The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-22
bring THEM BACK.

BRING THEM BACK.
An administration and a congress,
which are both reluctant to deal with
the financial question, will have their
hands forced by the action which Great
Britain has taken with reference to the
international monetary conference. She
has finally rendered a polite, but firm
refusal to the proposition set before
her by the Wolcott commission. These
gentlemen, if we mistake not, have
ity conferred upon them by law. They
were appointed to negotiate financial
conference They have no power to
make laws for the United States, or to
guarantee the making of any law or
any change in our fiscal policy. Yet
they appear to have been travelling
over Europe, sounding this government
and that, with a desire to know what it
would do if the United States should
agree to do thus and so. So England
was requested to answer If she. would
agree to reopen the Indian mints, pro-
vided the United States made some
concession, which it is generally be-
lieVed was to be the opening Of our
mints to free coinage of silver at the
ratio of 151a to 1. Now, the Wolcott
commission had no more right to make
such proposition or such suggestion
than any private citizen. 1t is, perhaps,
fortunate for us that they have met
with a fiat refusal, instead of succeed
ing in a dicker which would have ap-
peared to commit the United States to
policies that the legislative and eXecu-
tive departments could not have con-
firmed without treason to their prom
ises to the people.
AS it is, however, the mission of VOL
colt and his associates may be consid-
cred at an end. Great Britain says that
she does not care to even enter an in
ternational conference. She can do
nothing. She does not propose to make
any change in her own financial policy.
She cannot and dare not interfere with
now recovering from the demoraliza-
ton brought about by years of free
coinage. Inasmuch, therefore, as there
is nothing which she could do in con-
ference, no concession that she would
be willing to make, no adjustment con-
ceivabfe to which she would become a
party, she considers, with practical
common sense, that there is no reason
why she should be represented at such
a meeting at ALL The expressed will
ingness ''to consider any practical sug-
gestions from the United States"
amounts to nothing more than the for
NAL and stereotyped expression Of ''re-
gret'' with which an invitation to din
ner or a communication to a magazine
is declined Since it is also said that
Germany has agreed to govern herself
according to England's action, and to
join with or separate herself from the
other nations in the matter of interna-
tional agreement according as England
might do the one or the other, the
whole project falls through. An inter
national conference from which the
two principal commercial nations of
Europe should be absent would COM
mand neither interest nor respect
The work of the commission has been
a fiat failure, and it has contributed
much to that result, and has deserved
the rightful condemnation of the whole
people, by declining to limit itself to
its proper function of securing a con-
ference and entering into arrange
ments for deciding in advance certain
matters of detail which could be consid-
cred properly only by and in the con-
ference itself 1t was not expected.
when this commission was announced,
that it would accomplish anything. The
way in which it was constituted by
President Mckinley, one Of the least
creditable of his official acts, was a
sufficient guarantee Of that. It has put
us in a bad light before the people of
Europe, as begging for concessions
and Offering to buy them by Weddings
on our part, and it has no support
among the leaders either in the gold or
the silver standard party. Having done
all the harm that it could, is it not
about time that Mr.. Mckinley should
use the cable and call it back home,
where it belongs?