Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-20
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20. 1899.
THE INTER MOUNTAIN AND SILVER.


his duties were assumed by the %janitor
and Office boy, there We're many who had
serious misgivings as to that papers
future. Time has shown that such fears
side contemporary is rapidly taking front
rank as a leading democratic organ.
through its recognized ability to mis-
apply facts and distort the truth.
1t has been practicing of late on the
Inter Mountain. showing great skill as
a trained prevaricator. as we'll as mark
ed agility in lodging unpleasant facts.
The hope has been expressed in these
columns that the leading democratic pa
pers would take up the much neglected
issue of free coinage, and endeavor to
check the tendency on the part Of the
national representatives of their party to
relegate it to the rear.
Recognizing it's innate qualities of
leadership, since it started in to do bust
ness without an editor, the Independent
$500 NpSoAiS ~ ANoS toS6So-
tions, but, Of course, in a manner wholly
out Of touch with the points in issue.
For instance, it takes the Inter Mountain
to task for quoting authorities as to the
trend of the democracy, who, it alleges,
are not in sympathy with that party. 1t
says:
|,1z c -
the Inter Mountain is in trying to make
the people believe that its authorities are
in position to speak for the democratic
party, when it knows that it's authorities
are not even in sympathy with the demo-
cratic party.
Inasmuch as the position taken by
William Jennings Bryan, Ex-Governor
Altgeld, Hon. A. J. Warner, Mayor Harri-
son. and a dozen or more lesser lights,
Chicago platform in 1896. has been dis
cussed in these columns, the ~pertinancy
of the Independents statements will at
once be detected by those who are color
blind. In the main. the Inter Mountain
has confined it's list of witnesses as to
the efforts being made by the democracy
to relegate the free coinage ratio to the
rear. to men prominent in the advocacy
of the silver cause in 1896. 1t really has
been unnecessary to go outside the ranks
of the so-called silver democracy to Sc
cure all the evidence necessary to estab-
lish the fact that the proposed reunion
of the two discordant wings of that party
~conteinplates the dropping of the free
coinage ratio of 16 to 1. and the selection
of a paramount issue for 1900 other than
the silver question.
-
However, the Inter Mountain has quot
ed occasionally from the press Of what is
known as the anti-silver democracy,
merely to show that that wing of the
party intends to insist upon the conces-
sions which the silver democrats seem
shown conclusively that the eastern
branch of that organization is just as
strongly opposed to free coinage as it
was in 1896, and hat it is only through
concessions on the part of the silver dem
Ocrats that a reunion Of the forces can
be brought about.
The inference, then, that the Inter
Mountain is dishonest in quoting prom
inent authorities in the silver wing, to
show a willingness on their part to make
all concessions necessary to effect the de-
sired reunion Of party factions, or in
quoting similar authorities in the gold
wing, to show that it is only through
such concessions that party peace can
be re-established, is unjust. The Inde-
pendent has no warrant whatever in
making such a statement: and is GER
tainly should not attempt to discredit the
conclusions reached by the Inter Noun
tain without offering some explanation
as TO why the movements referred to by
this paper are going on within the ranks
of the democratic party.
SO far, the Independent wholly ignores
the declarations of Mr.. Bryan and other
that some question other than silver
should be the paramount issue in 1900, it
persistently overlooks the dangerous in