Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-29

which MT. Bryan IalISQ 10 carry the re-
suit in four indicated that he had a fight
ing chance. These states. with their re-
publican pluralit.es and electoral votes,
are:
Rep. Electoral
State. plurality vote
CallfornIa ...... go. 80. 2.1S7 3
INDIANA ........ ..........le.uoI 10
West Virginia ............lO,eoS b
oregon .......... ........ Z,llt 4
Totals $3.50 "a
If these "a electoral votes and Ken
tucy's u electoral votes were added to the
democratic column IN 1900 the total would
Yet be three short Of a majority.
Other states which are ordinarily or oc-
casionally democratic, but which went
against Bryan in 1896. are Maryland, New
Jersey, Connecticut and New York. 1t is
not yet apparent that the proposition Of
free silver coinage at the ratio of 1s to l
has a large number Of new converts in
any Of these states. 1t seems, therefore,
that If any one Of them IS to be carried by
the democratic party IN 1900 it will have
to be done on some other pledge tina that
OF restoring to silver the monetary status
which it had prior to 1873.
1t will be observed that in the foregoing
the Record reaches the conclusion that
Mr.. Bryan cannot be elected on the free
coinage ratio Of 16 to /, and it proceeds to
demonstrate that idea with the promise
that Maryland, New Jersey, Connec-
ticut and New York. absolutely
essentia to democratic success, cam
not be carried on the silver issue.
It accredits Mr.. Bryan with all
the electoral votes which it can rake and
scrape together in the field Of possibili-
ties, and then finds him shy the requisite
number to insure his election. The re-
mote chance Of victory, in the opinion Of
that paper, rests in the states that will
not under the circumstances endorse the
free coinage movement.
-
1t must be confessed that the outlook
is anything but reassuring to Mr.. Bryan's
friends, and the ardor exhibited by many
of them in favor of making some question
other than silver the paramount issue
next year, is easily accounted for on the
figures submitted by the Record. They
feel the necessity of winning back to the
fold the democracy that repudiated Mr..
Bryan in 1896, and know that it can be
done only by RELOCATING free coinage to
the shades of the past. In the face of the
showing made by the Record-a showing
by no means new to the astute and far
sighted leaders of the democracy-the
clamor of prominent silver leaders for a
new paramount issue like anti-imperial-
ism, or something else, is readily under
stood.
An alternative confronts the silve,
wing Of the democracy, and it must eithe,
surrender the 16 to / proposition, and
thereby pave the way for a reunion OF
the discordant elements in that party, o,
it must go down to inevitable defeat
Unless some extraordinary and wholly
improbable condition arises to materially
affairs, the silver democrats cannot es.
cap meeting this problem face to face
Had not the situation presented itself ir
this light it is only fair to Mr.. Bryan, and
tne prominent gentlemen VINO support hi
candidacy, to say that they might haye
advocated the policy of making the lead
ing issue of 1896 the paramount issue IN
the forthcoming presidential campaign
instead of trying to agitate new questions
into sufficient prominence to overshadow
free coinage. They changed their tactics
with a view to pacifying the states tha,