Daily inter mountain., 1899-07-12
PREPARING FOR NEXT YEAR.


among the populists in this state relative
70 effect;ng thorough reorganization of
their party for the campaign Of 1900 The
evident purpose of the democracy to
ground, and use it only Is local appli-
cation for the body polite in the silver
states, has caused a revuls:on of feeling
on the part Of a great majority of the
populists who went over to the democracy
last year under the steerage of Gov
ernor Smith. With few exceptions these
the populists who have remained true to
their party organization, and prepare for
vigorous action in Montana in 1900.
That such feeling should take root in
the heart of the average populist IS not
20 be wondered at. when he reflects upon
the way in which his party was worked
70 finish" by the democratic leaders. In
1894 the populist organization in Montana
had more than double the voting strength
of the democrats. The election returns
of that year show it. During the two
creased in strength and the democrats
steadily decreased in strength, until the
opening of 1886 found the former a strong,
compact aggressive political forco-the
latter weak, drvellins. politically
threadbare aggregation Of has-beens.
1t was then that democratic money and
democratic shrewdness and political skill
went to work to conquer and absorb SUI
perior numbers. The Chicago platform
gave the democrats of this state the op-
portunity Of their lives. They improved
the populists in state affairs. robbed them
of their birthright, got into power
through their votes, and have since held
the whiphand over their benefactors of
1895 To complete the ruin of the popu-
list organiza ton, if possible, the man who
was elected governor of this state, while
disguised as a populist, planned a thea
trical exit from that party in manner
calculated to divide It's forces and break
down the coi.esiveness of its organiza-
ton.
Having been the nominee of the popu-
lists for congress, and later on placed II
the gubernatorial chair by that polttca
organization, the carefully laid plain tc
encompass it's ruin carried out by Gov
;t1, ;,,
showed the extremes to which the demo.
cratic party would go in betraylng its
lack Of political gratitude to the men who
had saved it from utter destruction
through the coalition of 1896. The break
was brought about as Governor Smith
and his democratic hackers had planned
it. but his excellency could deliver but
small per cent of the goods. Then fol.
lowed the remarkable campaign of 1895
remarkab BILE on account of the corrup
methods employedby the democratic part,
to elect a legislature which has been ac
cused of fully sustaining the reputation
of the forces that created it.
1t was the boast of the democracy, at
ter the campaign of last year, that the
peoples party had gone to pieces-that i
would never be heard from again in Mon
tana-that it had been absorbed root ant
branch. But such prophetic utterance
were premature. From the present out
look the populists will not only enter tn
campaign of 1900 with a strong, compac
organization, but with membership
rescued from the tantaces of the demo
cracy that will surprise the political alb
sorbtionists who have fondly dreamed
that the process Of assimilation was com
plete.
LINCOLN AND TELLER