Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-05-31
DEMOCRACY AND SILVER.

Merely to keep the record straight the
Inter Mountain desires to correct the
Butte Miners excerpts from recent in
terviews with the o Lee Mantle. In
expressing his views, both in Washing
ton and in Butte, that gentleman re-
ferred to the treatment accorded the sill
yer republicans and populists by the
democracy of Montana, and expressed
the opinion that under such conditions"
there could be no cooperation in the
future between the silver parties and
that political organization in this state.
In it's quotations the Miner omits the
qualifications made by the senator, and
thus makes it appear that his conclusions
were reached in an arbitrary and un-
justifiable n
Inasmuch as u morning contem-
porary has seen fit to revive the question
Of the relations Of the silver parties to
the issue Of bimetallism, a little ancient
history may not be uninteresting at this
time. It is a well known fact that the
democracy Of this state was rescued from
the Oblivion that threatened it during
the reign of Grover Cleveland. whom it
laude in state convention, by the CO.
operation of the silver republicans and
populists in support of Mr.. Bryan. This
cooperation was most greedily well
coined by the democracy, n with every
profession Of gratitude which it's enor-
nous appetite for political power could
inspire. srl s5 il
But having attained a victory in this
state, through the assistance of silver
organizations that furnished a hundred
per cent more votes thu the democracy
could have mustered alone, that party
Immediately reversed it's policy and in
stituted a campaign against the fusion
idea. The plans of the national silver
leaders looking to the cooperation of
the forces in 1898, to lay the foundations
for a successful fight for bimetallism in
1900, We're repudiated and their advice
ignored.
The democracy Of this state took the
ground that every silver man was a
democrat. and that every man who was
not a democrat was a foe to the prin-
ciples of bimetallism. With this utterly
ridiculous proposition that party at
tempted to force the silver republicans
and populists to lay down their respec-
tive organizations, abandon their views
as to other important questions OF a
national character, and throw them
selves unreservedly into that shallow
pretence Familiarity known as the bosom
of the democracy. This was lone
through purely selfish motives and with
a total disregard for the exigencies that
might arise in 1900. 1t was a policy
formulated in an atmosphere of political
greed, having in view the control of the
local offices in Montana, regardless of
the fate that might overtake the silver
question in 1900 through the reputation
Of the system of cooperation that had
added 5000, 900 votes to the political
Golfers of the democracy in 1896.
In taking that step the democratic
party in this state showed that it was
insincere-that it's love for the silver
cause was assumed-that it looked upon
blmetallism as merely a means to an
end, that end being the distribution of
local offices among the truly faithful"
1t showed its hand-it betrayed it's pur-
poses. Following it's victory in 1898 came
the reputation of the free coinage ratio
of l6 to la fitting climax to the assaults
already made upon the silver citadel. |
Under such conditions the silver republi-
cans II populists cannot afford to pros
titute the principles they represent to an
utilization with a political organization
that has advertised itself as the embodi-
nent of false ~pretense.
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GIVE THEM A ROYAL WELCOME.