IBLT Wlffl MOONTAIH
Issued Every Evening. Except Sinicin?
INTER MOUNTAIN PUBLISHING CO.
Address ail mail to Inter Mountain
Publishing Company.
M. A. BERGER. Manager.
26 West Granite street. Butte City. Mont.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES.
Per year, by mail, in advance......$7.50
By carrier, per month................ .
Semi-Weekly, rer year. ir. advance 2.00
Subscriber; who do not receive the
paper reg'.larly are requested to no* Ty
this office.
Official Paper of Silver Bow County.
WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER
* A DEMOCRATIC CONFESSION.
In military operations a retreat from
the battlefield 'by one side is usually fol
lowed by aggressive action on the part
of the other side. The same rule holds
good in political warfare. When the
democratic party began its retreat from
•tlie position it had taken in 1S96. relative
; to the free coinage of silver and gold, anct
surrendered the vantage ground it had
acquired in aligning public sentiment
■with that idea, it invited the aggressive
(•policy which has since been pursued by
' the gold men. and which has made pos
sible the adoption of the new currency
bill that affirms the gold standard.
Had fixity of purpose on the part of
I
i
■
j
,
;
ithe democratic leaders inspired the Am-|
eriean public with faitli in their sincerity, ;
■the sentiment in favor of free coinage 1
would have been as strong to-day as it j
was in 1S96. Tt could have been shown
that free coinage would have augmented
the prosperity now enjoyed by the cooin- !
try. by supplementing the increased pro- J
'duction of gold with silver, thus en- ]
larging the facilities for business with-j
out the impairment of monetary values, j
Eut the democratic leaders and the ;
party press chose another course. In- !
stead of signalizing the defeat of 1896 j
with renwed efforts in behalf of silver, jg
keeping the issue to the forefront and
educating
th? American public to the
merits of that financial policy, they beat
a bast y retreat from the field of battle
and began the search for some other
ground upon which to make another po- !
_ litical stand in 1900. |
Scarcely had the smoke of battle in |
3896 cleared away, before the democratic I
silver leaders began the work of arrang- ,
ing terms of surrender to the gold wing :
of their own party. To effect a party re- i
union, it was necessary for the silver
democrats to recede from the radical
position taken in 1896. and agree to the
«élection of some other paramount issue
for the campaign of 1900. This -was ac
cordingly done. Mr. Bryan himself tak
ing the initiative by springing "anti-im
perialism" upon the public. He resign
ed from the army, not to promote the
silver cause but to assist in the work of
crowding it to the rear with a new issue
upon which the two wings of the party
could unite. He is to be rewarded for
this step by the support of the gold dem
ocrats who fought him bitterly in 1S96.
Lesser lights of various degrees of no
toriety and influence have emulated Mr.
Bryan's example, and even the tallow
dips of the silver democracy have sput
tered and
izzled until their political tal
, .
the campaign of 1896 was an error
judgment. No greater confession of'
I
■weakness could be made on behalf of the j
silver cause than the readiness with I
„ , , . ,. , ,
which Mr. Bi>an and his coadjutors seek j
to create a new paramount issue to take
low has taken on a yellow hue, and they
ai e willing to admit that the relative !
values of the money metals are fixed by:
tire world's exchanges. Every concession !
made by the silver democrats to the gold i
democrats is an ignoble confession that I
its place in the forthcoming campaign.
With the late silver democrats unwill
ing to accept the republican challenge to
make free coinage the paramount issue in
1900. as it was in 1S96, little wonder that
The gold men have become aggressive to a
Point where they are willing to affirm by
law the financial policy for which they
contend. Had the silver democrats kept
the silver sentiment of 1896 alive—had Mr.
Bryan, and other influential leaders of
that wing of the democratic party, devot
ed their energies to its maintenance as
the paramount issue, instead of creating
a new issue to take its place—the republi
can party would have been kept on the
defensive. But with the paramount issue
of IS96 voluntarily forced into the back
ground by its former champions and
friends, the republican advocates of the
single standard quite naturally took ad
vantage of the situation and assumed the
aggressive. The new currency bill is the
legitimate outgrowth of democratic
treachery to the free coinage cause. It
is a democratic confession of weakness
used as a republican fertilizer.
