Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-07-05
PLATFORM FIGHT
COMMITTEES ALMOST EVENLY Dr.
vIDKD ON RATIO QUEsYIoN.
SEVERAL SURPRISES SPRUNG.
Senator Daniels In Favor Of Omittina
All Reference 10 Ratio-
Vote as to a..

has been brewing ever since h delegates
to the convention began to- assemble
found expression in the committee on
resolutions when 1t assembled today. The
committee was called together soon after
the first adjournment OF the convention.
but only elected its officers. a~djourning
to meet at $3.50 p. m. Senator Jones of
Arkansas, was unanimously chosen
chairman and Metcalf of Nebraska Sec
rotary. .
When the committee assembled Mr..
Metcalf presented the draft of q plat
form, covering all questions Of public in
terest, which draft all the members ac-
cepted as Mr.. Bryan's expression upon
this question. Mr.. Giard of Georgia, also
presented a platform, as did Mr. Van
Wyck of New York. All these documents
took practically the same ground on
all questions except that of finances. Mr..
Metcalf's declaration was for the reaffir-
nation of the Chicago platform in letter
and spirit and emphasized and reiterated
specifically the declaration for free coin
age of silver at the ratio of Is to 1. The
other drafts simply reaffirmed the Chi
cago platform without reference to the
ratio.
The reading of Far Wyck's document
brought Mr.. Ball of Texas, to his feet
with the suggestion that the financial
question should Immediately be taken
up and passed upon. He said it was
apparent to all that there was no divis-
ion upon n other platform question
and that with the financial plank dis
posed of the preparation of the re-
mainder of the platform would be mere
~ a matter of clerical work.
The suggestion was adopted and the
committee Immediately entered upon
the effort to settle the question of ratio.
Tha cnScinn r11-a - orr :4...-A:--
n and many speeches We're made. Mr..
Van Wyck led off with a brief state
ment, saying that while in his platform
he had referred to four issues as prom
fnent, namely. those of imperialism,
militarism. trusts n the finances, he
that only three of these were
of current consequences. believing that
the money question had been crowded
into the background by other subjects
which had pressed to the front during
the past four years.
Senator Daniel. of Virginia. somewhat
to the surprise of some of the members
of the committee. followed Mr.. Van
Wyck in, support of his views on the
question. The senator said that no man
who knew him would doubt for a min
ute that he now stood where he had
stood on the silver question in '96. and
he entertained precisely the same views
on this subject which Their controlled
him. He was, however, anxious to
bring back into the fold of the party
those who had left it four years ago
on account of the position taken on the
silver question and if this could beaac-
complished. as he believed it could be
by emitting all reference to the ratio.
he, for one, was content to pursue that
course, simply re%affirming the Chicago
platform.
Mr.. Fitzgerald of Colorado followed in
q yrovpo crnnal 1apo,,,a;r r -, 49, -.
phatic language the effort to minimize
the financial question. He said that the
omission of a declaration of the ratio of
the two metals would be a mere evasion
and concealment, and such evasion
wou not get anv one or catch any of
the gold standard people, who it vas
meant ito entrap. It was only meant to
be construed As a silver plank in one
section of the country and as an anti-siI-
yer plank in another. Such a course as
this would fail to satisfy the people of
all sections.
eff" he said. referring to the platform
presented by Mr.. Metcalf, t'Mr. Bryan is
a good enough platform, then the plat
form approved by him sllould be good
enough" He declared it was essential
that there should be a declaration for
the ratio in clear and un,nistakahle
terms and he followed his ur with the
assertion that if such declaration WIS
not made even Colorado could be counted
a doubtful state, with a p%rospect of not
only casting is electoral vote for Nc
Kinley as president but of sending
Mr.. Wo1cott back to the Unitel States
senate.
George Fred Williams of Massachus-
etts also made a spirited argument for
a specific declaration on the question of
ratio. He asserted that the democratic
narty had become a new party since it
had Incorporated the financial question
IN tic dooJo nation of nriyooinJac r. ho n
besome a virile and live rarity since 1896.
and his fact was due solely to the cir.
cumstances with the money question.
which was the question the people had
made a permanent issue. He eulo"ized
Mr.. Bryan in high terms, spoke "of his
self bnegation and patriotism and said
that it YOU be cowardly to ask that
gentleman to recant what he had beer
preaching throughout the country fol
the past four years. Mr.. Bryan had gone
up and down the nation preaching hi
metallism at the ratio of Is to l and nc
democrat has presumed for a moment &C
question his authority for such declara-
ton or to pretend that In had in any
wise misreDresented the sentiment Oh
his party. It was, in his opinion, toe
late now to condemn Mr.. Bryan's course
and a failure to make positive pro-
nouncement on this question would
amount to this. While not pretending tt
say what Mr.. Bryan would do, Mr.. Will
liams asserted emphatically n signifi-
cantly that if placed in MI. Bryan's po-
sition he would decline a nomination
uron an e%quivocal platform. AS for him
self, he did not believe in deserving thpst
people who had left their own narties tt
support the democratic policy four years
ago for the purpose of regaining the SUP,
port of the traitors who had left thu
democratic party because of it's financia
position.
The is no reason" he exclaimed
''for making any concession to treason
Continuing, he asked: Are we going
to drive the populists into the middle OF
the road in order to get back the traitors:
Are we going to sell out our principles te
the Tories of the democratic party and
desert our real friends?"
He nredicted that il this course was t