The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-07-12
A FLlMsY STRUCTURE.

It must be conceded that Bryan
made a heroic and determined fight
for recognition of the principles on
which he twice led his party, and that
he was entitled to better treatment
than was accorded him at st. Louis.
win and along with %numberless other
good democrats he is compelled to
stand aside and see the "reorganizers"
in the saddle. How the platform is
regarded by the party in Montana is
best shown by the very dignified 81
lence maintained concerning it in the
leading newspapers that pose as or
gans of the democracy. Only the In
dependent has seen fit to say some
thing, prompted thereto by a desire
to "save it's face" The little that
it has said might as we'll have re-
NAMED unspoken. It's words are per-
functory, without the sound of Sc
robustness and totally lacking in the
enthusiasm which usually marks ev-
erything that clever publication utters
on any subject involving it's party.
1T is content with g~eneralizing, care
full not to mention any one plank Is
particularly worthy of note or study
or as expository Of the prodigious
truths democracy is supposed to teach.
Exception alone may be made of the
paragraph in the platform which
deals with irrigation. This the In
dependent lights upon as a starving
man would clutch a sandwich, and
calls it a .strong feature and of par
ticular interest to the west" Luckily
for the Independent the convention
was gracious enough to throw this sop
to the west. Had national irrigation
"a measure urgently advocated by a
republican president and passed by a
republican congressman been a policy
OF the government, it might be safe
to say the convention would have
found against it, but having become
one of the laws and having received
the endorsement of the people, both
east and west, it lacked the temerity
to declare against it and was content
with congratulating the west upon
its existence, we'll knowing that no
matter what it might say would not
AFFECT it one way or another.
But nc one should blame the indie.
pendent Or any other democratic
newspaper for refusing to enthuse.
The platform is a mighty poor struc,
ture upon which to venture into dan.
gerous heights in praise of it. Aside
from its opposition to the administra,
ton it contains nothing to appeal
to the democratic heart. It's inveigh
ment against the trusts is so palpably
1Re a fraud aud 1noo;+ +lo4 :. 49,.
no one. Days before it's adoption Bry.
an and many others who are entitled
to the distinction OF being called lead.
ers OF the party were ~outspoken in
their declarations of what to expect
The very men and corporations which
are denounced in the platform domi
mated the convention and dictated it,
policies. While crying out agains
trusts and monopolies, the c~onventio,
was governed and controlled by TIL,
Belmonts and others who are tn
minds, souls and hearts of trusts. an,
the men who obeyed their behest
were merely puppets, the strings t.
whom were pulled for the purpose o
deceiving the common people.
While at heart in favor of the cur
rency that the republican party ha.
the courage and honesty to give tn,
people, yet the convention lacked tn,
manhood to so declare itself, and il
place OF an open, manly declaration
one way or another, recourse is had t,
subterfuge and the question is dis
missed In . few words reciting tina
because of the great output of gol,
N %hn Ioo< Ro~ ~,na~- = -orov cto.a