Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-04
SOLID

The Inter Mountain congratulates its
morning contemporary, the Butte Miner.
and square recognition of American duty
in the Philippines. 1t announces its belief
that the title of the United States to the
archipelago is valid and should be main
tanned. Instead of demanding that the
Bryan idea be enforced, namely, that the
president to Aguinaldo the pol
surgents. in order to purchase peace with
the surrender of national dignity and
honor. the Miner is now convinced that
the future Of the Philippines can be safely
committed to congress. after the rebellion
shall have been brought to a close.
For a long time the Miner unfortunate
j. trailed up after the leadership Of the
Anaconda Standard. and other ultra or
gans Of that type, then it wavered for
awhile between duty and expediency.
finally following Harper's Weekly and
other prominent anti-expansion papers
ont u he ranks Of those who are irving
II undermine the government, into a SEN
s5Jia and reasonable view of the sjt,,a-
ton The chief significance of the posi-
ton taken by the Miner this morning does
not liz IN the effect its editorial utterances
may have on the situation. but in the fact
1hat II virtually serves notice on the pub
liz that one wing Of the democracy in this
state will not align itself against the ex-
ransion idea IN the campaign of 1860.
Inc faction represented by the Ana
conda Standard is thoroughly committed
to anti-expansion. "anti-imperialism,"
anti-ffag, and anti-everything else, which
In the wisdom of Ex-Colonel Bryan may
serve as an issue next year in any part of
the country. 1t is with Mr.. Bryan on
every proposition, with the exception of
the tight on trusts, which, for obvious
reasons, is distasteful to that wing of the
party in this state.
With such men as Senator Morgan and
AAiool dllu OlHbI ueillO-
Gratis of national repute, as we'll as a
number of the most influential Journals Of
the democratic party, and practically the
entire rank and file of that organization
IN the Pacltlc coast states, in favor of
the presidents policy in the Philippines,
the Miner will not be as lonesome in the
position it has taken as might at first
seem possible. In all likelihood there
will be a hard fought contest in the next
national democratic convention between
those who favor and those who oppose the
expansion idea, and the triumph of the
Bryan element alone may force anti-ex-
Dansion to the front as a prominent issue
in the next campaign.
The attitude of the Miner this morning
is encouraging from another standpoint
1t indicates that the lines of demarkation
between the two wings of the democratic
party in this state will not rest, as here
tofore. on a political feud alone. There
will be a definite and decided issue of ma
tional Importance between them, which
will be ably discussed, no doubt, by their
respective newspaper following. There
are many reasons to believe that the
more enlightened democrats in this state
are now in full accord with the EXPANSION
policy, recognizing as they must it's ulti-
mate effect upon the section in which VIZ
live.
The systematic effort to arouse a SEN
timent against expansion in this state has
been based on the working hypothesis
that an unwholesome prejudice must be
created against the national administra-
ton to smooth the pathway for Bryan,
regardless of the merits of any proposi-
ton that may stand forth as a great
question of national procedure. Under
the leadership of the Miner the expansion
element of the state democracy will have
a IN opportunity to assert itself, as it has
in other states through the courage and
ability of those democratic newspapers
here and there which will not permit their
p~rejudices against the national admin
istration to warp their opinions as to an
issue of supreme Importance to our be-
loved republic.