Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-05
ARRANGING THE platform.

ARRANGING THE platform.
Whenever the Inter Mountain has
called attention to the utterances OF
nron,inent democratic leaders. as 1ndlcat-
ing the trend of that party, it mas peen
nron,ntlv rebuked by the democratic
nress Of this state with the statement
that no one was authorized to rmula
the opinions of that political organiza-
ton, until it's accredited delegates meet
in natidh,al convention. To intimate that
the u~tterances quoted had any bearing
on the future of the party. when they
were at variance with it's former declara-
tons. was to excite in our democratic
contemporaries a condition OF political
hysteria. /
According to the Associated Press re-
ports today, however, the official leaders
of the democracy have not waited to
hear from the body of the party, in con-
yention assembled, in order to prepare
a platform for it's candidates to stand on. !
Not LONG since, National Chairman Jones
appointed a committee, consisting OF
Senator's Money, Bacon, Tillman and
Turley. to go through the past platforms
of the democracy, and sort out a set OF
principles suitable for party use when
the convention meets, with a view of get
ting the two wings of that organization
together for harmonious work in the
forthcoming campaign.
This advisory committee is now at
work, gathering platform materials to-
gether, so the delegates will know what
their principles are without Overtaxing
themselves when they meet to save the
country from impending ruin. h AS
ISOLATED Press report of this work says:
It is part of their purpose to bring
about as much unanimity as possible in
the platforms OF h several state con-
ventions on these subjects, leaving each
state to deal with the silver issue as best
suited for it's particular locality.
1t is, indeed, a pretty condition OF
affairs in a great political organization
when it's national chairman has to ap-
point a committee to formulate it's prin-
ciples and submit them to the various
state conventions to be held for the Sc
lection of delegates, in order to secure
anything like a uniformity of expression
on any public issue! This action is tan
tamount to a confession that the demo-
Gratis of no two states in the union be-
lieve alike, and. to avoid helpless con-
fusion in the national convention, the
national committee must dictate a set of
principles to each state c~onvention!
The democrats in different states differ
radically as to the expansion question,
and as to how the trusts should be
issues of the campaign. in he opinion Of
Bryan n other democratic leaders,
some sort of a compromise must be
effected between the several states before
the national convention is held. To at
tain this end the most remarkable spec
tacle is to be witnessed of a national
committee retailing political principles
to the local organizations of the various
StoeCS' AAlS Is WutdI COlOnel Bryan
would call a government of the people,
by the people and for the people! In 1898
Chairman Jones attempted the same
thing, when he issued instructions to the
democrats to carry out the fusion ideas
of 1896. but Montana r~epudiated FED
eral' interference with States right ;,
1t must be assumed that the courtesy OF
a hearing of the committees report m
democratic principles for 1900 will he
denied by the Montana state conven.
ton.
But while the national committee will
try to force unanimity of sentiment re.
speeding the leading or paramount issues
of the campaign, it seems that eact
state is to be allowed ''to deal with thu
silver issue as best suited for it's local.
ity.' This means that the democrats O
Montana will declare for the free ant
unlimited coinage Of silver and gold, a.
a ratio OF 16 to /. by the Independent &C
ton of this nation-provided the Ana
conda Standard withdraws it's statemen
that the ratio is fixed by the worlds ex
changes-while throughout the east fire.
coinage will be r~epudiated. and in tn,
middle west dismissed with q gei!era
reference to bimetallis m. It means fur