Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-19

they supported for ONCE men who were
democratic to the core. There was no
Palmer and Buckner. as democrats,
though they refused to accept the test
of party fealty imposed by the Chicago
convention.
The fact that the members of the gold
wing of that party are considered strict
~ orthodox in their political affiliations
organizations without remodeling, and
the merging of them into the present
Bryan movement without change of per-
sonnet. Many of the most active Bryan
leaders in the east are men who p
ed Palmer and Buckner, and who have
not only confessed to no change of sem
timent respecting their views on publlc
questions, but who are constantly re-
iterating their opposition to the free
coinage of silver and gold at a ratio of
is to 1. Croker, the Tammany sachem,
is one of the most prominent of this
class.
1t is folly, therefore. for democratic
newspapers hat formerly supported the
silver cause, to construe the action of
the gold democrats in returning to the
Bryan fold, as a loss to Mckinley of his
followers and friends! They refer to it
as his chickens coming home to roost. as
a punishment for his imperialistic views!
AS a matter of fact, it is case Of chickens
going home to roost, where they belong,
and a very poor flock Of chickens at that.
The gold democrats did not become re-
titude against expansion, and Mckinley's
attitude in favor of that policy. Oppo-
sition to the late silver leader was pro-
nounced. long after he entered the lee
ture field as the Messiah of anti-imper-
ialism. 1t was not until after the assur-
ance was given the leaders of the gold
wing OF the democracy that the free coin-
age issue would be placed in the back
| ground. and used only for buncoing the
into line for Bryan. With such a con-
! cession from the silver wing Of the party
they promptly met their former politica,
associates half way and conceded the
leadership of the standard-bearer OF
| 1896.
In acknowledging the return of the golC
men to the SILVER democracy. the bour'
! bon press of the western states dare no
assume that the Palmer-Buckner mer
have been converted to the doctrine O.
free coinage. They dare not assert tina
the movement in behalf of silver i
strengthened by the acquisition of sill
ver's most pronounced and bitter enc
m~ies-enemies of such a virulent typ
tina even international bimetallism, a
advocated by the republicans, met thei
unqualified dis%approval, n nothing blu
the ~unmodified single gold standar
would command their respect and conf
dence.
The contention that the president
policy respecting expansion induced thes
men to fly to the arms of Colonel Bryan
is in itself a confession that the free coir
age issue has been placed in the back
ground and that the new slogan is to taxi
its place as the paramount issue in 1870
, AS the silver democrats gather their bt
: draggled political brethren into the fol
they ought to blush with shame at tt
confession which such an action nipple
1t means that they have consented to II
humiliation of the silver cause-to a vi
lation of their pledges in 1896 to ma
free coinage the paramount issue un'
settled and settled right-that the cas-
ern wing of the party, with its temptii
array of barrels and %bungholes may be i
du.ed to do for Bryan in 1900 what it d
against him in 1896.
BRYAN AND THE FLEA.
1 =