The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-02-10
Is FUSION DEsIRk3LEp

Hon a. J. Weber a leading member
! of the Washable club, of ogden, has
come out in a long interview on the
political situation. and what the Demo-
Gratis of Utah should do. 1t is best that
his position be defined IN his own Ian
Euage, that there may be no mistaking
it, and that it may not be by any pos
s;bility misstated. He defines mis- po-
sition thus:
While the Democrats can win in Utah
without the aid of either the PoDuli-ts
or free silver Republicans, il is still Of
the utmost Importance TO have a COM
rlete and harmonious union OF all sill
yer forces in this state. We are now
preparing for the battle of 1900, and II
would be suicidal to have one policy in
Utah, another in Idaho. one in Illinois
and another in Iowa. Silver men should
be united in every state and every
county in the Union. While Democrats
believe that every silver advocate
should be a Democrat. we cannot ignore
the fact that hundreds of COCO hinlet-
allisJs are not Democrats and never viii
be. The votes Of all reformers are need
ed to achieve a silver victory in 1928
and 1900. = union in Utah would help
the silver cause in other states. Divis-
-e-l in Utah viii have the effect of ex
tending aid to the common enemy. It
seems to me that instead of discussing
candidates ~ this time, it would be
more profitable to devise and discuss
plans that would consolidate III Utah
the now scattered bimeIallic forces.
Mr.. Weber gives this out as his own
opinion, presumably, but still it may be
taken as intended for a feeler to ascer-
tain what the position of the Democ-
racy on the subject is. and as q. guide
for it. Mr.. Weber has simply adopted
the fusion idea of Chairman Towne and
the Populist leaders, and asks the Dem
ocrats of Utah to also adopt it. He
would subordinate the Democratic
party to a fusion party, but the Demo
cratic party in Utah viii refuse TO be
subordinated. Why should it? It stands
or ti-a Chicago platform, whose strong
est feature is the declaration in favor
Of the free and unlimited coinage of
silver at the ratio of is to /. No silver
man, no matter what his political af-
fliations in the past, can possibly make
a stronger declaration in favor of free
silver.
We cannot agree with Mr.. Weber
when he says that division of the silver
forces in Utah, as he defines division,
viii have the effect of extending aid
to the common enemy. There is no ne
cessity for any such division; let all
true friends of silver stand on the Chi
cage platform, the only place where
they belong; and this they viii do, if
they have the best interests of silver
at heart. for it is the best, most feas-
ible and only logical way to unite the
silver forces: If this is done, division
will be impossible. It is very strange
that Mr.. Weber should have made his
plea for an independent fusion party,
rather than for the Democratic party
He says that the Democrats can win.
If they can win, does not the silver
cause win with them? What more
than this can be asked?
Everyone knows that in Utah silver
would have no chance whatever were
it not that the Democratic party cham
picns it. Is it politically wise, then, to
ask Democrats. who are in an over
whelming majority in the state, to sur
render their political identity? 1t GER
tainly is not.
Mr.. Weber makes q plea for fusion
party because Of the effect it viii have
in other states. The best way is for
each state to deal with the silver ques-
ton in the light of the conditions pre-
vailing in it, and moi to try and deal
with it according to the conditions pre-
vailing in surrounding states. Condi-
tio@s in Utah are such as to make the
acceptance by the Democratic party of
the idea advanced by Mr.. Weber i'm
practicable ard undesirable