The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-15
The FUSION OF FACTIONS.

The result OF the Oregon election con-
tinues to call forth considerable COM
nient and various explanations of how
it happened. Goldbugs profess to find
world eff announcement in the re-
turns, and the way administration or
CANS twit the silver men about it,
shows their immense satisfaction. They
claim that the silver cause is waning.
and that the star of Hanna is in its
ascendancy.
1t IS but natural that Republicans
should rejoice over their Oregon vic
tory, and, if they mistake its cause, the
penalty of the error will injure no one
else. But even goldbugs make mis-
takes. In the opinion of those who
have kept track of the Oregon cam
paign. who have watched the influences
ct work on the one side, and the inhar-
monious fusion attempted on the other,
the result is a disappointment, perhaps,
but no surprise.
1t is rot easy for a great body of
men to stand together upon a poorly
constructed platform of misfit placks,
one faction calling for this concession,
another faction calling for that, trying
to mix incompatible doctrines, quarrel
ing over the precedence of cherished
propositions, contending for the recog-
milton of their respective champions,
and resenting every real or imaginary
Slight.
There is only one way to accomplish
anything for the cause of silver, and
that is for everyone who believes in its
free and unlimited coinage to get to-
gether under one banner, to lose sight
of former affiliations, to Danish every
lingering bit of prejudice. and work
to build up something besides an Ore
gon political Basel.
The San Francisco Call recognizes
the secret of silver's failure in Oregon.
II says:
The history of political fusion in the
United States is that whenever parties
suppress or abandon their principles to
enter into such alliances, the resulting
fusion is finally weaker than the origi
nal, straight party would have been
standing alone.
If there is no party organization in
existence which stands for the free
coinage idea, as it is generally under
stood, then it is time for party of
that description to be created. But to
try to get together and hold together
one organization which believes in
protective tariff, another which be-
lieves that protection is a robbery, and
another that believes in the initiative
and referendum, one that opposes and
another that favors the single tax, and
where is the strength of such a union?
The Chicago, platform was broad
enough two years ago for every friend
OF silver. 1t is just as broad now as it
was then. The Democratic party made
all the concessions demanded of it by
the advocates of free coinage. If such
concessions merit support, the Demo-
cratic party is entitled to it.. If not. |
what is any organization, or combina-
ton Of organizations, TO expect from !
granting such concessions?
Silver men should get together, not |
as members of different factions Or par |
ties. but as co-laborers; not as free /
traders, protectionists and Populists, |
but as friends of silver; they should |
get together on the Chicago platform |
and under the Democratic banner. The |
true friends of silver can make no valid |
objection to this.