The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-05
Reckoning Without Their Host.

HE BOSTON HERALD and
other newspapers of the same
financial school frequently in
dulge in conjecture as to what the
democratic party might accomplish if
it would only lay Bryan and Bryan
ism aside. They seem to think that
the possibilities are very great, and
that the democracy would stand an ex-
cellent chance of winning in 1900.
: They are not. however. very clear
in their suggestions as to what the
attitude of the party should be, or
who should be nominated in order to
secure this result. OF course they
want the silver issue abandoned, but
beyond that all is chaos. The great
idea is that if the "silver bugaboo"
can be shelved, victory is about GER
tain, but if the free silver principle
is again urged, 1t will mean sure de-
feat
In this it seems to us that they have
not taken a very careful account of
stock. 1t is scarcely to be doubted
that from seventy-five to eighty, and
perhaps ninety per cent. of the DEM
ocratic party is in favor of the COM
plete restoration Of silver. While in
, 1896 a great many democrats voted for
Mckinley, very few of them did so
| from conviction that the silver cause
| was wrong. In the great majority Of
/ cases they were factory hands. or so
! circumstanced as to be easily coercod
in one way or another.
The revolt in the democratic party
was confined to the moneyed classes.
and the bulk Of them gave their sup
port directly to Palmer and Buckner.
because they stood for gold without
even d pretense Of favoring bimetal-
ism.
But whatever the exact proportions
! may have been, there is no gainsaying
the fact that an enormous majority of
the democrats Of the country favored
Bryan, and only a small minority OPP
posed him. 1t is also perfectly clear
that the silver democrat feels just as
strongly upon the subject as the gold
democrat does Still the gold element
not strong enough standing by itself
to carry a congressional district, if il
could carry even a township, coolly
proposes to the FIVE millions at least
| of silver democrats that they strike
their colors, and allow a few thousand
name the candidates.
In this country majcrities are not
in the habit of lying down and surren
dering to minorities. and especially
not when the minority constitutes but
an insignificant fraction. It is SAFE
to say that they will not do so in this
case. Should the regular democratic
organization abandon its position upor
the silver issue, the break would BIZ
vastly greater than it was in 1895, be
cause it would be a detection of The
rank and file as we'll as Of many of The
leaders Besides this it goes withou
saying that the party would at onci
lose it's silver republican and populs
allies, which would mean the certain
loss OF several states. For every golt
democrat won back by the course sug
gested it is practically certain tina
Eve silver votes would be lost
But this is altogether speculative
is not a practical question. With sucl
men as General John M. Palmer ant
Richard Croker declaring for Bryan
despite his free silver views. it is no
very likely that he will be set aside
or the Chicago platform repudiatet
in order to win over a contingent O
gold democrats smaller by far ever
than it was in 1896