Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-13
OPPOSED TO BRYAM

4HcIS IS AO uISS uISIHS tuc ldCl lull III
popular standard bearer of 1896 is losing
ground among the democrats in Mon
tana. While a reasonable respect fol
the ordinary rules of consistency LEAF
them to avoid what might be termed
actual opposition to Mr.. Bryan, it il
nevertheless clearly apparent that they
will welcome the leadership Of some
other man prominent in the councils Of
the party.
1t has not failed to attract the atten-
ton Of observing men that while Mr.
Bryan's friends are booming him for
the presidential nomination in other parts
of the country, the democratic press Of
Montana nave in no instance that the
Inter Mountain can recall openly a1vo-
Gated his claims. On the contrary, S"n-
ator Clark's newspaper. the Butte Miner,
has met the predictions made by other
journals as to Mr.. Bryan's nomination
with the statement that it is as Yet eco
early to determine who the nominee will
be-. that the standard bearer Of 1896 has
not declared himself a candidate, that 10
man can at this time lay claim to a nomi-
nation, etc., etc. This morning the Miner
refers to the manifest absurdity Of try
ing to settle the business Of the next con-
vention so far as candidates are con-
cerned thus far in advance" while not
questioning the propriety of settling at
this time the issues upon which the
nominee must stand. 1t adds:
A year is quite a while in which events
may so shape themselves as to upset the
most carefully prepared programme.
, While the Miner is quite right in fore
seeing the possibility of overturned 'pro-
grammes" as to candidates, and conse-
quently seeks to discourage the Bryan
boom, it believes that the issues of the
next campaign are already settled. AS
the democratic leaders nave changed
their paramount issue three times
within the past few months, it would
seem that for obvious reasons the Miner
applies one rule to the question of candi-
oNC Ia app iAAS Gil SAAN A.
ent rule to the question of platform.
On the face of things, the nomination
of Bryan is just as well assured as that
any particular question will form the
base Of the democratic campaign. Only
a few months since free coinage was to
have been the paramount issue, a little
later anti-imperialism came to the front
as the paramount issue for 1900. still a
little later a conference of leading demo-
Gratis in St. Louis decided that anti
trusts shall be the paramount issue.
the earth alone knows how many more
paramount Issues nay be adopted by the
democracy before that party convenes
in national convention. 1t depends
wholly upon circumstances. Bryan says
the paramount issue in 1900 will be the
question then uppermost before the peo-
pile. The Miner believes it will be the
"money question:" by which We infer it
means the question of raising money for
a big campaign fund, as that seems to
be the only phase of the money aues-
tom upon which the democracy acts
consistently and with great unanimity
of purpose.
It is clear, then, tina if the Miner is
willing to encourage the idea that the
platform of the next democratic conven-
ton is already agreed upon it can with
equal propriety insist upon the nomina-
ton of Bryan as a practically f%oregone
conclusion. One position would be quite
Both subjects are of more thar passing
interest at this time, and are open for
debate.
1t is depressing to the Bryan demo-
Gratis, however, for Senator Clark's
paper to throw cold water on the care
fully organized movement to renominate
that able gentleman in 1900. As the say
ing is, Bryan has the call" and if any
reaction sets in his nomination will be-
come an impossibility. 1t looks as if the
Miner is trying to get up this reaction,
though we do not wish to unjustly accuse
it. However, 1t is only what might have
been anticipated when the Miner in the
spring of 1898 sd the democratic forces