Daily inter mountain., 1899-08-09
THE STANDARD ON SILVER.

Once a year the lobster sheds his shell,
and, so to speak, shows his hand. Not
wishing to intimate that the ably edited
Anaconda Standard belongs to the lobster
family, it is nevertheless true that it has
some Of the marked characteristics of
that interesting little beast. When some
questions of vital interest to the public
are floating around-l.ke the free coinage
question. for instance-it remains DOR
mant in its shell, and, to all appearances,
it is as green as a lobster. But after it
has been pretty thoroughly roasted by it's
contemporaries, for long consecutive
weeks, it seems to realize that it is bound
to be read when it comes to the 'front.'
just like a restaurant lobster-so it finally
manages to express itself on the point in
issue.
Six months ago, on the eve of the sena-
torial election in the Sixth legislative as
sembly, when it's following needed bracing
up in their support Of that able and pop
ular single gold standard democrat, Mr..
Conrad, the Anaconda Standard declared
that the ratio Of 16 to was immater.al.
and that the relative value Of silver and
gold should be regulated by the worlds
exchanges. The readers of the Inter
Mountain will bear us out in the state
ment that this paper has referred to the
Standards heretcal expression at least
h,,f lro v,pfo fha
wind whispering to the Sphinx-the wind
might fill the ears of the Sphinx with
sand, but it could put no sand into its
heart and make it speak. From the 9th
day of last January to date the Standard
has steadfastly refused to withdraw it's
fatal stab at free coinage, on the one
hand, or offer an argument in support of
the goldbpg doctrine to which it SO unre-
servedly committed itself on the other
hand. Yet, during the past SIX months,
the silver question has been debated
from Maine to California, and from the
great lakes to the gulf.
~
The effort on the part of leading demo-
Gratis to educate party sentiment up to a
point where it would agree to modifica
ton of the financial plank of 1896 and
consent to It's displacement as the para
mount issue, in order to promote har-
mony between the discordant elements in
that political organization, has excited
widespread comment all over the land
People have discussed the matter without
reference to race, color or previous condi-
tions OF servitude. The Standard and it's
democratic coadjutors in Montana have
alone held aloof. When the democratic
press of this state ought to combat with
tireless energy the proposition to subor-
dinate the paramount issue of 1896, they
lay hack on their cushioned divans
speechless, inane, weak Not a word Of
protest have they uttered against a clear.
ly defined movement within their party to
not only place the silver issue in the back
ground, but to eliminate the free coinage
ratio of Is to l, as we'll
This morning, however. the Standard
arouses from its Rip Van Winkle sleep on
the silver question-not long enough to
discuss the relation of the ratio Of 16 to /
to the free coinage proposition, not long
enough to note the difference between
making silver a paramount issue or a
subordinate issue, not long enough to re-
fleet upon the influence that is being ex-
erted by prominent party leaders looking
to the retirement of the free coinage idea.
but just long enough to grumble because
''those republican newspapers which at
one time gave some evidence of a sincere
desire for the restoration Of silver" are
sticking pins into it in an effort to restore
its intelligence, if not it's conscience. on a
question of interest and Importance to all
our people.
The Standard assumes that the news
papers to which it alludes are untrue to
silver, and take pleasure in noting every
democratic sign Of insincerity in the
treat tment of the white metal, when, as a
matter of fact. not one of them has ap-
proved of the Standards statement that
the ratio OF 16 to l is immater;al, and
that the relative value Of silver and gold