakers were blue; one Of them, the
county chairman, finally declared
that: SIT looks as if free silver had
been given a black eye by the demo-
Gratis Of this country, judging by the
speeches and temper Of this audi
cncc." And then the meeting took
on a decided anti-slvcr character, it
being asserted that the question Of
free silver coinage was not an issue
in the state campaign, that it should
be dropped and the fight made on
state lines. Indeed. the speeches
sounded much like the editorials we
are wont to read in the Philadelphia
: Record, which, gold paper though it
is, finds reason TO support the demo
cratic ticket on local grounds.