Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-28
ITS SHARE OF CONSIDERATION.

ITS SHARE OF CONSIDERATION
In a recent interview in Kansas City
Colonel Bryan expressed himself on the
silver question. that which was left I'M
said being as significant as tha which
was said. His statements We're adroitly
framed with the evident purpose of maxi
ing both wings of his party feel good and
offending neither. He said:
shall continue to discuss silver. There
was a story from Des Moines recently
that l was putting silver in the back
ground. l am not, l will not. l was in
correctly reported. Silver will be placed
alongside of the other great issues and
1t will be given its due share of consid-
Grafton. I stand by the Chicago demo-
cratic platform. When a new baby is
born in a household the parents do not
expel the other children. Because the
democratic party is making a fight on i'm
perialism. militarism and trusts, is no
reason why We should send from our
household the older child. We should
gather all these children into our arms
and fight for them.
In saying that he was Incorrectly re-
ported in Des Moines Colonel Bryan does
not mean that he was misquoted, but that
a wrong construction was placed upon
his language. Doubtless he will make
the same statement relative to the fore
going when it is properly analysed. If
the late standard-bearer of the silver
forces does not wish to be misunderstood
he should express himself as clearly as
he used to do when the white metal was
an issue in 1896. For instance, instead
of saying, "Silver will be placed along
side of the other great issues and it will
be given its due share of considerations"
why did he not say, The free coinage
of silver and gold at a ratio of 16 to l,
by the independent action Of this nation,
will be made the paramount issue. as it
was in 1896, and it will remain such until
it is settled and settled right" There
would be no mistaking a declaration of
that kind.
But it serves Colonel Bryan's purposes
better, it seems. to deal in parallels at
this stage of the game. Instead of being
Outspoken, as in 1896, and making a
struggle to keep the free coinage idea to
the forefront of battle, he likens the issue
to a child tina must have no more consid-
Grafton in the democratic household than
the more recent babies incubated by that
political organization-such as anti-im-
perialisn, militarism, etc. The colonel
wants to gather all these kids into his
arms, so to speak, and fight for them.
And he does not propose to give silver
any more protection than he gives to the
"other great issues" which means that
free coinage will not be made the para
mount issue in 1900 if Colonel Bryan can
prevent it.
What does Colonel Bryan's professed
loyalty to silver amount to when he is
unwilling to make the issue of free coin
age tomorrow what it was yesterday
the one great question that takes prece-
dence of all others until it is settled and
settled right? In the light of his areu-
ments IN 1896, by what right does he now
claim that any question other thar the
one that lies at the base Of our financial
system should receive paramount consid-
Grafton at the hands of his party?
BY his own words Colonel Bryan con-
fesses himself guilty of placing silver in
the background. The moment he displaces
it as the paramount issue-the issue of
issues-and drags it back to a position
alongside of other questions of rela-
lively little importance when measured
by the far-reaching character of bimetall-
ism, he forces the free coinage proposi-
ton into a place of lesser Importance
than it occupied in the councils Of his
party in 1896. In other words, he places
1t in the background.
AN?i-iMPERsALiS TIC ELSEHOODS.