The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-10
THROUGH SILVER SPECTACLES.

When our morning contemporary
deserted the silver cause and kicked up
an anti-polyganiy dust under cover Of
which it made a grand sneak TO the
goldbug camp. most of its exchanges
noted the departure-goldbug organs to
rejoice and silver advocates to bewail
and execrate' its course. .rn- -.I-tf
Among the latter was the Sacramento
Bee which noted with regret that the
local Republican organ had "stultified
the record of twenty years by for
saking principle for what it considers
policy and going over to the goldbug
camp"
Replying to this the Tribune under
took to screen itself. behind some one
else. to justify its treachery TO silver
on the ground that ex-Senators Cannon
and Dubois had not been recognized as
Democrats, and to whine about other
issues-upon which, by the way. 1t has
likewise reversed itself to get into line
with the Hanna organization.
The Sacramento journal, devoted to-
the silver cause, refuses to allow the
Tribune TO evade the issue. The ques-
ton is not whether other men and
newspapers consider other issues as
paramount, or that political leaders
have sought for new questions:
The question is: Was the. Salt Lake
Tribune in 1886 a great silver cham
pion. and is it today not only not such
champion. but not even an advocate OF
the cause? And Il question naturally TO-
justification for abandoning its advo-
cacy and deserving its tent. The Bee
believes it can condemn the Tribune out
of the Tribune'S own mouth
The Tribune made this inquiry:
Is there any prospect now of being
able next year to vote for the remoreu-
zation OF. silver without at the same time
States to hold its own in the Philippines
has been a dishonor to the flag and
disgrace to native land2
The reply of the Bee is worth pre-
serving:
The parties who have so denounced the
acts of this government in the Philip
pines are as much Republican as Demo-
That idea had its birth in the hctbei of
Republicanism. Massachusetts, and its
father and creator was Edward Akin
son. At no time has il been a doctrine
held by William ]. Bryan-although ii
comes close to the views set forth by
such brilliant Republicans as ex-Presf.
DENT benjamin f1dTTlSDIl. tA--CClcldIy VI
State John Sherman. ex-Speaker t. b.
Reed. and United States Senator Hoar.
Bryans idea is that the authority of
this country should be asserted in the
Philippines. and that after pence has
been restored. and stable government
established. the country should be turned
by them: In other words. the United
States should treat the Filipinos u.ti-
mateiy as it has pledged its sacred honor
to treat the Cubars.
hat "a ssSfch0nOr tho fac md a
disgrace to native land" il Is n dis
honor and a disgrace that would have
been sacredly PLEDGED on behalf Of this
senate. had it not been for the casting
vote of the late vice president
But even this is getting beyond the
question. No true American would vote
for any principle. no matter how dear.
IL it forced him also TO vote for that
which would be dishonor, TO the flag
And 1t can safely be asserted that
William J. Bryan. will be candidate on
no such hybrid platform.
Again, we ask the Tribune to stick TO
the issue:
Why did you desert the silver cause?
Why do you now publish editorials on
this question Numerically opposed TO
your gallant leaders in 1896?
Was not the silver cause a righteous
one then?
In DESERVING IT. have YOU not gone over
bag and baggage. body. soul. and
breeches. to the camp of the goldbugs?
g @ g
1t seems that the local Republican
organ has failed to make a satisfactory
explanation of its flop on the financial
question. Goldbug newspapers. such as
the Courier-Journal. the Globe-Demo-
crat. the Commercial Advertiser and
the New York Press, welcome thel
change as a complete surrender and
proclaim it as an evidence that the
silver forces are disintegrating Silver
advocates. such as the Boise Capital, !
the Nevada State Journal, the Rocky
Mountain News and the SACRAMENTO
Bee place no other Interpretation on the |
Tribune's course than that it has re-