Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-06
BUT ONE PARAMOUNT ISSUE.

BUT ONE PARAMOUNT ISSUE.
There can be but one paramount issue
projected into a campaign by a political.
party. 1t is upon some leading question,
believed to be of paramount importance
to the people. that the work of prosalyt-
ing for converts must be based. The
minor platform utterances Of a national
convention are merely incidental to the
accepted views Of the party. or calcu-
lated to serve its interests IN special di-
~rections during the progress of a polit!-
cal campaign. Upon the leading issue
the party must rest its cause with the
people, and accept their verdict at the
thu position taken by it.
In the Garfield-Hancock campaign of
1880. the tariff was the leading issue. the
republicans advocating a tariff for pro-
lection, while the democrats declared for
"a tariff for revenue only" The fight
over this issue was afterwards resumed
in the Cleveland campaigns against
Blaine and Harrison. with varying sue
cesses and with so marked an effect on
the industrial life of the country as to
finally settle the question in favor of a
tariff for protection. though the demo-
Gratis had their final innings at the close
Of that ~long-drawn industrial contro-
versy, and ruined their cause by a prac-
tically applied illustration of free trade
principles.
In 1896 it became necessary for the
democracy 10 make an effort to recover
lost ground by going before the people
with some new issue. The declarations
OF the populists in favor of the free COIN
age of silver and gold, and the fight
made for silver in the senate Of the
United States by republicans who We're
loyal to bimetallism. gave democracy its
cue. A large and influential wing Of that
political organization took advantage Of
the depressed conditions which Cleve-
and came out in enthusiastic champion
ship of the free coinage of gold and silver
at a ratio Of Is to /.
Though losing a large number of demo.
cratic votes through this course, the
eastern wing of that party publicly re.
pudiating It's platform and its nominees
the democracy secured the votes of NJ
less than 1000, 600 men belonging 10 othe,
political organizations. These votes wert
cast for the democratic nominees becaus,
free coinage was the paramount issue
and despite the many minor declaration:
of al Objectionable character in the ma.
tional platform. Probably there is NJ
instance in the political history of thi:
country where the influence of a doni
nant issue in o~bscuring the minor fault!
of a platform of principles has been 81
conspicuously shown as in the contest o.
1896.
The illustrations given merely serve /,
emphasize the fact that the leadins
question in issue between the contendins
parties is the determining factor at tn
polls. regardless of whether the election
settles it for all time to come or cave
it open for future debate.
The campaign Of 1900 will be no excep
ton to the rule. The democracy canno
evadc the responsibility of selecting somt
question as its paramount issue. 1t can
not have one paramount issue for Mon
tana and another for New York. 1t can
not reafiirm the Chicago platform in it
entirety, thereby giving equal promi
nence TO It's several planks, and then g,
before the people of Montana with thu
assertion that silver is the paramount
issue that will shape the course of TIA,
party, if successful at the polls, and be
fore the people of the south with FREE
trade as the paramount issue, n befor,
the farmers of the middle states will
anti-trust as the paramount issue, ant
before the Yankees of New England with
anti-expansion as the paramount issue
To do so will be to paramount itself into
political paralysis before the campaign
y half over. /, must follow the unwrit.