Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-15
THE PROCESS or ELIMINATION.

The Helena Independent founders
through another column of figures. in
dustriously misapplied. to show that re-
Their the silver republicans nor the popu-
list aided Bryan TO an appreciate extent
in 1896. Ii Is 50 anxious TO rob those two
political organizations Of whatever of
credit might be justly their due in the
Yer. that it ~man:pulates its figures in an
effort to lead the judgment of It's readers !
astray. With assumed premises. to which
its mathematics are applied. it has been
gradually reducing the number of silver
republican votes received by Bryan, un-
til now it makes the following cheerful
announcement:
In fact, it takes a microscope to find
IN any recognized authority the fact that
the silver republicans Of the country ever
cast any votes at all.
After its wheels have revolved a few
more times the Independent will discover
that no such political organization ever
existed as the silver republican party, and
NAoS luldA Il dCtudIly d llfys
ment of the Imagination. Possibly, how
ever, it may use its microscope on him,
purely as a matter Of charity, for Charlie
likes to be recognized, even if he has to
submit to democratic methods of being
looked at. So far as the balance of the
silver republicans are concerned, the
statement Of the Independent will not be
regarded in the nature Of a surprise, in
the light Of the political ingratitude and
deceit shown by the democracy in 1898.
They have been expecting the democrats
to deny having received any assistance
from the silver republicans in 1896, hav-
ing reached a point where they expect
none in 1900.
1t is fair to say, however, that had the
democratic press put forth such a politi-
cal dogma in 1896, when pleading for sill
Yer republican votes, they might have
suffered the fate of the two sceptical bed
bugs, so graphically related by the hide
pendent's ideal statesman-Bob Ingersoll.
1t appears that two of the insects afore-
said were one night discussing the
question Of mans existence, while
~Dromenading under the bed. The man
overheard one Of the bugs say: II don't
believe that such a thing as man ever eX-
isted!" Thereupon, the man flew into a
towering rage, and springing out of bed
he ground the poor little bugs into the
floor with his heel, exclaiming: I'll teach
you that mans existence is a diabolical
fact.'
But the silver republicans did not hear
that the democrats doubted their exist
ence until after they had cast 1000, 900
votes for the organized appetite known
as the democratic party, and made pos
sections Of the west.
The Independent slaps the populists
with even more energy than it does the
silver republicans. It eliminates the lat
ter entirely from the campaign of 1886,
with all the blessings which come to COM
plete oblivion. But of the former it says:
The legitimate populist vote in 1896 is
represented by the vote Tor Bryan and
Watson. 1t was exactly 245, 72S.
In the classical language of the street.
"'wouldn't that cork your" If it was the
legitimate populist vote that was cast for
Bryan and Watson, we presume it was the
illegitimate pCpul.st vote that was cast
for Bryan and Sewall. In states where a
complete fusion was effected between the
democrats and the populists, on the Bry-
an and Sewell electors and the state tick
ct, as in Montana, the member of the
peoples party surrendered their organi-
cation In toto and avowedly became demo-
crats-according to the Independent. This
foregoing excerpt from the editorial ut
terances Of our east side contemporary
implies that there is no such thing as a
populist left in the states that did not
vote for Watson. 1t reasons that every
populist who voted for Bryan and Sewell
electors necessarily became a democrat.
and doubtless applies the same rule to
silver republicans.
But its assumption is a violent one, so
violent in fact as to advertise it's mani
fest unfairness in argument in a very