The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-06-01
SILVER FASATIcIsM.


Many Of the best friends Of silver among
statesmen and several newspapers which
favor free coinage are earnestly and with
emphasis denouncing the forthcoming in
ternational conference. The suggestion of
the conference q few weeks ago angered
these parties, and now that the consultation
IS certain their anger has been intensified.
Iney denounce it as ''trck,u say that
the gold bugs have engineered The scheme
in the interest of single standard, and
that the president called the meeting that
ho might gain time without appearing to
oppose silver, the charge being made that
he Is afraid 20 antagonize either the silver
or the gold politicians until after the cleo
ton
HE HERALD has yer believed that the
conference would result in the remonetiza-
ton Of silver by all the great powers. We
nave doubted that RECOMMENDATION would be
favored by any OF the European countries
Al the same time, it is impossible to see
now the conference can in1ure the cause
OF silver, how it can delay the
reconciliation OF the white metal
IN this country. The congress is merely
Tor the discussion Of the question, and not
Tor action. In fact, the congress will be
powerless. II viii be without authority to
bind anybody. II all the delegates were TO
agree that silver should be rehabilitated
and free coinage re established, their agree
ment would amount only to recommends
ton to their respective governments, which
the latter might accept or reject as their
legislators willed. Or if the conference
were to unanimously agree that it would
be wrong to adopt bimetaliism, their gov
esnments would not be bound in the least.
The conference is called for an inter
change Of ideas and the discussion of the
problem by the great fnanciers and politi-
cal economists of the world. 1t should re-
suit in much popular enlightenment on the
subject; but whether or not this will be
the case we fail to see how it can work any
harm or in the least injure the cause OF
silver.
The trouble with too many of the silver
advocates is that they will not keep their
tempers. knowing they are right they
have no patience with those who have not
been converted to their way Of thinking.
Thus, over in Colorado a man is looked
upon as public enemy if he will not de-
clare his belief that the country is on the
verge Of ruin and can be rescued only by
the immediate passage of free coinage
bill The best friends of silver and
those who are doing most for it,
are the people who concede the
possibility of honesty on the part Of
some who do not favor free coinage and
believe that the desired result can be
soonest brought about by education. Inter-
national congresses, free silver confer
enoes like that which assembled in Wash
ington last week, temperate argumentative
addresses and literature discussing the
problem from the standpoint of intelligence
and reason will do their work in good time
whereas the fanaticism which is too often
encountered, the abusive denunciation so
much INDUCED in, the refusal to approve
any suggestion which is not in favor of the
immediate rehabilitation of silver without
calling in question the wisdom or the pro-
priety of the action, are not, in our opin-
ion, helping the cause; rather are they an
tagonizing some who might be won over to
the side Of right if proper methods were
pursued