>ppot tunitj j
I
]
i
WHERE WERE THE FREE COINAGE MEN?
When the currency bill was before the
house of representatives an
was given by its advocates for the dem
ocrats to introduce a free coinage bill.
Not a republican in that body offered an
objection to the introduction o>f such a
bill, and had the democratic side been
so disposed a free coinage measure could
have been introduced as a substitute to
the currency bill.
While the republican majority would
have ensured the adoption of the cur
rency bill, in the form in which it was
passed, the democrats could have defined
their position on the free coinage issue
next year by introducing a bill providing
for the free and unlimited coinage of sil
ver and gold at a ratio of 16 to 1, by the
independent action of this nation, and
voting for it a® a unit. The fact that
members of the democratic party raised
objections to the introduction of a free |
coinage bill, and no attempt was made
to place the party on record on that is- '
sue, conclusively proves what the Inter
Mountain lias ail along maintained as to
the democratic understanding that the
paramount issue of 1S96 shall be retired
•to the rear in the next campaign.
There was nothing in the rules to pre
vent the offering of a free coinage sub
stitute for tlie republican currency bill,
when no objections were raised, and the
republican side unanimously assented to
the proposition. Had the democrats de
sired to go on record on the silver ques
tion, and commit their party to free coin
age. they could easily have done so and
thereby set at rest all doubt as to the
!
'
1
j
i
position they will take on that issue in
the next campaign. j
Instead of taking advantage of the situ- j
ation, however, eleven of their number
voted outright for the republican meas
ure, a number who favored its gold fea- ,
ture objected to other provisions of the '
bill, while still others—avowedly silver ■
man—failed t l o he in their seats. There •
is no record in the form of a free coin- !
age bill, offered as a substitute for the j
gold bill, to prove that there'are any j
genuine free coinage democrats in the ■
national house of representatives. And
yet, there are democratic newspapers in
Montana which openly assert that the
democratic party is in favor of the free
coinage of silver and gold at a ratio of
jg to 1, by the independent action of this
nation!
MISS ROBERTS IS MAD.
TVhile the polygamous relations of Con
gressman-elect Roberts justify the popu
lar indignation felt throughout the coun
try over his ambition to become an
it
'
, . , , ., . ......
American law-maker, it is certainly In
bad taste for the public to seek to hu- 1
miliate and injure his innocent daughter, j
Tf half which that lady recites be true, j
Washington c ity has more than its proper j
proportion of boors, and the sentiment
that would protect the American homej
from the infection of polygamy can afford
to take on a little education in the line of
courtesy and culture. In a late interview
in Washington, Miss Roberts tells the
story of her experiences, as follows:
During my short stay in Washington I
have been extremely embarrassed several
times. Time and again I have over -1
heard the rudest remarks concerning my- |
self and my father. Tn elevators, in the
corridors of the capitol, on the public
streets, I have been made the subject of
open comment, as if I were an object
of exhibition. Not the slightest restraint
seems to govern these people that their
audible remarks might be distasteful to
me. On the contrary, I know that on sev
eral occasions the rude people who in
dulge in these spiteful sayings were high
ly gratified by reason of the fact that I
heard and understood the significance
of their jests.
Contrasting the east and the west, I
have this to say: That were I at home,
were I among the men of the west, not
even the bitterest enemy of my father,
or of our cause, would permit me to be
so persecuted. Men of style and fash
ion of the east, do not flourish in the
west. There is a vigorous manhood there,
. which would not stoop to hurt a woman's
of'feelings.
I believe it is customary to say that wo
I men delight in the sufferings of their
j sisters. Surely this proverb has grown
I 11 P 1,1 the Past - 1 am proud to say that
no matter how bitterly my sisters of the
j W est oppose my father, or any policy
' ' 1
!
!
i
I
which he in part represented, they would
never make me the victim. I am certain
ly surprised at my experience in the east.
