Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-06-09
SILVER REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRACY.

The democratic newspapers of Montana
have yet to learn that it was the principle
of free coinage which the silver republic
ans endorsed in 1896. and not the demo-
cratic party. There We're many objec-
tionable features in the national demo-
cratic platform. to which the approval Of
silver republicans could not be given.
Had any one of these features been made
the paramount issue instead of free coin
age, cooperation would have been an
impossibility. One quotation from the
minor declarations of the democracy of
that year is sufficient to illustrate this
point. Anent the tariff question the plat
form said:
We hold that tariff duties should be
levied solely for the purposes of revenue.
Differing only in it's verbiage this dec
1aration was the same as that made by
the democracy of 1880, when it placed it.
self on record as in favor of "a tariff for
revenue only" 1t is in direct ~antagonism
to the republican principle OF tariff for
protection, which was fought out at the
and to which the silver republicans of
1896 were thoroughly committed. Had
the democracy failed to make free COIN
g it's paramount issue in the national
campaign-had it placed it's declarations
on that subject among the minor fea-
lures of its platforn-and thereby
brought to the front some other PROPOSE
ton as the leading question Of the hour,
its candidates would have had no claim
upon the support of silve men in other
political organizations. The silver re-
publicans made this clear in the initial
plank Of the platform of principles adopt
ed at their state convention in Helena in
September, 1896. when they said:
We, the representatives Of the silver
republicans of Montana, in convention
assembled, declare our confidence in and
approval of the platform adopted by the
national republican convention at St.
Louis, save and except such declaration
in that platform as pertains to the finan-
cial question.
A stronger endorsement of the national
republican platform of 1896, with the ex-
ception named, could not we'll have been
given by any body of men. 1t served
notice upo the democracy, at the incep-
ton Of their campaign in behalf Of Elr.
Bryan, that the silver republicans were
~contending for a paramount issue deemed
essential to the welfare of the country,
and other democratic vagaries, factors in
the administration of national affairs.
Mr.. Bryan was himself the author of
the statement that all other questions of
concern to the democracy would be SUBJ
ordinated to the one great question OF
free coinage, and upon this basis the free
silver men of the other political parties
were invited to cooperate in his support.
Under that assurance, silver men who
did not approve of the minor planks in
the national democratic platform of 1896
gave their votes to Mr.. Bryan. as the
representative of the one paramount is
sue.
But the situation has changed since
1896. The democratic party in the next
succeeding campaign, two years later,
issued the ultimhatum that cooperation
between the silver men in various par
ties would thereafter be an impossibility.
that all silver men were democrats and
all men who were not democrats were the
enemies of silver. No recognition would
be extended to any man as the friend of
the white metal, unless he would SUBJ
scribe to all the tenets Of the democratic
faith and endorse all the doctrines from
time to time promulgated by it's conven-
tons.
In this prescription the democracy
brought its minor platform declarations
of 1896 up to a level with it's free coinage
plank. If silver were the is
sue, and other questions were to be sub-
ordinated to its success. why should not
the democracy continue it's policy of 1896
md invite the cooperation of silver men
in other parties, regardless of their views
on other issues? If. on the contrary.
ether issues are Of equal Importance with