The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-28
THE FIRST GUN FIRED
Bryan's Reply to Belmont Was a
Center Shot.
HIS NOMINATION ASSURED
Gold Boilers Stand No Show-Morton
Says That Silver Will Be the
Issue in 1eOO-Imperialism
to the Front.
Washington Bureau of the Standard,
No. has q Street n. w.

vention of 1900 has started at an I'M
commonly early date. The first gun
was fired by the man who led the first
battle for the reforms of the Chicago
platform, and who is expected to lead
the second and winning one next year.
1t was fired from a 13-inch gun, and
1t struck true to the mark and sent
to the bottom the craft rugged up by
New York gold democrats to block the
success of silver in the next conven-
ton. Bryan's reply to Perry Belmont's
invitation is regarded by members Of
all parties here as a center shot. 1t
not only places silver democrats on
the offensive, and insures their alert
ness in the coming contest, but it has
practically convinced the gold standard
democrats of the utter hopelessness of
their effort to hold out one-third Of
the delegates in the next convention,
thus blocking Bryan's nomination I'M
der the venerable two-thirds rule.
There had been some very brave talk
ing done by the gold men on the sub
ject, as heretofore suggested in this
correspondence. New York gold dem
ocrats had not hesitated to say that
800 delegates who would never vote
for Bryan. The Bryan Belmont cor
respondence and the spirited comments
that have followed it have led to rad
zeal change in the opinions of these
people. Although only the single shot
has been fired in the ante-convention
contest they already concede the flu
tility of the struggle against his NOM
nation But the fact that they see
their finish has not had the effect
Of curing them of the same yellow jaun-
dice that they exhibited in 1896. In
fact, some of them seem to have 1t
worse EX-Congressman Joseph H.
Cultivate of Ohio, formerly demo-
cratic member of congress, a gold bolt
err in 1896. and now holding fat office
given him by the president for his
course in that campaign, has been in
the city this week. In an interview he
practically gives up all hope of defeat
ing Bryan's nomination. He says:
1T is not clear to me that the gold
democrats will attempt to go to the
national convention. But if Mr.. Bryan
is renominated they will certainly take
the same course to defeat him. and they
will succeed. as they did before" Mr..
Cultivate fancies that he sees a dispo-
sition on the part of a great many men
who supported free silver in 1896 to
consider it of far less Importance than
tHeS oiu uuIlHS lHe last cdIlpdl
But when asked if he thought the sill
yer sentiment of the country was really
waning, he admitted that he could not
say that he saw any tide against free
silver. His idea Of OBJECTIONS from the
Bryan vote Of two years ago, is based,
by his own statement Of his belief
that there are thousands of democrats
who do not believe in Bryans silver no.
tons or some other features of the Chi
cago platform, but who voted for Bry-
an on the ground of regularity. There
are many signs that this class of dem
ocrats will refuse next year to be
bound down to his notion of what con-
stitutes democracy"
Before closing his interview, Mr..
Cultivate gave expression to just what
allied him. Like many other gold dem
ocrats who have been hopeful of pre-
venting Bryan's nomination. he has
been struck squarely amidships by the
Bryan letter to Belmont. He endeav-
ors to. hide his chagrin in the follow
ing supposed-to- be-sarcastic observa-
ton: He says, 1T is great mistake
on the part of Belmont to invite
Bryan to address a Jeffersonian audi
ence. They should also have invited
Tom Watson. The Georgia populst was
just as much entitled to such consider
alton as was the Nebraskan. BelmOnts
first reply to Bryan's letter was suf-
ficient, but he did not seem to see that
the sentence had double meaning. When
Belmont said individual opinions have
not been considered in issuing the in
vitations to celebrate the birthday of
Thomas Jefferson he was politely in
forming Mr.. Bryan that if he was go
ing to invite sound democrats only he
would not have been invited"
The amiable J. Sterling Morton is
another example of a goldclad pierced
through and thrDnph bIv L1r,,a I
Belmont correspondence. Morton does
not like the republican party quite as
well as Mr.. Cultivate or Mr.. Bynum.
He has not Jared as well, for they
both hold good jobs as result of their
intense loyalty to principle" and dis
loyalty to party in 1886. The Arb0r day
sage, according to special dispat ch
from Nebraska City in this mornings
Post has hopes that the petty trump"
party which supported Palmer and
Buckner may be continued in exist
ence. He even has visions of Cleve-
lands return to political life. He says:
He may not want to return, but may
be dragged back into political life. He
is good type of the man wanted to
Lead The eX-secretary of agriculture
admits that the country is now sin
perfect delirium of extravaganza in
all branches of the government, ma
tional, state and local." that 1.-THE fixed
charges upon the individual in a COM
munity are now about all he can earn
over and above the actual cost of liv-
ing" and that the republican party
was elected to secure currency reform
and has not lived up to it's promises. :"
All this seems to convince Morton that
the great political need of the hour is a
one-horse democratic sideshow to be
operated to assist the republican can
didate and party to be again success
full and go on falling to live up to its
promises. He argues as reason for
this course that "it is evident that
there is still n great deal of free silver
lunacy abroad in the country, and that
we shall have the money question to
fight all over again next year. | think
Mr. Bryan's hold upon the hysterical
and parCXysmal section of the demo-
cratic party is as strong as ever. 1t
represents the discomfort in all parties.
He is an attractive exhOrter and works
his hearers up to sort of frenzy, as
do the religious reViValiSts."
The effect of the same correspond
ence on the free silver leaders has been
to increase their enthusiastic convic-