Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-26
The Political Horoscope
As Seen By a Layman
THE MEN AND THE PLATFORMS TIL AT WILL COME TO THE FORE IN
THE BRISK PRESIDENTIAL CON TEST OF 1900 WHICH HAS NOW
BEGUN.

Note: The editor is rot personally 20.
.epons.ble for the opinions expressed in
this article; the following is an impartial
statement of facts concerning both pr
ties as seen by a well-knoWn WASHINGTON
correspondent.
Washington, d. c., Aug. 23.-Nowbere
IN the United States does there seem to
be any definite agreement as to what will
De the one great rallying cry of the de-
mocracy in the campaign of 1900, which
is soon to open. Is free silver to occupy
the same position that it held at the time
OF The last presidential election or is it to
he reiegated to the background in order to
give way to antitrust. anti-militar.sm
n a~nti-imperialism planksf? This is a
question that is being asked from the At
lantic to the Pacific and from the Cana
dian line to the Gulf. but up to the pres
en- time no one has been ound who has
been able to furnish the solution to this
great political problem. But this is not
the only question that is troubling the po-
lltical leaders in every state.
They are asking each other if it will be
wise to renominate William J. Bryan or
to select some one of the many bright
men who stand ready to lead the party to
what they hope will be a great victory.
To decide this question is as difficult a
task as it is to determine upon the ma
ture of the platform to be presented to the
people. 1t was only a few weeks ago tina
the active work of the campaign opened
in Chicago, blu already a careful canvass
OF the country is being made by the direc-
ton Of the members of the rational COM
mittee and when this is completed the
leaders of the party will hav a more
definite idea as to how matters stand and
will be able to judge with a certain de-
gree OF accuracy whether or not their
hopes of victory are justified by the en-
listing circumstances.
IN this Sfl1Gv of tho Sif11afinp 7 shall
avoid the controversial and shall simply
describe the conditions as they exist to-
nay. leaving the reader to figure cut from
the statistics given the relative chance of
either party or of any candidate.
That Mr.. Bryan at present has control
OF the democratic party there can be no
doubt. The recent action of the national
committee settled this question but that
he is neither certain Of denomination nor
positive of victory is equally evident from
his Willingness to let the platform makers
do their work unaided by him provided
they vii agree to keep free silver we'll to
the front. While Mr.. Bryan controls the
machinery of the party. however, there is
sufficient opposition to him 10 justify him
In regarding his position as somewhat I'M
certain.
For instance there is Senator John T..
Morgan of Alabama, himself a president
tial possibility Of no mean Importance.
There never was a more ardent advocate
OF the free coinage of silver in congress,
and yet he is unqualified in his opposition
to Mr.. Bryan. What we need" he says,
''is not an extremist. We require a man
who can say, When my party is able in
to pass a free coinage bill 1 will
not veto it but will permit it to become a
A man who will make such a prom
Use and who is capable Of living up to it
viii be elected, but a man who is known
to be radical on the silver question will
certainly suffer defeat. To succeed in
1900 it is only necessary to find a man of
honor and comon sense who Will agree to
be guided by his party. After he has been
placed in the White House it will be a
Comparatively easy matter to elect our
free silver men to congress. If this done
we shall see a united democracy that will
sweep the north, east, south and west"
Senator Stephen M. White of California
is another silver.te who does not look
with confidence upon Mr.. Bryan's nomln-
alton. At the same time he is an anti
eXpansionist in the broadest sense and he
looks upon the present course of the gov