The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-23

ally expected to indulge in eN-
travaganzas. When several
hundred enthusiastic, shouting dele
gates, all of one party faith, get to-
gether, it is but fair to allow them con-
siderable latitude of expression in set
ting forth the manifold excellencies of
their party, and the transcendent quail
tiles of it's leaders. High-f1own rheto-
ric, tinkling cymbals and tin-pan
thunder are all in order and up to a
reasonable limit they are excusable.
There is however a line which no
political asemblage should ever permit
itself to cross. That is the line of
truth. No amount of party enthusi-
asm will justify, or even palliate, will
full and deliberate falsehood. In this
respect the recent republican conven-
ton in Nebraska was the worst Offend
er the proceedings of which 1t has
been our misfortune to read for many
a long year. .s
The general Endorsement of Mr.. Nc
Kinley's foreign policy. while over
drawn and impossible to be made good
by legitimate argument, may be passed
by as a mere outburst of effervescent
pop. But when it takes up and states
Its position on the monetary issue, it
completely oversteps the limit of par
tisan license and places itself COM
pletely outside the pale of historic
fact.
1t declares without qualification It's
adhesion to the gold standard, in these
words: I'VE adhere unequivocally to
the gold standard and are unalterably
opposed to the free coinage of silver.
Gold has been our standard since 1884,
and is now the standard of every civil
liked and important country in the
world. After more than twenty years
of harmful agitation and a campaign of
extraordinary earnestness and full dis
cussion, the people of the United States
by majority of more than 10000 de-
cided in favor of that standard"
In that declaration there are two
statements that are amazing-almost
paralyzing-in their bare-faced disre-
gard and perversion of the facts Gold
has not been the standard since
1884. 1t Is not the standard" in
the full, broad sense of the term,
even now. as is plainly shown by
the declared policy of the administra-
ton to more fully commit the coun-
try to that standard" AS lately as
1892 the president whom they so highly
eulogized was engaged in that very
harmful agitation which they con-
denim, and was denouncing upon every
stump the decentralization of silver and
demanding the restoration of bimetal-
lism. He was not at that time advo-
eating out-and-out free coinage but he
was condemning the gold standard and
Mr.. Cleveland for his efforts to fasten
it upon the country.
These facts are so recent as to be
within the knowledge of every voter
who is old enough to remember back
five or six years. During the whole of
those twenty years, Nebraska republic
cans took an active part in that "agi-
tation," and few were more active and
outspoken than Senator Thurston, who
was present and made a speech to this
convention. That gentleman was de-
20 to l, right up to the very day upon
which Mckinley was nominated, and
thousands of other Nebraska republic
cans stood with him, many demanding
the old ratio of IS to l.
AS to the statement that in 1896 the
American people voted for the gold
standard, it is enough to say that the
republican platform of that year con-
tanned the most positive and solemn
pledge to promote an international
agreement for the free coinage of sill
YER. That declaration was used as an
argument everywhere west of the Allie
ghany mountains and served to hood
wink thousands of voters.
The spectacle of a Nebraska republi-
can convention declarinS~ solidly for
gold and attempting to sustain its po-
sition by unmitigated falsehood, while
the democrats away back in the old
Bay Staten the very heart of the gold
power-declare for the free coinage Of
silver, is one which should forever seal
the lips of a silver-plated republican in
Montana on the subject of democratic
"apostacy" But 1t will not. 1t will
merely bring out the yellow a little