Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-03-21
lCorrespondenee Of tie Beaeon.l
WASHINGTON, March II, 1895. =

WASHINGTON, NhICn II, lcJo'
Washington is as quiet as a deserted viii
lage, with not Congress or Convention
in session, and with few Senators or men,
bers 90 be seen. Among those still here
are Senators German aud Gibson, the lat.
ter looking very much older than when he
visited st. Mary's The affairs of State
weigh heavily upon him, and perhaps the
Ghost Of his Revolutionary ancestors haunt
him for not pushing through the House his
bill for the erection of a monument to Gen.
Smallwood. Senator German has winter
residence here where he will remain until
May, when, it is reported, he will sail with
his family for Europe, leaving to their fate
those adventurous young Democrats Of
Maryland who are so anxious 10 try their
hands at guiding their party. They should
remember the fate of Phgthon and avoid
overturning the Democratic chariot in salt
river.
The few politicians here, the fe1 having
among their number those wiseacres who
would soon correct all evils civil, political
are discussing the chances Of the new, or
Silver party, and the possibility of another
monetary conference being called this year.
To this end the silver men used their
strength in the last throes of Congress and
succeeded in pushing through both Houses
a bill providing that the United States
shall have nine representatives in the next
conference. Three from the Senate
namely, Jones, of Arkansas, Daniels, Of
Virginia, and Teller, of Colorado-silver
men all. The House three, Crisp, Gull
bertson and Hit, the latter gold bug"
Then the President is to name three, all Of
whom It is predicted, will be gold bugs
The proposed conference will have for its
obiecs the restoration of silver which, since
1870: has been demonetZed. Until that
date there was uniformity in the value OF
gold and silver, and bimetallism was the
law Of the world. II is true that different
nations had different standards, but they
so evenly balanced each other as to effect
the universal recognition of the two met
ais England adopted the gold-Germany
the silver standard. France and other
countries were bimetallic Thus the two
metals constituted the metallic money of
the world, and thus were ofuniform value.
In 1865 France, Belgium, Italy and Swift
Zerland entered into a monetary system
for the four nations. IL rested on bimetal-
lism, and the success of this movement
caused an effort 10 be made TO widen its
scope, and the French Government called
the International Monetary Conference of
1867 at Paris, whose object was interna,
tional coinage that would establish uni
form currency for all nations. This APP
peal for universal currency was not de
cidei in favor of gold. After the Franco
German war Of 1870, Germany decided to
abandon silver and adopt the gold stand
an, and in 1878 commenced to sell silver.
France and Belgium, alarmed at the inflow
ofsilver, restricted silver coinage and closed
their minis, and it was about this time the
world demonetized silver, and the over
throw of bimetallisn and the divergence of
gold and silver commenced.
As the uniformity Of gold and silver
rested upon international bimetallism, so
now must silver be restored by interna-
tionai agreement. In 1878 the United
States called an International conference
that accomplished nothing. In 1881 the
United States and FraLce called A confer.
ence that was equally as futile. The next
conference was held at Brussels, but Ger.
many would not take part, and England
held out for the single standard. Ger.
many sees differently now and the scales
are falling from John Bulls eyes, or he
pretends they are, aud another conference
is on the taps, from which much is hoped,