Tt is as different to me as a foreign coun
try. The indecency of the behavior of
eastern people with whom I have come
in contact is beyond description. It trans
cends all legitimate curiosity. I might go
up and down the west alone, unprotected
and in communities absolutely hostile to
my father and myself and never be sub
ject to such annoyance and insult.
Our civilization is certainly different. A
woman is something far more sacred in
my country than here. If such little pet
tinesses were to occur, there are big,
strong men out there who would so im
press the lesson on the offenders that
they would remember not to offend again,
even if they were so dense and ignorant
that they did not understand the inde
cency of their offenses.
The Anaconda Standard says: "Misled
by an assertion to that effect in the Chi
cago Times-Herald, the Standard yester
day stated that Pope Leo XIII. affirms
that the twentieth century begins Jan
uary 1, 1900. As a fact, the pope agrees
with scholars generally that it begins
January 1,1901." The Standard should be
ware of the iniquitious royal seizure.
A PLEA FOB CONTRIBUTIONS.
The Inter Mountain is in receipt of a
letter from the Transvaal junta in New
York, asking this paper to solicit and re
ceive subscriptions in aid of the Boer
cause. With all due respect for the gen
j t ] enlen w .] 10 are seeking to bolster up the
I interests they represent with American
; mor y, the Infer Mountain cannot bring
j itself to the belief that conditions justify
I the interference of any self-respecting
j citizen of this country.
I Aside from differences of opinion as ti
I the merits of the controversy iip South
I Africa, every American citizen should
j recognize the fact that the United States
I is a neutral power, and conform to the
'conditions thereby implied. While'there
: is no abridgement
; that would legally
right to contribute
, Paul Kruger or tlie queen, the duty of the
j citizen lies along the lines of neutrality
prescribed by the nation to which he be^
] longs. Adherence to this policy'is es
i peeially incumbent upon our people in
| view of the position taken by England!
at the outbreak of the Spanish-Ameri- '
' can war. Had it not been for the firm
and outspoken attitude of that country it
is not at all unlikely that France and
Germany would have championed the
cause of Spain and materially affected
of personal freedom j
■ deny to anyone thej
funds in aid of either
! tiie outcome of the conflict. A decent *
sense cif reciprocity ought to suggest the
propriety of keeping "..and» off" when j
American money is solicited for the pur- j
'pose of aiding the Boers to defeat the j
' English. j
1 There is unquestionably a strong feel- I
j ing in many parts of this country against j
the English government, growing out of
the afflictions which Ireland lias been \
i compelled! to undergo; and it is to this ■
sentiment that the appeal of the Boers j
j is made. Despite the neutral position !
j taken by this government, there has been ;
a great deal of wild talk about raising ,
regiments to assist the Boers, by such i
, men as Bourke Cockran, who is too big
' an as s to be a patriot and too big a cow- !
■ artî t0 shoulder a gun. All such talk is
• unpatriotic, for it is—theoretically, at
! least—a violation of neutrality laws,
j In a milder form, this feeling of antag- !
j °nism finds expression through the po- j
■ litical departments of the partisan preés, i
with the avowed purpose of creating aj
feeling of hostility toward our govern
ment, because it does not take up arms
against England in the present contro
versy in South Africa. In perhaps ,a
still milder form this political "graft"
is worked through the various depart
ments of our civil life, with a view to
the creation of sentiment.
In Helena, the capital of Montana, it
is currently reported that the school- !
, ]
ma, a ms request the pupils to give ex-,
' pression to their sentiments respecting !
™ , , ' !
the Transvaal war, by standing'up and .
1 being counted for or against the propo- ;
j sition—very like the revivalist who
j asked all those in his congregation who
j wanted to go to heaven to arise, catch
j n g those who sat still under such a re
r(Uest )}y as king all who didn't want to !
|go to hell to set up . Tn this way he |
made a clean sweep. It is said that the !
-1
|
Helena school children who favor the
English are shown the error of their
ways, while those who favor the Boers
are complimented on their breadth of in
formation. Such exhibitions may be
comparatively harmless, either one way
or tlie other, but they are in bad taste
and ought not to be allowed by the school
board.
