The advocate and Topeka tribune., 1892-09-07
THAT INTERNATIONAL SILVER
CONFERENCE,

Journal, the faithful exponent of the
gold-bug creed at the mouth of the
Ksw, clearly indicates what we pre-
dicted some time ago as the outcome
Of President Harrison's silver confer
ence:
Although all the leading nations have re-
SpOnded to President HsrriSOn'S invitation to
participate In an international silver conference,
the outlook for favorable results Of the con.
ference are not quite ss bright as they were when
the meeting was first arranged for.
It Is reported that the Instructions given the
British delegates are the same as were given the
delegates to the Paris conference Of 1881. Great
Britain, 1t is said, was bound to repeat these In
Structl0ns for the reason that the Paris confer
ence Of 1881 was never really dissolved. It
adjourned TO a given day, but for some reason
failed to meet on that day. The question has
been raised by the French delegates to the
former conference whether the United States,
after accepting the invitation to the Paris con-
ference, has acted fairly In asking the nations to
again assemble In monetary conference COM
posed Of delegates from the same countries
which took part In the conference Of 81. The
proper course for the United States, It Is as
serted, was to have requested the French gov
ernment to reconVene the unfinished conference
and resume the bl-metallic discussion, az was
agreed when the Paris conference adjourned.
The fact that the great nations have consented
to honor the presidents invitation, however, Is
evident that they COnSlder the proposed confer
ence proper and timely. The eleven years that
have elapsed since the Paris conference are
enough to warrant the conclusion that the fall
ure to formally adjourn sine die has been cured
by time. The only thing to cast shadow over
the prospects Of the coming conference Is the re-
ported instructions to the British delegates
Great Britain being the country from which the
president hoped for most valuable assistance.
Readers of the ADVOCATE will re-
member that only few weeks ago
we published the preliminary declara-
tions Of the delegates to the Paris
conference of 1881, making known
their instructions from the govern
ments they represented. Not single
delegate was authorized to enter into
any agreement looking to the inter-
national reconciliation Of silver, and
very few were even authorized to vote
upon any question coming before the
conference.
Here we have the assurance that
Great Britain has given the delegates
to the present conference the same
instructions as to those of the confer
ence Of 1881. Those instructions are
stated as follows in the preliminary
declaration Of the delegate:
My instructions impose upon me the duty, q
duty which shall be only too happy to perform,
Of furnishing you all the information you may
desire concerning the laws and the monetary
system Of England.
They do not permit me to vote upon the prop
oSitions which may be submitted to you.
The American delegates to the
Paris convention are supposed to
have graduated under the " "instruc-
tions" of this British representative,
and a new set has been selected for
the school of 1892. No man with a
thimbleful of brains ever supposed
the coming congress would agree to
the demonstration of silver. No such
result was looked for or desired by
President Harrison. The whole in
tent Of the conference is to deceive
the people, and through this deCep-
tion secure their votes once more for