The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1900-02-06
REPUBLICAN UNITY.

the financial affairs Of our country
would add materially to the perman.
emit welfare Of the people, conditions
have relegated that issue to the back
ground. Without discussing those con
ditions in this connection, the fact is
now recognized that no contingency
likely to arise will again bring the para
mount issue Of 1896 to the front. Aside
from a proftless local agitation, for
effect upon local politics, the question
has been laid upon the shelf aud will
cut 10 figure Of consequence in the ma
tional. politics of the present year.
While the removal of this barrier
between the silver republicans and their
former party associates presupposes the
cooperation of men who think alike on
all other questions of public concern,
there are additional incentives to the
complete publication Of the republican
party. Upon the republicans Of this
state rests the duty Of r%edeeming Mon
tana's good name and the recovery Of it's
aost prestige. The democratic feud,
which has demoralized the politics of
this state, mado merchandise Of honor
and slavery Of self-respeot, has brought
Montana to the verge of ruin. The re.
,speetive factions Of that party are
Jointly responsible for the contempt in
which this splendid commonwealth is
held throughout the world.
We're we an older community, with
our. resources fully developed, and indie
pendent Of the emigrant and the in.
weston of outside capital, we might
abide our time in patience until the
.Odors of the feud were dissipated by the
flight of time. But Montana owes it's
future to the development Of it's re.
sources. The brain and Drawn Of the
new settler is needed, and the conf.
'dence of the investor must be secured.
Under the reputation which the demo-
cratic party has given this state, the
the.;rer class of home-seekers cannot be
induced to unite their destinies with
ours, and capital will seek elsewhere
for investment. ....
The great work Of correcting the evil
tendency of the times, and again bring
ing our glorious young state to the
front. rests with the republican party.
It can perform this duty only by united
action. And united action will chal-
lenge the support of those elf-respect-
ing democrats of Montana whose loyal
ty to the state is stronger than their
loyalty to the ulterior purposes Of cor
rupt party leaders. Republicans gen.
orally throughout the state are fully
alive to their duty in the forthcoming
campaign, and are conscious of the op-
portunity to redeem Montana from the
blight which democracy has placed
upon it. They realize that they cannot
afford to shirk tho responsibility which
has been placed upon their shoulders.
if in the future they hope to command
the respect and confidence Of the people
of this state. 80"
Here and there is a republican. it is
true, whose ambition to control federal
patronage in the future leads him to
oppose a party reunion, and the victory
that would follow, least by growth of
party strength, personal power over it's
affairs might be diminished. Such
men would have the silver republicans,
who in the years past constituted the
greatest voting strength Of the party,
crawl back into the fold upon their
bellies and beg for an uncusllioned seat
in the sky-gallery of the temple. They
would prefer defeat in Montana, with
a minority of votes behind them, and
be recognized as the leaders of the re-
publican party and the dispensers of its
federal patronage, rather than witness
the redemption of this state from demo-
cratic rule and the new era Of industrial
progress which that would imply.
However. there are but few such re-
publicans in Montana, and the encour-
agement given them by the democratic
press will only tend to bring tina rank
and file Of the party into a closer union
for the great work that lies before the
good citizenship Of this state.