Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-08-21
A WELCOME BY THE PRESS

NO silver republican of national repu-
tatlon has more forcibly and %elouuently
volced that resentment than former
united States Senator Lee Mantle of
Montana. in his open letter announcing
ms return to he republican party. He
declares that silver is not and cannot
De the issue, taking the democracy at
It's word. and, like the patriotic man
that he is, he purposes to stand by his
own country rather than give aid and
comfort to it's enemies by supporting
the democratic policy" Accepting the
dlctum OF the Kansas City convention
that imperialism" is the ''paramoun
issue now, he. argues that the traitors"
this year are not men like himself. for
mer silver republicans, Who refuse to
continue as catspaws for democratic
otice-seekers, but men who were Civ
ing encouragement and sympathy to
Aguinaldo and his deluded followers,
while the Montana volunteers We're Civ
ing their lives and making an imperish-
able record in defense of their own gov
Observation-Disclosures Journal.
Libby (Flathead Coz News: Ex-Sen-
ator Lee Mantle is out in a published
letter, in which he resigns the position
of chairman of the silver republican
state central committee, will here
after identify himself with the republi-
can party, where he belongs. No one in
Montana, unless from an interested mo-
tive, will question Mr.. Nantes loyalty
to the so-called silver cause. He made
a grave error in leaving the party for
the advancement Of which he had la
bored 50 long and effectively to ally him
self with a party which has never been
able to bring about any reform nor put
any policy whatever into practical oper-
alton. Having realized his mistake, he
has done the only honorable thing by
publicly ~renouncing his allegiance to a
ia rtv which haS Simnfv 7Qpraparaftp1 info
a democratic side issue, and returning
to a party which embodies all that he
holds dear in politics, except the one
principle of free coinage. Mr.. Mantle
will be welcomed back by his old asso-
ciates with open arms. He is an able
and an honest man, and the party of
principle in this state has use for such
as he.
Livingston Republican,: On the first
! page of this issue of the Republican
will be found part of a letter from ex-
Senator Mantle to Montana silver repub-
licans. His letter was too long for COM
plet publication this week, and the re-
mainder of it will be published next
week. 1t is good stuff. We invite partic-
ular attention to it.
Senator Mantle sets forth very clear
ly why men who thought they could con-
scientiously support Bryan four years
ago cannot do so now without being
traitors to the republican party. he alSO
goes over the ground showing how some
of the Would-be leaders OF the silver re-
publicans first betrayed n then sought
to deliver them over to the democrats.
Senator Mantle was chairman of the sill
YER republican central committee, and
in returning again to the grand old
party he not only shows his good sense
but does as 80 out of every loy who for
merly belonged to that organization have
already done-again lined up with the
party of progress and good government.
Washington ID Co Post: It is possible
to respect and commend the courage
evinced by that d~eliverance without
fully Endorsing it as an accurate State
ment of the issue. 1t seems to bark Rack
to the best traditions of the republican
party: to the times when it had no use
for the arts of the trimmer, when, seeing
what it believed to be the path of duty,
it took that way and pressed on to vic
tory. If the old-time courage of Lincoln
and Grant has not died out the leaders,
organs and orators will face the only
new issue, the real, the vital issue.
Expansion is the one great and preg-
nant fact of the Mckinley adminlstra-
ton. Insular expansion, the acquisition
of. islands in the far East, which no
American expects or desires shall ever