Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1895-05-31
HOW AMERICA MAY RULE.
The viewsof London's Leading Financial Paper
London Financial News.


its g-in-the-manger silver policy. Gold mono
metallism is convulsing two continents and
gravely compromising the future of the poorer
states of Europe. This feeling has been voiced
in America by Senator Lodge, whose proposal
virtually to shut out British goods from the
United States until we should assent to BIZ
metallic convention though extreme and abb
surd, indicates the trend of sentiment on the
other side of the Atlantic.
Senator Lodge is not a silver man, in the
usual sense, being opposed out and out to free
coinage in the United States under existing
conditions, and, therefore, his views, though
tinged with strong feeling, may attract more
attention here than those of the pronounced
silverites Mr.. Lodge is very bitter about the
failure of the Brussels conference of last year,
where the attitude of the British official dele
gates was "scarcely less than discourteous" 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 ig-
nored. We have frequent diplomatic differences
with the United States, but as a rule, there is
S>N~S~ - 1890
mus between the people of the two countries.
But now we are encouraging the growth OF a
feeling that on question which affects the pros
perity of the millions of individual Americans,
England is inclined to entertain views unfriend-
" to the United States. We know, OF course,
that the unfriendliness is accidental and that
our monetary policy is controlled by purely
4 a1xy itch we
do not mind seeing India suffering from Our
action much more than America does. The
Americans are sufficiently old-fashioned enough
to believe that it is the part of friend to show
himself friendly, and when this country turns
deaf ear to the plant of half the 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 that is the main point. Moreover, 1t Is
taking shape that may entail very awkward
consequences on us. The recent proposal tC
coin Mexican dollars in San Francisco was {
bid toward giving us an object lesson by GUST
ING us from our commanding position in East
ern trade.
There is plain moral in the remark that l
the United States would venture to cut hersel
adrift from Europe and take outright to silver
she would have all America and Asia at he
back, and would command the market OF boil
continents ''The barrier of gold would b.
more fatal than any barrier Of custom house
The bond of silver would be stronger than an.
bond of free trade"
There can be no doubt about it that II tn
United States were to adopt silver basis to
morrow, British trade would be ruined betor
the year was out. Every American industr.
would be protected, not only at home but II
every other market OF course, the state
would suffer to a certain extent through havin:
TO nav her obligations abroad in gold, but tn
loss on exchange under this head would be
mere drop in the bucket compared with thu
profits to be reaped from the markets OF Soutl
America and Asia, to say nothing of Europe.
The marvel is that the United States has no
long ago seized the opportunity, and but for th'
belief that the way of England is necessarily
the way to commercial success and prosperity
undoubtedly it would have done SO long apo
Now Americans are awakening to the fact thai
$50 long as they narrow their ambition to be-
coming a larger England, y they cannot beat us
It has been piece Of luck for us that 1t ha'
never before occurred to the Americans to SCOOP
&c ont of the worlds markets by going on {
silver basis, and it might serve us right, II, lrrl
tated by the contemptuous apathy of our gov
eminent to the gravity of the silver problem
the Americans retaliate by freezing out gold. Il
could easily be done.
BANKERS Ga large majority of them) are
gold-bugs, and declare that gold is the only