Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-06-02
REEDS LATE TALK.
Comments on His Remarks on
Silver Coinage.
COERCION OF ANT1-smvER NATIONS

A Prspessd ~ Reed In He Losdoa lister
view ssA Lodge In His Senate Rssolution
How the single STANDARD Men View It
-nejeeted by Bland-warner Before
the Sugar Investigators Summary Of
:hs Case Up to Date.
WASHINGTON, June a. Representative
Thomas B. Reeds interview In The Fort
nightly Review, of London, advocating
the freer use Of silver, has attracted much
attention In congressional circles. The
plan suggested by him for an agreement
among nations to use silver and to fix dis
eliminating tariff rates against countries
not using silver has been specially open to
comment, and is the same as that en-
braced in the resolutions recently intro
duced in the senate by Lodge, though
| which of these Yankee statesmen is the
author of the idea at this time Is not
known. Its opponents sarcastically call it
u beautiful idea" 1t could be worked
in so many different cases, they say, and
would be just as effective in one case as in
another-if IL was effective mt all.
Sort Of international Regulation"
They say it would be a sort of interna-
tional regulation that would have the ad-
vantage-from its advocates point of view
certainly-of always regulating other ma
lions, not the United States. They say it
would work just as well to compel Great
Britain to take our bonds ut par or a pre-
MUM; buy our railway stocks ut the top
market price, or accept "fiat'' money with
out discount, il the American people
should decide to adopt fiat money of the
ISIS greenbacker sort. For that matter,
they say, why not try its effect on the
price Of American wheat,
Burrows Thinks 1t . Good Idea.
These are the single standard men who
talk this way. Burrows takes different
view. He says: "Mr. Reeds article is
! very timely There has been much mis-
representation as to the attitude of the
Republican party on silver. They are not
for gold alone, nor for silver alone, but for
both gold and silver. The only question
| Is how to secure that free use of both
] metals II il can be accomplished by
mutual cooperation among nations, with
! a defensive tariff alliance against nom
silver using nations, that may be the best
solution"
/ Burrows was asked if such tariff reci-
procity among silver-using countries
| would be q surrender of the protective
doctrine.
''Ey no MEANS" said he "a fair meas
ure Of protection to American industries
could he maintained even with those coun-
tries using silver"
Reeds Plan Wholly Impracticable.
Tracey of New York, the Democratic
anti-silver leader. voiced the views of that
element. "Mr. Reeds plan is wholly i'm
practicable" said he. There is no eco
nomic connection between tariff and sill
yer. II England does not want silver she
cannot be made to want it by threatening
her with discriminating tariff rates. Mr..
Reed might as well have proposed to force
England to use silver by sending rioters
among her people. His plan amounts to a
threat Of giving England trouble if she
does not accept silver. The proposition is
q novelty, but nothing more"
bland Will Have None OF 1t.
Bland laughed at the idea of Reed being
for silver, and then read the article "Mr
Reed comedies our arguments" said Mr.
Bland, but he offers us remedy which
we will not have. The great agricultural
classes who are behind silver will never
consent to tariff war which will close
the markets of Europe to our agricultural
products. That would he the effect OF
MIR. Reeds proposition. There is no need
of uniting the tariff and silver questions
They are wholly independent. If the
United States will coin silver it will forct
England and other foreign countries t.
recognize silver without threatening with
discriminating tariff duties.
Necessity and Persistence.
"They must sell their goods, and il WI
insist on offering them silver it will 500,
become their interest to make silver valu
able. We must accomplish the end n
home, and not adopt Mr.. Reeds plan O
going abroad and securing free silver BY
threats Of higher tariff. 1t is probabl,
that his main desire is not so much to ait
silver but to establish higher protectiv,
duties against European countries"
Bland was asked il the silver elemen
of the west and northwest would aceep
Mr.. Reeds views as gain to the silve
cause.
"They will not" said Bland. 1--WE ar,
not asking Mr.. Reed to admit our argu
ments but to admit our solution"
A General Republican View.
c. W. Stone, Of Pennsylvania, the lead
ing Republican of the coinage committee
voiced the caution prevailing among man,
Republicans rs to accepting the new de
, parture suggested by Reed. Stone sale
there would be little division on his sid,
MS to Reeds first proposition Of uniting
the nations for a freer use of silver, but h,
was not ready to admit that such uniol
, was worth having if it cost q surrender I,
, reciprocity or other steps destructive Il
the protection Of American industry.
: ANOTHER REcALcIrRANr WITNESS
Representatives Warner Stands on HI
Privilege as N Statesman.