The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-12
No Merit i'm 1t.

Senator Carter is trying with
zeal worthy of a better cause TO
persuade shallow minded people that
the administration plan is to do some
thing for silver and that this state
ought to second the effort by support
ing the administration.
Not many citizens of Montana will he
fooled by this ridiculous play--probably
not enough of them to influence election
returns at a single polling precinct in
The state. The government is not likely
to provide for any so-called larger
use of silver, and, if it did. that result
wouldn't advance the silver problem
one inch toward its right solution.
The plan has been tried. The Sher-
man bill provided for purchases of sill
Yer by the government amounting to
total of millions a month. This meas
ure was not pressed by silver's friends
1t was strictly goldbug measure. 1t
was a long time in operation; it was
larger use" for silver; it was not
worth one shilling toward sustaining
silver's price.
The men who opposed the monthly
purchases insisted that il would be as
legitimate were the government to buy
and store away month after month. so
many million bushels Of wheat; and
those who said this were entirely in the
right. Silver fell in price right along
under the operation of the Sherman
monthly purchase-its price to-day is
better than it was during part of the
time under the purchasing act When
President Cleveland summoned con-
gress in extraordinary session to re-
peal the monthly purchase clause, no
friend of silver opposed the president
on the ground that the purchase itself
was good policy or that the clause ever
was a measure which silvers friends
favored.
The 'larger-use" talk is the merest
fustian. The cheapest part of il all is
the ''ten-doliar" racket-that is 10 say.
the scheme to limit paper money TO de-
nominations above ten dollars That
plan will not do for silver-unless II be
for few fieeting weeks-even as much
as it was supposed the Sherman
monthly-purehase scheme would do;
the proof by experience is that the
monthly purchase was worthless de-
vice.
And il is clear. also. that si1yers
friends have no interest whatever in
the future of Mr. Wolcott's scheme
Men like Mr.. Carter. who care more to
be regular" with their party than they
do for silver. would have it appear that
there's a future for the Wolcott mis-
sion. That is preposterous, but even IL
there We're. what would il amount 10?
The public was deceived respecting
Wolcott's intentions. Il was given out
that he was TO bring about. if he could,
restored free coinage for silver. lie
never sought that of England. the one
government which. on the confession of
all enemies of the Chicago platform,
stands in the way of slver's restora-
tion. Mr.. Wolcott simply asked Eng
land to do a little something in the
direction of silver's larger use; and the
cabinet at London refused TO entertain
this modest request. More than that,
at the meeting of Mr.. Wolcott with the
English authorities, the French repre-
sentative distinctly announced that even
France wouldn't undertake silvers free
coinage on the basis Of the request Mr..
Wolcott addressed to England
This larger use" talk is a humbug.
Mr.. Carter is consistent enough in
pressing it because he never was for
free coinage. Years before he ever saw
senate service when. at Helena. the
Montana free-coinage association was
organized. he said from the platform:
You cannot get free coinage. and since
you cannot get what you want take
what you can get" Instantly there
was a loud protest against this talk:
and the sentiment then expressed rules
in Montana to-day. If the men who
then organized for silver had followed
Mr.. Carter's lead, Montana would be
entirely out of the free-coinage column
to-day.
Mr.. Carriers ten-dollar absurdity Is a
plan a petition for which, to congress,
would In the Standards opinion be
refused by ninety per cent OF the
voters of Montana We're their sigma
lures solicited for il. That would hap
pen because the enlightened voters Of
Montana know perfectly well that such