Daily inter mountain., 1900-02-02
WHAT IS A PARAMOUNT /SSUEe

/ The Anaconda STANDARD TAXES Tie pc
culiar position that there is no such
thing as paramount issue" in the vo-
cabulary Of a political campaign. Yes
terday it said:
The paramount issue cry never had
a grain of common sense to support 1t.
All that any party can do is TO make lts
declarations fairly upon the issue.
If the foregoing be true there is no
distinction between the different planks
in the platform of political party, and
the organization owes to each the same
campaign energy and support. When
successful at the polls it is in duty bound
to give no more prominence to the legis-
lative demands of one issue than to an
other. All issues are reduced to the
same level; the declarations in one plank
are entitled to the same consideration as
, those contained in any other plank. To
make one question of supreme import
ance, while other platform utterances
are of lesser interest, both to the party
and to the public, would be to create
says there is not "a grain of common
sense" in the idea.
In 1896 it was stoutly maintained by
Mr. Bryan and his followers that the
free coinage of silver and gold, at ratio
Of Is to /. by the independent action Of
this nation, was the paramount" issue
Of that campaign, and the pledge was
given that it would continue to occupy
that exalted position until 1t was settled
and settled right Whether the abandon
ment of the idea of paramountcy on the
part Of the Standard is a confession that
the silver question has been settled right,
or whether it is trying to lessen the shock
which it must have felt when silver was
showed into the background, may never
be definitely known. Mr.. Bryan, how
ever, has not abandoned the idea that
an issue can be designated as para
mount" During the past year he has
repeatedly pointed to anti-imperialism
as being the paramount issue of the
| forthcoming campaign, meaning thereby
that it would be the chief question upon
which the presidential battle would be
fought, just as silver was in 1885,
="
The displacing of free coinage, as the
leading war-cry of the campaign, in
order to reunite the silver and gold wings
of the democracy, suggests to the Ana
conda Standard the necessity Of entering
the field with the novel argument that
there is no such thing as paramount"
issue, thereby accrediting one plank with
as much Importance as another. If,
then. silver is honored with a general
reference in the national platform of the
democratic party, the Standard will
claim, for campaign purposes, that its
success at the polls would mean the dedi-
cation of the best energies of the organ
ization to the displacement of the single
standard! But it would mean nothing of
the kind. AS we'll might it be said that
the quadrennial plank in the platform,
pledging fidelity to the traditions of the
democratic party, means that as much
effort Will be made to crystalline those
traditions into law as would be put forth
to legislate in favor of the live issues
of the day!
The distinction between paramount
and minor issues of a campaign has been
always recognized by political parties
The position of the Standard is an origi-
AMI innovation, invented for the sole pur.
pose of trying to reconcile the forth.
coming attitude of the national democ-
racy with the campaign necessities od
the party in a silver state. 1T is a cum.
ming play for that paper to make but M
one can be deceived by 1t.
The national democratic party thi:
year will do as it has heretofore done
devote it's best energies to the search TO,
converts to the paramount issues Of thu
campaign, regardless of their views OF
the minor declarations of the platform
The side issues. among which silver is t,
be placed-if honored at all with men
tion in the democratic platform-are TO
local effect only where they may be use,
to the best advantage. Thus, silver will
be talked in the silver producing states