While the merits of the South African
war can be discussed with propriety, and
conclusions drawn favorable to the pol
icy of Paul Kruger, on the one hand, or
to that of tlie English government, on the
other, overt acts that reflect on the neu
tral position taken by our government
should be condemned. Such acts might
consist ÔT furnishing arms and ammuni
tion to combatants, or contributing
money with wlhich to purchase such
supplies.
AGUINALDO'S JUNTA.
Notwithstanding the fact that Aguin
aldo is a fugitive, trying to escape from
the country in disguise, the copperhead
press need not be discouraged. J
His junta is still successfully prosecut
ing the war.
Not only does this important branch of
the Filipino "republic" gleefully report
the death of every American officer who
4s stricken down by the guerrilla bullets
of a defeated foe; but they kill off on pa
per those who still live, and circulate
broadcast over the world the news that
the Americans are on their last legs in
Luzon.
Originally, the Filipinos were only mod
erate, every day liars; but the constant
reading of democratic newspapers, with
their fairy tales about American senti
ment, has so enlarged the scope of tbeir
imagination that the junta can win every
battle that Aguinaldo loses, and not half
try.
Though the Filipino chieftain has re
tired to the backwoods on his laurels, the
borboun organs need not give up in des
pair while the junta holds out.
N®
-V
STARTLING
PRICE REDUCTIONS
Sterling Silver Toilet Arlicles reduced 20 to 40 per cent. Every
have been selling Sterling Silver Toilet Articles and Novelties, and
stiles days till Christmas
WE GUT THE PRICE ONE-FIFTH ANO TWO-FIFTHS
body knows how cheap we
yet for the four remaining
Sterling Comb and Brush in substantial * . Rft
ease, were $2.00, now............. tpl.OU
Sterling Comb and Brush for baby, in
nice ease, were $1. 75, now.........
Sterling Bonnet Brushes that we broke
the market on at $1.25, now........
Sterling Nail Polisher, full size, every
where $2, our cut pi ice was $1.25,
now............................
Sterling Velvet Brushes, $1.25 else
where, were 75c here, now..........
Sterling Clothes Brush, $3.00 world
over, we cut to $2.25, now.........
1.28
.7«
.78
.80
1.60
Sterling Bruijjh, Comb and Mirror, in
good case, were $5.00, now.........
Sterling Whisk Brushes that astonished
the town at $1.00, now............
Sterling Bonnet Brushes, the smaller
size, $1.50 kind we cut to 75c,
now............................
Sterling Thimble, Scissors, Bodkin,
Glove Darner and emery in tine case
that were snapped up at $2.00, now..
Sterling Clothes Brushes, were never
sold under $2.00 until we cut them
to $1.50, now....................
$ 4.28
.68
.80
1.80
1.08
SOUVENIRS EVERY DAY TILL CHRISTMAS.
Each and every purchaser from now until Christ
mas will be presented with a pretty souvenir.
While this applies to all, to those who will favor us
by buying in the morning we shall give presents of
three times the value of those given in the after- *
noon and evening. We do this because morning
customers and their purchases make the best ad
vertising to bring afternoon and evening buyers.
T. H. LEYSON,
MODERN JEWELER,
MODERN JEWELRY,
MODERN PRICES.
221 North Hain Street, Butte, Montana.
Mail Orders Promptly Filled. Postage Extra on Sterling Novelties.
IS OF VERY ANCIENT ORIGIN.
The festive season being so near at
hand, it may not be inappropriate to call
attention to an article which is seldom
absent from the Christmas dinner, the
mince pie. The mince pie was known be
fore the day of Praise God Barebones and
his strait-laced brethren in 1653. The
the sacrifice of the lives of His creatures.
A REASSURING INDORSEMENT.
