Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-07-05
DEMOCRATIC 7REAcHERX.

lio'iGa NHN NN%e ~
party, in the hope that it might absorb it's
membership: and later on applied SINH
lar treatment to the silver republican
movement. AS far back as 1892 the demo-
cratic leaders undertook the work Of
s%ubjugating the third party movement in
the south. The alarm among democrats
was widespread. the Atlanta Constitu-
ton. then as now a leading exponent of
it's party, making the following declara-
ton on April Is of that year:
1t is safe to say that two-thirds of the
farmers of Georgia have Endorsed the
Ocala ~demands-if not its letter, certain
ly its spirit.
Referring then to the anti-silver atti-
tude of. prominent democrats, the Con-
stitution added:
Yet. as our readers know, the question
refuses to be suppressed. The victory OF
the Wall street contingent in the house
will do more to elnbarrass the democratic
party than anything else. except the NOM
ination of Mr.. Cleveland.
In 1892 the democratic party in Georgia.
and other portions of the south, found
itself in about the same predicament as
did the democratic party in Montana
three years later. It was rapidly disin-
tegrating, While the third party move
ment was gathering strength daily. On
the 31st of March, 1892, the Constitution
said:
1t is imperative that the democratic
,,artv in this ctafp fhrn11ph itS rop1111r
organization, proceed at once to the work
of checking the progress Of the third par
ty movement in Georgia. There is dam
ger ahead, ard unless the democratic or
ganization takes the matter in hand at
once disaster will follow. The third party
leaders are vigilant and enthusiastic. The
organization of the movement is being
Systematically worked, and there is prob
ably not a county in the state which has
not been ~canvassed, and in which the
third party has not established head
quarters. In some counties the regular
democratic executive committees have
not enough members left to make a
quorum, on account of the inroads of the
new party.
In view of the political situation in the
south, so clearly outlined by the Consti-
tuition, the attitude of prominent demo-
Gratis in the house of representatives on
the free coinage question became embar-
raising. In order to save the south from
the third party movement, the national
democratic convention in 1892 declared for
silver in general terms. Placating the
south with the assurance that bimetal-
1ism would become the first concern Of
the party, if Cleveland was elected,
the democracy held the southern farmers
in line that year and elected their can
didate. Four years of C~levelandism
caused a revival of the third party move
ment in the south. The broken pledges
of the democratic party threatened the
destruction of that organization in sew
eral Of the southern states. Nothing but
the reputation of Cleveland and his
methods could save it. A scapegoat was
needed, and Cleveland, who had been pat
ted IN the back and praised by every
democratic convention from Maine to
Montana, was dropped like a hot potato
by the leaders of his party. He was Sc
lected for vicarious atonement for the
sins of the national democracy.
- -
To wreck the third party movement in
the south, and again save that section of
the country, the democratic national con-
vention of 1896 not only came out with a
clear-cut declaration in favor of the free
coinage of silver and gold at a ratio of
16 to 1, by the independent action of the
United States, but also gave it's approval
to many of the other political views held
by the populists. For the second time the
democrats succeeded in heading off the
third party movement, which threatened
the disruption of the "solid south"
In the meantime the populist party had
attained such magnitude in the west that
instead of trying to absorb it in the cam
paign of 1896, the democrats thought
themselves fortunate to effect a fusion
with it on favorable terms. It was ar
gued. however. after the memorable cam
paign of that year was over. and it's les
sons had been carefully studied by the
democratic leaders, that the peoples par
~ movement in the west must be de-