The San Francisco call., 1896-12-30
M'KINLEY AND BRYAN.

1t was fortunate coincidence that gave
to the public report of Senator Wolcott's
interview with Major Mckinley on the
same day with the report of Mr. Bryan's
speech at the banquet of the Lincoln
Travelling Mems Bryan Club. Both were
published yesterday, and the contrast be-
tween them shows very clearly the differ
ence between the two men in their attl-
tudes toward the desired return to bimetal-
lism.
Senator Wolcott went to Canton as
chairman of the committee of five ap-
pointed by Republican Senators TO draft
bill providing for international bimetal-
lism, to confer with the President-elect on
the subject. He found Major Mckinley
in thorough accord with the objects of the
bill, and has declared unhesitatingly that
there will be an international conference
on the subject of the free coinage OF silver
within short time after the new Presi-
dent is inaugurated.
While the President-elect was thus con-
terring with representative of the Re-
publicans in Congress, to devise the best
means for bringing about the free coinage
of silver by international agreement, Mr..
Bryan was preparing the address which
he was to make at the banquet to be given
in his honor. In that address he uttered
nothing which gives any evidence that he
has ever thought out plan TO be pursued
in order to attain success His speech
was from beginning to end the speech of
an agitator who is rapidly becoming
mere calamity howler. There was moth
ing in it to encourage his followers, or to
give hope to any of the friends of silver of
the accomplishment of anything for the
cause of bimetaIlism under his leadership.
1t is well known there is strong senti-
ment in favor of the free coinage of sill
yer in all European countries, and that in
some of the most important of them this
sentiment is the dominant one, not only
among the people, but among statesmen
and financiers. This fact assures a strong
support in those countries to any move
ment which may be made by our Govern
ment to bring it about. Major Mckinley
and the Republican leaders in the Senate
are therefore acting in the most expedient
as well as the most statesm anlike man.
ner in seeking to establish bimetallism by
international agreement instead of at
tempting any rash experiment by this
country in the direction OF silver mono
metallism.
With this contrast before them the peo-
pie can see that in the monetary issue
they have the choice of supporting the
statesman who has been elected to the
Presidency or the agitator who has been
defeated. If all the earnest advocates of
bimetailism will now give their support to
the incoming administration we can rea-
sonably expect that some measures of
great Importance may be agreed upon by
the nations for the larger use of silver as
a money metal. If, however, any consid-
able number of the friends of silver adopt
the foolish tactics of Bryan the efforts of
our Government may be largely hindered
from accomplishing the results desired.
1t is impossible to silence Bryan, but
popular sentiment can soon show him that
his verbosity on this issue is expended in
vain. Thousands of those who voted for
him will sustain the policy of Major Nc
Kinley, and by so doing will secure
speedy settlement of the monetary issue
and a safe return to the free coinage of
silver and genuine bimetallic system of
m0nav