•Syracus
name Christmas pie, by which it was also
known, was obnoxious to Puritanical ears
and offensive to Puritan taste. Seiden
tells us tliat mince Pi es were baked in a
coffln-shaped crust, intended to represent
the manger in which the Holy Child was j
laid, but more typical, we should say, of
check
calm an,i collated
d ^ M adam!" said the teller gently,
have forgotten to indorse it."
Herald: She handed the
the paying teller. She was i
as if it was an every- I
y° u
Indorse it?" with a little worried smile.
"Yes; you must write your name on the
back here to show that you will repay
SIMON BANKS'
CHALENGE SALE.
135 North Main Street, Butte
Ladies' 14K Solid Gold Watches, fine
nickel movements, warranted ..$17 50
Ladles' 14K Gold Filled Watches, nickel
movements, warranted ..........$7 50
Gents 14K Gold Watches, full jeweled,
American movements ............$35 00
Gents' 14K Gold Filled Watches, Ameri
can movements ..................$7 SO
Boys' or Girls' Solid Silver Watches,
good movements ..................$3 50
Solid Gold Baby Rings ................50c
14IC Gold Filled Brooches ............50c
Will put away any article for you and
hold it till you call for it.
THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE
G. O. McFarland, Mgr. 'Phone 547.
SATURDAY NIGHT, DEC. 23
Hali Adali
WILL THROW
Jack O'Neill, Billy Jones,
Jack Rowett and D. A.
HcMillan.
Each Man One Fall, in go Hinutes or
Forfeit $500.
PRrCES—Balcony, 75; Lower Floor, $1.00;
Stage, $1.50. Men on mat at 9 p. m.
THE CRAND OPERA HOUSE
Two Special Introductory Performances.
WEDNESDAY
AND THURSDAY
£
Dec. 20-21
Manager G. O. McFarland has the hon
or to announce the initial appearance in
Butte of the incomparable
NEILL COMPANY
Wednesday evening,
"A BACHELOR'S ROMANE."
Thursday evening, "Am? Robsart."
j
this bank in case the issuer of this check
should fail to answer our call."
"Oh!" she said, accepting the pen.
When the teller looked at the check
again this is what he read:
"The - bank has always paid up
what it owes, and you need have no wor
ry. Therefore, 1 indorse this check. Very
truly yours, Mrs. J. B. 'Blanks."
The teller fell over into the vault.
*
$ For the First
*
If]
r
Iff:
If
Time in Butte...
GENUINE
COPLEY
AND
DURER
PRINTS
Now on Exhibition in
SCHATZLEIN'S
West Show Window,
if
if
I
$
$
£
#
I
Î
14 W. BROADWAY *
%
SUTTON'S NEW THEATER
Week Commencing Sunday, Dec. 17th
with Hatinee and Saturday Hatinee
A Grand Double Bill
'•A Game of Cards"
AND
"Pink Dominoes"
Two New Faces.
Prices, 25-35-50c.
THE GRAND OPERA HOUSE
G. O. McFarland, Mgr. 'Phone 647 .
3 nights, commencing Sunday, Dec. 17,
Opening with a matinee Sunday,
Beach & Bowers' Famous
1ÆIN STRELS
Gold and Silver Band
40 -DISTINGUISHED ARTISTS-40
A vast organization. Beyond question
greater, better and superior to all min
strels of the past and present, making it
j an ideal and real mobilization of all
monavchs of the minstrel world.
All white eastern people. Watch tot
our Grand Unifornied Band. Street pa
rade at 11 a. m.
Admlssiojr $1.00, 75c, 50c, and 25c.
♦
O
During this week. Don't wait
until the last day, as we are in
variably crowded to the doors
on that occasion.
Silks
Fancy Silks, in Peau deSoie,
Taffeta and Armure finish, in
the very latest designs. , Special
per yard ........................
79c
Silks
Plain China Silk, in color's
and black. Special per yard ..
39C
Dress Patterns
Choice of a host of styles of
Novelty and Broadcloth Dress
Patterns, in all the approved
color combinations ..............
$12.50
Skirt Lengths
English Mohair Crêpons, in
skirt lengths. Special ..........
$8.85
Connell's
OPEN EVENINGS
ALL THIS WEEK