Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-08
MONTANA DEMOCRATS AND SILVER.

MUWJHNA U6MUIHAtC HWU oSlI60s
The democratic party of Montana can
never again go before the people as the
champion Of free coinage. Its day of
grace has expired. Not only did it for
mulate plans to destroy the silver organ
i~zations which co-operated with it in 1896. |
and reversed the only political policy |
under which the triumph of silver could
be hoped for. but it has steadfastly lent
its influence to every movement on the
part of its national leaders to retire the
issue to the background and smother the
demands of bimetallists of the ultra type.
Not only has it refused to call a halt
pom the scheme to subordinate the para
mount issue of 1896 to any other question
which no honest silver man would shrink,
but the Montana democracy has rem
dered all possible aid to those who are |
engaged in the work of side-tracking the
free coinage issue. Any man whose in !
tellectual acumen is not shriveled up to
a mathematical point can readily note
the enthusiasm with which the demo-
cratic press Of this state refuse to fly
to the rescue of silver, when the cause
of free coinage is imperiled through the
Vaccinations of their party leaders.
In 1896 it was solemnly declared that
the free coinage of silver and gold, at the
ratio of is to l, by the independent action
of this republic. was absolutely essential
to the welfare Of the people AND the prog
ress of the nation. Since that time the
leading democratic press Of this state has
repudiated the ratio of 16 to / and given
it's approval to the single standard doc
trine that the ratio should be regulated
by the worlds exchanges. And in get
ting over onto the ground occupied by
the gold men the most prominent and in
fuential democratic newspaper in this
state has provoked no criticism from it's
journalistic coadjutors.
When the leading spirit of another
branch of the Montana democracy utters
the belief that the standard bearer of the
silver democrats cannot be nominated
for the presidency in 1900, and voices the
opinion that silver cannot be made the
paramount issue again, not a word of
criticism can be found in the democratic
press Of this state. Newspapers that
would seize upon the slightest pretext to
orificico c,ro;a q Loo 1a ~ n noreo~o1 o,,1
offensive way-democrats who would
roast him to a finish, parboil his bones
or place him steaming hot upon the grill
greet his anti-silver expressions with
silent approval. They realize they are
all in the same boat, and will certainly
capsize if the question Of any mans
fidelity to silver is raised. Like the gay
Lothario who whispered to the jury, they
must hang together or all go to the bot
tom when it comes to going back on free
coinage while pretending to be it's friends.
They have imbibed the spirit of the ma
tional democratic leaders, who declare
in one breath their devotion to bimetal-
lism and in the next repudiate the ratio
and recommend the retirement Of the
issue until what st. Paul might call "a
more convenient opportunity"
If the democrats of Montana were
honest in their professions for silver they
would take up the fight in favor of keep
ing the question of free coinage, at a
ratio of 16 to ! by the independent action
of this nation, to the forefront as the
paramount issue of 1900, when the effort
to retire it is being made all along the
line. But this they do not do. None of
the democratic of the
accredited leaders of the party-have
taken up arms against those eminent
Jeffersonians who openly and unreserv-
edly advocate the retirement of the free
coinage ratio. If honest silver men. if
sincere in their professions, the demo
Gratis Of Montana owe it to themselves to
at least show wherein those prominent
party leaders are wrong when they re.
pudiate the free coinage ratio and ex-
press a desire to see the silver issue
placed in the background. Having failed
to do this but one conclusion is possible
and that is that they are in sympathy
with the movement against free coinage
and are giving it the support Of theil
silence when for local reasons they dare
not give it their open endorsement.