The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-09-29
HARTMAN PROVES
HIS LOYALTY TO
THE SILVER CAUSE
de Has Resigned His Nomination for Congress by Popu-
lists and Silver Republicans and Will Stump the State
for A. ]. Campbell, the Democratic Nominee.
Special Dispatch to the Standard.

| Special Dispatch to the Standard.
Bozeman, Sept. 2s.-Congressmar
Charles A Hartman, the nominee Of the
silver republicans and populists for rep.
resentative to the next congress, has, in
an open letter to Chairmen Mantle and
Shifelbin, resigned the nomination in ia.
vor of A. ]. Campbell, the democratic
candidate for congress. Mr.. Hartman
urges his friends in the interests of the
great cause of silver to vote for Mr..
Campbell and offers to stump the state
in his interests If agreeable to Mr..
Campbell and the democratic state COM
mittee. His letter follows:
Bozeman, Mont, Sept. 81, 1898.
Hon. Lee Mantle, Chairman of the State
Committee of the Silver Republican
Party of Montana; and
Hon. w. A. Shifelbin, Chairman of the
State Committee of the Populist Par
ty of Montana, Butte, Mont:
Gentlemen-The failure of the three
conventions which met at Anaconda on
the 21st inst. to effect a union of the
silver forces of the state is not an argu-
ment against the necessity for such
united action in the coming campaign.
1t is unimportant for the purposes of
this letter at whose door rests the re-
sponsibility for such failure. While
each of us has his own convictions as
to the source of that responsibility, no
good purpose can be served at this time
in charges or counter-charges. 1t is
enough for my purpose to know that,
under the existing status, our forces
that ought to be united, are divided.
1t matters not how firmly we may hope
or believe that one of the silver tickets
will win. The fact remains that with
the present situation we present the
spectacle of inharmony and discord
among the three divisions of the great
army of silver men of this state. Such
spectacle, while possibly imperiling
the success of a. least one of the con-
gressional nominees and certainly en-
dangering the legislative ticket, will
have a serious and injurious effect in
other states where it is certain that
no victory can be achieved without the
united action of the three parties. The
contest in Montana, while of itself i'm
portant in so far as the congressional
nominee and legislative nominees are
concerned, is relatively unimportant
when compared with the large number
VI NpHSitSSlOiidi NOMINATIONS anu SELL
atorial SUGGESTIONS in other states to
be decided at the coming election.
A Serious Risk.
The situation as relates to the control
of the United States senate by the
friends of silver is critical. If by di-
vision of forces here we imperil the
election of silver legislatures, either in
this state or in others, by the discour-
aging example which our divided con-
dition will present to them, the people
of Montana may find themselves charg-
ed, and properly charged, with the re-
sponsibility of transferring the control
of that body to advocates and defend
ers of the gold standard and it's asso-
ciated instruments of oppression to the
wealth producers and toilers of the
United States. Our people cannot af-
ford to take such serious risks, and to
assume such fearful responsibilities
The plan of the unification of the
forces of the parties by the leaders and
endorsed by William ]. Bryan, the gall
liant young commoner who led us in
1896, and we hope will lead in 19O0 is a
national one, and ought not TO have
been departed from by the Anaconda
The great issues which
divided the advocates of an appreciat-
ing dollar and of the defenders Of
trusts upon the one hand, and their op-
ponents on the other in 1896, still re-
main the paramount issues of 1898 and
1900
Unfortunately Divided.
Pledged as l am, and as / have been
Tor many months to the national lead
ers of the common cause, to honest and
faithful effort to secure the union of
)ur forces, l have been engaged for
some weeks past in endeavoring to i'm
OTPSS the pf ba
wisdom, the necessity, the duty of TAX
ng their rule of political action from
hose national leaders. instead of fol-
owing the leadership of those who have
sustained the chairman of the gold re-
publican national committee in his
lerculean efforts to divide our forces.
N all those weeks ! have constantly
Ind persistently advocated such union
is would justly and adequately recog-
,ize the claims of the respective polit-
cal parties upon the ticket to be NOM
mated. 1t was with many regrets that
he bona f1de loyal supporters of the
'olicy of Mr.. Bryan. Chairman Butler,
chairman Towne and Chairman Jones
the failure of our efforts to
ecure an agreement among the par
les. These regrets are not confined 10
mem bers of the silver republican party,
4 which / am a member. They are
qually shared by members of all three
( the political organizations which
ught to be united. but who are now
divided.
A single Proposition.
II is a matter OF common knowledge
o those who were present at Anacon-
a that the conference committees were
OF in session more than five minutes,
nd that but one single proposition was
lade. Disclaiming all intention of re-
Getting in the slightest degree upon
ne members of those committees, am
onstrained to believe that had other
ntertained and considered, an agree
norts been made and other proposals
lent could have been reached which
'ould have resulted in union rather
han IN division. ! had hoped that the