Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-08

and we must meet it as we met it in
1896. If our verdict was right then, it
would be calamity to reverse it now.
There was some room for argument
In 1896, and much was then said in
favor of free silver that seemed plaui-
sble. We had hard times, and it was
natural for free trade democrat to be-
lieve that it was the gold standard, when
his leader told him so, and not free trade
that made the trouble. 1t was then with
many only theory, and one theory may
be claimed to be as good as another until
exploded by practical results; but there
Is no longer excuse for theorizing.
FACTS VS.. OPINIONS.
Mr. Bryan dealt with opinions then
facts are dealing with him now. See with
what results. He told us that if we
adopted the gold standard the hard times
grow worse. We rejected his advice and
unexampled prosperity has blessed the
land. He said prices would fall still
lower, but instead. they rapidly rose.
He said our railroads would all he bank
rupt, but, instead, they have more bust
ness than they can handle. He said we
would become a hopeless debtor nation,
owing all the world, and compelled to de-
pend on the money markets Of Europe
to float our securities, but. instead, we
have seen foreign nations, including
England herself, selling their bonds in
who are paying for them with American
money worth one hundred cents in gold
all over the world. He said our foreign
commerce would languish, and the bal
ance Of trade would be against us. but
instead we have never traded SO much
with other nations and the balances Of
trade in our favor We're never 50 large.
He drew direful pictures of the scarcity
of money and told how it would curtail
and handicap and emDarrass business,
but instead the volume is steadily in
creasing and the amount per capita is
now the largest we nave ever had. He
was filled with distress because of the
fate that would befall the farmer if he
could not be allowed to pay off his mort
cages with fifty-cent silver dollars, and
told with great emotion, how the farm
er's farm and his home would be sold
under the hammer, but, instead, the
farmer has shared in the unusual pros
perity, and with the good prices COM
manded by his products, he has paid off
more mortgages than We're ever before
cancelled in the same length of time.
The railroads cannot get cars enough to
handle the corn. the wheat and other ag-
ricultural products that are hunting
markets in this and other lands Such
illustrations might be multiplied. but
are sufficient to show what the country
needed in 1896 was not free silver on
top of free trade, as recommended by Mr..
Bryan, but a protective tariff and gold
standard, as recommended by Presidaat
Mckinley, and promised by the repub-
lican party. In the presence OF these
undisputed, practical, everyday facts
the predictions and the statesmanship OF
Mr. Bryan appear indeed ridiculous.
Notwithstanding, he now comes again
before the American people asking to be
placed at the head of our government.
Not, however, on the free silver pron-
osition for although he has not aband-
to- ~ f1Nn AhHnn nyi n
peopls nave. condemned Vt. Not, either,
as H. trader. for while he still ad-
heres ~ that belief, he knows that the
country has not vet forgotten the distress
that attended our last experience with
that policy. Neither on any other prop
osition we have had occasion to debate
during the last twenty-four years. All
these great subjects of political differ
ence in the past are, if not conceded to pc
finally settled, at least ignored for the
purposes of this campaign.
IMPERIALISM.
RE has a new shiboleth-it is imperial
ism. He affects to believe that President
Mckinley is trying to subvert tne gov
ernment; that he is destroying the re-
public and establishing an empire; 1t is
in this way he refers to what we nave
done in Hawaii Cuba, Porto Rico ana
the Philippines. What are the facts!
HAWAII.
Was the acquisition an act of impe-
rialism? The people there had already
overthrown monarchy and established
| a republic, modelled after our own. They
had the same system of Jurisprudence
the same codes of procedure in thell
courts. the same system of schools Fol
! wears they had been celebrating the
! Fourth of July and Washington's birth.
day. They have q post of the Crane
| Army Of the Republic and they have OBJ
| riu1 a
do in the states.
Not arbitrarily. not tyranically, no
! like a dependency of an empire. having
no rights the ruler was bound to respect
but it has been created territory o.
the United States, and has been give1
precisely the same government in effect
| If not in all it's details, that all ou
territories enjoy. Nobody in Hawaii il
conscious of an imperialistic exercise o
4 power or trend of events so far as those
! islands are concerned. They are all re
| ioicing that they are under our flag ant
! in thesenjoyment of our free institutions
| Would Mr., Bryan undo all that and hau
! down our flag again? If so, for wha
purpose? Except only to restore mon
archy.
What are the facts as to Cuba? Mos
1 reluctantly the president consented t
/ go to war with Spain to secure the in
dependence of the people of that island
!. The war was brilliantly successful an
Spain was elected. We were in posi-
ton to do as we liked: we had possession
with an army and navy flushed wit
victory and irresistible, but they wer
there only to protect and help the wea
not for empire.
When we entered upon the interven
ton we gave pledge to the Cubans an
the whole world that as soon as tn
islands could be pacified we would with
draw and leave the Cubans to govern
mept of their own selection. Alread
undr our guidance and with our hell
municipal governments of their Ow
choice have been established and are i
operation throughout all that country
and an election has been ordered t