Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-17
GATHERING OF REPRESENTATIVES OF A UNITED PARTY TO
NAME NATIONAL DELEGATES.
PRINCIPLES OF PARTY OF PROGRESS ARE AFFIRMED
HARMONY AND ENTHUSIASM MARK THE preliminary DELiBER-
ATOMS OF THE ASSEMBLAGE-NAME OF MKINlEY
ExCITES THE Widest DEMONSTRATION

In the coming campaign, the repub-
l1can party will submit it's record and it's
claims to the people of this county, with
the consciousness that it has done its
duty, has kept its promises and re-
deemed its pledges, and shall confidently
expect to receive the suffrage and sup
port OF every citizen of the United States
whose condition in life Is better than it
was four Years ago, and II we a Sc
cure this, the result is surely not in
doubt. The republican party anxiously
awaits the coming conflict; we are eager
for the fray. We know that our party
has been successful, and can therefore
reasonably expect that the great trust
reposed in the republican party four
years g will be SO continued. We
shall not stand or the defensive. From
the first tap of the bell until the close of
the polls in next November we will meet
our adversaries on every field, on every
issue which concerns the American peo-
pie, n we will force the fighting. If
our opponents insist on taking up again
those issues which were settled by the
vote of the people four years ago we'll
and good; if they want to raise the
financial question again we nave no OBJ
lection. And while upon that subject, I
want to say that the expansion of our
cessities of trade is the ultimate result
to be accomplished.
Among the new issues which the COM
ing campaign will present are those
which ave inevitably followed as a re-
suit of our war with Spain. Chief among
government of u insular possessions.
What the republican party has chosen
to call expansion, the democrats have
vafnly tried to convert into imperialism;
but in order that there may be no con-
fusion in the use of terms, let us pre-
sent the question in it's simplest
form: Shall we keep the Philippine
islands, or shall we give them up? For
myself, l cannot consent to relinquish
my right to anything which belongs to
me, or to give up that to which I hold
an undisputed legal title. The property
rights of a. nation are just as sacred and
inviolable as the property rights of in
dividuals. It a be said that this is
selfish and sordid, a proposition which,
in these days of energy, enterprise and
lawful competition, when nations and
individuals are struggling for every pos
sible advantage, I cannot concede. Our
first duty is to our own country. I be-
lieve in that policy which win result in
h most good to the people of the
and w~age-earners. Does any individual
dispute our title to these islands? Has
any nation yet lone SO?
I am not satisfied that the great VIC
tory of Manila bay on May l, 1898, and
the gallant charge of the men of the
First Montana shall go down in his
tory simply as a spectacular show of
American arms. I wish that by some
legitimate means all these special advan-
tages might accrue in particular to the
brave men who bore their country
arms in that far away land.
With hands uplifted in holy horror,
democrats ask If we are going to open
Tho mr. ~ - I'll l. A. --N
ucts of cheap b in the Philippine
islands. And yet for more, than half a
century they have frantically howled
that our markets be opened to the pau
per labor of the whole world!
The real opposition of the democratic
party to the retention of the Philippines
is the fact that they believe it is good
policy to reject everything, regardless of
merits, which has it's origin with the re-
publican party. I have often thought
that If the republican party should pass
a resolution declaring that the devil was
a bad man, we would find the democrats
| vigorously defending his Satanic majesty
and contending that after all he was a
| pretty good fellow.
To give up the Philippines al this time
would be an injustice to the best people
of those islands, who have welcomed
American authority; an evidence of bad
faith to the nations of the civilized
world, who expect us to complete the
task which we have taken up, and which
. they would gladly have assumed. II
would be a show of weakness and an ad-
mission of ~incapacity, neither of which
the United States should ever make. ]
believe that we will keep thse islands
We will put Town the insurrection and
anarchy which exists there. We will
=. bring to those islanders the benefits OF
our education, the principles of the
/ A onryo ~ WV 3 49,
shall enjoy the rights and privileges OF
a free people and enjoy the fruits of lib
erty which they have never yet tasted
We will infuse into these people energy
and industry.
It is no vio!ent presumption on my
part to say that I believe the republican
party has but one choice in the man whe
Is to head it's ticket in the election o
so near at hand, and for that distin.
guished n the name of William Nc,
Kinley stands without a rival. It i.
quite as probable, too, that the demo
cratic party will go down to certain de.
eat under the leader of 1898.
The republican party of the State o.
Montana, is equally hopeful and certain
of success in the coming contest. Never
before in the history of the state, have
circumstances and conditions been 81
favorable for a great victory as at tht
present time. The republican party il
Montana has ar important duty to per
form. It deyolves upon that party to res
cue from infamy, the fair name and repu
tation of this state. And even now ther'
is a fixed purpose and determination IL
the mine of every republican who is loya
to his party, to make possible, for all TIM
to I'M n repetition of that disgrace
full conduct on the part of the Democrat,
party, which has already a The mann
of Montana a stencil in the nostrils of thu
honest people of this country. This worl
of redemption has fallen to US, and it
performance will be a sacred pledg
which We stand ready to make. The his
tory of the democratic party in the Stat
of Montana, has repeated itself. only t
show that SO long as hat party shall