The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-27
CONFESSION AND AVOIDANCE.

IL IS knOWns ana admitted that the itself on the solid ground of the gold standard. It had many within its ranks who were continually pulling back. and not a few of them at last, when the issue between gold and silver had been fairly Joined, went to Bryan. But all the time the Republican Party contained the greater part Of the gold standard men. and the Democratic men. ~ A
 On the supreme issue there was a good deal of sparring and or evasion for years. but at last. in 1s9s. the Re the gold standard. and the Democratic Party .declaFed in direct terms for free coinage ofdsiIrsGSi Ehis made the issue of 1896. and rnatfe It Again in 1900: On Parker voted twice tor Bryan and sii- Republican Party 6n this great question was w,s, not o1d als II shopla have been by this score was q main part of the work of The oregoniar during years and
 But the Republican Party "got last the Democratic Party got wrong,'' wholly wrong; in which course it has persisted till now. It avails not to try to excuse the Democratic Party's- course gation that the Republican Party tenn porized at an earlier time. In 1898 and again in 1900 the direct issue was on the gold standard. It is suficiently known how the two parties stood On the question.
 It Is just as we'll to keep the facts straight as we go along. The Oregon ian could not help but admit that the Republican Party had many men in its ranks who were souarely for free sil- yer. It should have told the whole truth and admitted that many of the leaders of the Party, like Mckinley. Roosevelt, Cannon, and numerous oth- CTS of equal prominence. were just as seriously affected as Bryan himself was. True, as a general thing. these leaders did not quit. their Party and 1 join MT. BTyan's forces, but that does not in any degree alter the fact that they were out and out free silver men, and if their Party had declared for 1t, they would have been the 1oudest 16- to-1 shriekers in all the land.
 And there Is another point on which The Oregonian is not quite as open and fair as 1t professes to be. The Re- publican Party declared itself for sound 1896. and why? Because any man with ay,shred of intelligence knew. long be. fore that atSconvention4met. that Democ- | racy was shopelessly and helplessly | bound to the free-coinage dogma. It was plain. many months before our
 
 free-coinage element dominated the Party beyond peradventure and any man with the slightest gift of per | spicacity could see that the free silver | men would not only control the con | vention but would declare plainly and unequivocally for free coinage. and | would commit the Democracy to its support as far as any convention can bind a great Party.
 With these facts staring them in the face. what was there for the RepubIi- | cans to do? If they, also, had declared for free coinage. they could have made no issue with the Democrats, and could not have hoped for the support of the | conservative interests of the country. If they had lodged the issue entirely. | 1t would have been little better, for that would have driven from them the | strong business men of the North and East, just as those same men were driven from the Democratic Party by the Chicago insanity of the Demo crats. sTn short, the Republicans were l d Aa of ea1r defence. sand fas the only method of making a winning fight against their opponents. He must needs go that the devil drives said Shakespeare, and { the devil of circumstances drove the Republicans to sound money.
 In 1900 the path was plalner and easier to follow. The experience of the previous campaign convinced them | that tying on to free coinage meant disaster to the Democrats, and that the advocacy ot,,a asonn95 money meant suc' I cess for thes1uRepubNcans It was plain that Democracy had not been de- livered from Bryan and Bryanism, and that another campaign on the same is- sues was inevitable. To adhere to sound money was easy. because 1t had proven a winning card, and all the in dications were that 1t would win much more easily and certainly than 1t dld in 1S96.
 a:This. in brief. Is the Republican rec ord on the financial issue, and The Oregonian knows it.. The Republican Party ''got right" because there was nothing else to do. The Democrats are right because sad experience has con
 vinced them that they were wrong be- fore. The Democrats are as sound on
 that issue as the Republicans are and
 will remain so. Our enemies can make
 no issue on this question. and are fool
 ish to try it. What Is more. they dis
 play much cheek when they boast of their financial record.
 | ---SS
 We are quite sure the best element
 of the country will approve the plain
 statement put forth by Judge Parker
 that he is not going to make any