The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-08-21
BECOMING FRIGHTENED,
America Holds England's Pros
perity in the Hollow Of Its
Hand.

| Hand.
ENGLAND AND THE SILVER
QUESTION.
Editorial in Lond on Financial News, April
30th, 1894.
| In matters of international policy
neither this nor any other country
dares to act in deliberate antagonism
to its neighbors. The comfy of ma
tlons requires that no power should
follow a course damaging, directly or
Indirectly, to the interest of country
with which it is at peace. At the
same time, we seem to be shaping to-
ward course which may bring US into
awkward conflict with the popular
sentiment, if not with the governing
powers OF countries with whom we
hold politically friendly relations. In
another column we print abstracts
from speech made in the American
Senate the other day by Mr., D on
Cameron, who represents Pennsyl-
vania. The gist Of Mr. Cameron's
contention was that the English policy
on the all-absorbing monetary Ques-
tion is directly antagonistic to Ameri-
can interests, and that the United
States must throw off the influence OF
English ideas if she means to main
tain the steady march Of her prosper
ity There have not been wanting, of
late, indications of growing irritation
with this country for it's dog-in-the-
manger attitude toward a ques tion
that is convulsing two continents and
gravely compromising the future of
the poorer. states in Europe. The
! feeling has been voiced in America by
Senator Lodge, whose proposal to vir-
| tually shut out British goods from the
| United States until we should assent
| to a bimetallic convention, though
extreme and absurd, indicates the
trend Of sentiment on the other side
of the Atlantic. Mr. Cameron is mild
er, and makes war rather on those
who acclimatize English ideas in
| AAAASAASA CAAGAA vi UAlIO OO0AUly, OuU
the sentiment is the same in both
cases.
Senator Lodge is not a silver man
in the usual sense, being opposed out
and out to free coinage in the U nited
States under existing conditions; and
therefore, his views, though tinged
wsth strong feeling, may attract more
attention here than those of the pro-
nounced silverites. Mr.. Lodge is very
| bitter about the failure of the Brus-
sells conference of last year. where the
attitude of the British official dele
| gates was "scarcely less than discour-
teous" to the United States, and he
| believes that nine-tenths of the
American people regard it in that
light. A feeling of this kind is not to
be lightly ignored. We have frequent
| diplomatic differe noes with the
| United States, but, as rule, there is
| seldom associated with these any
sense Of animus between the people
| Of the two countries, and such squab-
bles pass over and are forgotten. But
now we are encouraging the growth Of
feeling that on question which af-
fectS the prosperity of millions of in
dividual Americans this country is in
| clined to entertain views unfriendly
to the states. We know, of course,
| that the unfriendliness is accidental, !,
and that our monetary policy is con-
| trolled by purely selfish considera-
| tions-so purely selfish that we do not
mind seeing India suffering from our
| action much more than America does.
| The Americans are sufficiently old
| fashioned to believe that it is the part
| Of friend to show himself friendly,
and when this country turns a deaf
ear to the plaint of half the world, in
Guiding all the New World, they, not
unnaturally, take it unkindly. It is
not for us to say whether the feeling
of irritation is wholly justified or not;
it exists, and this is the main
poit. Moreover, it is taking a shape
that may entail very awkward conse-
quences on us. The recent proposal
to coin Mexican dollars in San Fran
cisco was bid toward giving us an
object lesson by ousting us from our
commanding position in Eastern
trade.
Senator Cameron points a plain
moral when he remarks that il the
United States would venture to cut
herself adrift from Europe and take
outright to silver, she would have all
America and Asia at her back, and
would command the markets of both
continents. 1.-THE barrier of gold
would be more fatal than any barrier
| of acustom-house. The bond of silver
would be stronger. than any bond of
| free trade" There can be no doubt
about it, that if the United States
were to adopt silver basis tomorrow
British trade would be ruined before
the year was out. Every American
industry would be protected, not only
at home, but in every other market.
OF course, the states would suffer to a
certain extent through having to pay
her obligations abroad in gold, but the
loss on exchange under this head
would be mere drop in the bucket
compared with the profits to be reap
ed from the markets of South
America and Asia, to say nothing Of
Europe. The marvel is that the
United States has not long ago seized
the opportunity: but for the belief
that the way Of England is necessarily
the way to commercial success and
prosperity, undoubtedly it would have
been done long ago. Now, Americans
are awakening to the fact that $50
long as they narrow their ambition to
becoming a larger England" they can
not beat us. It has been a piece OF
luck for us that it has never before
occurred to the Americans to scoop us
out Of the worlds markets by going
on silver basis. and it might serve us
right if, irritated by the contemptu-
Gus apathy Of our government to the
gravity OF the silver problem. the
American retaliate by freezing out
gold. It could easily be done, and we
nrannSn shortly to show hv aYidanca