Daily inter mountain., 1899-08-09
SILVER must GO.

With the defeat of Bryan in 1896 plans
were Immediately laid by the leaders of
the democratic party to effect a reunion
OF the eastern and western wings of that
political organization, in preparation for
the campaign of 1900. 1t was held that an
undivided party elected Cleveland in 1892,
while divided party, assisted by silver
republicans and populists. found it i'm
possible to elect Bryan four years later,
and that the logic of the situation called
for speedy healing of party disagree
ments. To that end the leading spirits in
both wings Of the party have increasingly
worked.
The so-called silver leaders showed
their interest in the movement by repu-
dating in 1898 the policy of cooperation
! with other silver parties, which had re-
! ceived their unqualified approval in 1896,
| and the gold men showed their apprecia-
ton of this overture in the line of compro-
mise by permitting the Palmer Buckner
organization to fall to pieces. The next
advance was due from the late silver
wing, and through Colonel Bryan it COM
mtted itself to the placing of the silver
issue in the background to make room
for some paramount issue other than the
free coinage slogan Of 1896. The gold
wing showed it's appreciation of this by
applauding the name of Bryan when
mentioned in a Tammany meeting.
From that time on the billing and COO
ing has proceeded with very little inter-
ruption. The gold wing has held itself in
a receptive condition, and the silver wing
has been making love to it with all the
| men. one after another, have come out
with the public declaration that the free
| coinage issue must be placed in the back
ground, and the ratio of 16 to 1 dropped
altogether. Bryan, Warner, Morss, Alt
| geld, BOies, and a host of others, have
been flirting desperately with the way
ward gold wing Of the democracy, and
seem willing to drop anything but their
undying faith in the comforts of the pie
| counter in order to affect a reunion for
the campaign of 1900 They all feel the
force of the views of the Chicago Chron-
icle, when it says:
If the presidential election of 1900 is to
result in the eviction of William McKin-
ley from the white house the job is going
to be done by democrats, not by a hetero-
geneous aggregation of pOpulists, green
hackers and silver republicans. There are
| in this country enough democrats to elect
| a president. 1t depends upon themselves
whether they get together or not. There
is no necessity for undemocratic alliances
if the orthodox members of the party can
be united under one leadership. The
| democratic party of the United States is
in the majority If it can be got together.
This serves notice on the silver wing Of
the party that it must drop the free coin
age issue-the issue which attracted to
it's standard bearer the heterogeneous
aggregation" of which the Chronicle COM
plains. Fearing that it may not be fully
understood by the silver men, it adds:
The currency question will be subordi-
nate for the sufficient reason that that
question cannot be reopened for at least
six years, though the democracy should
have the president and the house Of rep
resentatives. The senate would defeat
any legislation for the rehabilitation of
silver. Hence to make the fight upon that
issue alone would merely be to waste en-
ergy upon question which. though still
alive, is temporarily in allegiance. The
currency bridge can be crossed when 1t
is reached.
| The Chronicle as the oracle of the west
ern democracy, has no hesitancy in as
suring the public that the currency ques-
ton will be placed in the background "for
at least six years." In speaking of pro-
fessed silver democrats, the Chronicle
| continues:
But they do not purpose to ALLEVIATE
| those democrats who differ from them on
the currency question by making that
| question the tOuchstOne of democracy.
| They recognize that there are other issues