Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-07-12

AAS AN
consistent, induced that party to declare
for silver at Kansas City. It would not
have lone so for the SAKE of consistency
but for the positive assurance of Mr..
Bryan's close friends that he would not
be a candidate unless the specific silver
plank We're inserted. For three long
days the committee OF resolutions
%squabbled and fought to keep silver out
of the platform. A majority of the COM
NIT tee were against it until the alterna-
tive of Bryans withdrawal was pre-
scented and then the issue was saved only
by the Kanaka and Oklahoma vote. 1t
waiian islands and one from the terri
tory. of Oklahoma saved silver in the
democratic platform! Every Eastern
delegation and many Western delega-
tons were against it either openly or
covertly. To give emphasis to its oppo-
sition the convention vent wild every
time David B. Hill, the greatest goldite
in the convention, appeared on he floor
and it would ave nominated him but
for his frantic and pitiful appeals for
mercy. The final insertion of the silver
plank was an empty mockery. Such is
the party disposition on the subject now
that no intelligent man believes for a
moment a silver law would be enacted
should the house and senate have a dem
oovofio mn jf,,,tty aypn nf S0 votes Qqnh
The bigger the majority the less would
the chance for the white metal. The
temper of the convention was all against
silver and Bryan himself YOU have
fully represented the wild and woolly
theories of populism contained in the
Chicago platform. to which the party
was ~frrevocably committed and for
stand. Like the Old Man of the Sea, Bry-
an was fastened around the neck of the
democracy and the party was forced to
carry him. 1t accepted the silver plank
! with many a mental reservation. What
must the men of the West think of a So
called silver party which insists on nom
mating for the vice presidency a goldite
like David B. Hill, and finally does NOM
mate Adlai Stevenson. the tail end of
the Cleveland administration? Can any
democratic newspaperin Montana defend
that proposition? Almost the entire time
of the convention was occupied in dis
cussing whether to make a specific dec
1~aration for silver or not, in other words,
| whether to undertake. to deceive the
American people on that issue or not. It
was claimed that simply to reaffirm the
Chicago platform would satisfy the West
without alarming tine East, while to
make a specific declaration for silver al
a given ratio would antagonize the East
without increasing Western support
Both the committee and convention were
shown to be against a specific DECLARE
ton until Bryan threatened to refuse
the nomination without it. A ballot was
taken and silver won by two votes, one
of which came from Honolulu. We re.
peat these facts because of a desire that
the silver advocates Of Montana should
be impressed with what happened ir
Kansas City. The party simply
bowed to expediency. 1t wa.
plainly opposed to silver, but it could
not afford to lose the man who in thu
democratic mind stands for free trade
anti-expansion, opposition to capital
hostility to the cour.s when they seel
to preserve order and other ~anarchistit
and dangerous doctrines advocated il
table old line democrat would have ac
cepted the nomination. It was Bryan O
nobody. But the silver plank, as far a
the convention is concerned, is alread,
a dead letter and will SO remain. It VIII
not be heard of in the campaign. etthe
in the a or South. Democratic ora
tors will ignore the issue. The platform
itself states that the issue of imperial
ism is paramount" Silver comes fifth
on h list. ToWne says it has been rel
egated to the rear. Possibly the Ana
conda Standard and Butte Miner may lie
out a few frantic bowls for the whit
metal should they both be in the demo
cratic ranks at the end of the Montans
campaign, but that will be only to foo
the boys, az it vas when they supporte,
THAI great silver champion, Campbell
who promptly left Washington when tn
gold standard bill was up for passage.
For the beneft Of those citizens o
Montana who desire more particular In
formation as to the real attitude of til
! o,nxyort;o, ~, tho c;lyo. co,,o 4~l &c, -,