Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-02
THE BAY STATE DECLARATION.


called attention to the self-evident eff
forts of the national leaders of the demo-
cratic party to make some issue othef
thar silver the paramount question in
the next campaign. No democratic news
paper has lac the nerve to dispute the
fact that Colonel Bryan, and other lead
ers of national renown have repeatedly
insisted that the question of anti-imper-
ialism, or the trusts, should take prece-
dence in 1900 to all others. This paper has
criticised such a course of procedure, and
in so doing it ought to have had the sup
port of every man who believes in treat
ing a public question of local concern
with. fairness.
In refusing to even discuss the matter
lin ignoring the trend of their accredit-
ed leaders, the democratic press of this
state betrayed a lack of interest in free
coinage that does not admit of two opin-
ions. They dared not approve the prop
osition to place silver in the background,
for they hope to again bunco the voters
of Montana with the claim that they are
loyal to the white metal, n they would
not c~riticise their national leaders be-
cause at heart they endorsed every step
calculated to bring the two wings of their
organization together in 1900. So they
held their peace.
prf fy1onN an nnrnrf11njfV f0 nfe1K
their silence occurred. The democrats of
Massachusetts. after a convention in
which one hundred policemen found it
impossible to keep order-a convention
in which the delegates stood upon chairs
screaming like demons, in their efforts to
shape Enthusiastically gave their endorse
crowd, by reason of a more perfect organ
ization of their forces, succeeded in NAM
ing Bryan delegates to the national con-
vention, overriding all precedent govern
ing such matters, and practically split
ting the voting strength of their party in
Massachusetts in two.
The Inter Mountain recited these facts
at the time, virtually challenging the
democratic press to a discussion of the
merits of the precedent established in
selecting delegates this year for a ma
tional convention that is to be held next
year, and raising a question as to the
actual value to the silver cause of a dec
laration secured by the methods that OBJ
tanned in the Massachusetts convention.
But the democratic press of Montana re-
manned silent.
Now comes the Anaconda Standard,
which has been on record for the past
nine months against the free coinage
ratio of Is to /, and which believes that
the ratio of valu between silver and
gold should be regulated by the worlds
~exchanges-a position taken by the Pal
mer-Buckner wing of the democracy in
1S96-and timidly sidles up to a discus
sion of the Massachusetts declaration in
favor of silver. 1t fails to make reference
to the only issue raised by the Inter
Mountain in connection with that body
namely, the methods employed and the
precedent established as to the selection
of delegates, and with its usual abnorma
sense of fairness intimates that we ques.
toned the official attitude of the demo
cratic party in Massachusetts on the sill
yer question. No one disputed the fac
that the convention declared for silver
vet the Standard quotes at length a state.
ment from Bradstreet's to prove that i
did so declare, and says:
1t may be that Bradstreet's is not equa
in acumen to some of the so-called silve
republican newspapers of Montana, ant
consequently not so capable of forming
"A correct conclusion as to the real atti
tude of the Massachusetts democrac!
upon the money question.
AS the Inter Mountains statement
concerning the declarations made by tn,
massachusetts convention on the silve
question agreed with those made b!
Bradstreet's. and there was no dispute OF
that point, the irrelevancy of the Stand
ards intimation is al once apparent. 1
is a very cheap a which our contem
porary has of evading a discussion Of tn,