Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-01-02

public men of it's conspicuous treachery
to a great cause.
Hence, it takes issue with the state
ments of the Inter Mountains Washing
ton correspondent relative to the ex-
pressions of regret made by prominent
democrats over the course pursued by
the party in repudiating the plans of
Bryan and Jones. looking to the cooper
alton of the silver forces. In challeng-
ing their veracity the Standard regist-
cred itself in favor of making an investi-
cation into the statements made. To
such an investigation the Inter Noun
tain readily assented, whereupon the
Standard Immediately proceeded to ar
bitrarily dictate the terms and condi-
ions upon which such an investigation
should be conducted. AS the challenged
party the Inter Mountain assumed the
right to a voice in the matter, n in
Dictated what it believed to be the proper
course of procedure in the settlement of
a question Of a purely political type.
This morning the Standard again re-
turns to the question with the assump-
ton that the Inter Mountain has backed
down and dares not investigate the mat
ter. In making a d~emagogical by-play
of this character the Standard betrays
the same lofty type of Journalism that it
does When it offers to wager that it is
right on some proposition, and feels
the proud consciousness of victory when
nobody accepts it's bet! 1t is not the
Inter Mountain but the Standard itself
that betrays cowardice in the matters
covered by our Washington correspond
ent. In his own language that gentle
man stated that prominent democrats
had expressed their regrets that the
democracy of the state of Montana had
not followed out the plans of the ma
tional silver leaders and effected a COM
bination with the other silver parties,
the cause of such regrets resting on the
probable effect of this course on the in
terests of the free coinage issue in 1900.
In denying hat any such regrets nave
been expressed by prominent democrats,
tigation of the facts to one proposition,
shorn entirely of it's qualifications. That
is, it wants to have prominent demo-
Gratis make a direct affirmation or denial
of whether they did or did not say they
regretted the course pursued by the par
qualifications made as to why such re-
grets We're expressed. 1t wants to elm
mate from the proposition regrets ex-
pressed on account of the effect upon the
influence OF Bryan and Jones, through
the rejection of their plans for the pro-
wants to lay aside regrets expressed be-
cause the action was one calculated to
antagonize the silver men of other par
ties and prevent future cooperation. In
short, it wants to put the matter in a
technical form something like this: 9TH
democrats of Montana elected a con-
gresham, secured an overwhelming ma
jority in the legislature, and will elect
a United States senator. Now, sir. as a
prominent democrat. do you or do you
not regret their a~ction?"
-
If the investigation was confined to the
narrow limits prescribed by the STANDARD
it is not hard to forsee how prominent
democrats would Ego or record" ever
though they had repeatedly expressed
their regrets that any portion of theil
party saw fit to administer a kick to tn,
silver men of other parties, who had don,
so much to assist them in the campaign
Of 1896 and whose assistance would be in.
d%ispensable in 1900 were silver thu
dominant issue and the democratic party
its champion.
To any fair minded man the contention
of the Inter Mountain, as expressed il