Evening star., 1897-08-17
ENGLAND AND SILVER
Interest Excited by the London
Times Assertions.
AMERICAN CONCERN LESSENING
Effect of Large Crops and Awak-
ening Of Business.
ROVED CON NDITIONS S

A sdispatch from London giving sum-
mary of an article in the London Times an
tagonistic to any conc cession on the part of
England toward the United States with re-
spect to silver excites considerable interest
here and is regarded significant by those
who have been watching the progress of
negotiations for an international monetary
conference. The statement that the price
of the rupee has risen, while the price of
silver has fallen in 1896, and the sugges-
ton that India, being the only real whole
sale customer of silver, is benefited by its
fall in price, and that, therefore, England
should make no concessions to silver, either
by the opening of the India mints or other
wise, is regarded as a pretty strong indca-
tion that England will not even make a
pretense of joining the United States with
other countries in trying to rehabilitate
silver.
There is a growing feeling that the
United States is rapidly tending toward
situation which will render entirely in
dependent of Great Britain In this respect
and render it of comparatively little i'm
portance whether anything is done by the
international monetary commission or not.
1t is believed that the awakening of busi-
ness in this country, with large crops here
and short crops in Europe, is going to bring
great volume of gold to this country,
and that American securities will continue
to advance and will hold the ground gained
in spite of any effort on the part OF the
European bankers to beat them down and
to protect the foreign gold The suggestion
from London that the United States cannot
expect any concessions to silver from Eng
land while are d:sregarding the British
commercial interests in the new tariff act
shows a misc onception of the situation.
Losing Interest i'm Silver.
1t is said here by those informed as to the
l,a II.
bill and such other conditions as will bring
a revival of business activity and a restora--
tion of prosperity, weaken the interest of
the United States in the silver question, and
it matters very little whether our none
tary commissioners succeed or fail. They
hold that while the restoration of silver
through international agreement might be
of doubtful benefit to the United States, the
business and commercial conditions de-
veloping under the Dingley act which Will
bring European gold to the United States
and firmly establish American securities,
accomplish all that even the best friends of
silver claim that it would do for the coun-
try. The belief is among those who are
confident of permanent prosperity under
the new tariff that not only Will all interest
in international coinage agreement be lost
by the time Congress meets, but that there
will be an indisposition at that time to con-
slider the currency question in Congress.
business Conditions Generally Better.
Representative Henderson of Iowa is in
Washington today. In day or two he is
gong to Iowa and will take an active art
in the campaign there this fall, and will
probably go into Ohio for short time
before the election. He said this morning
that there was no longer an excuse for any
one to deny the general Improvement of
business conditions throughout the country.
There Is a steady, safe and permanent
improvement in conditions, he said, and
prosperity is assured. The advance in
prices and increased business activity is
not sporadic, but Is the result of improve
ment in conditions under the new admins
tration. There are five large railroads pass
ing through my district, and since Presi-
dent McKinleys Inauguration they have
advanced an average of ten points. / am
not a follower of the markets. but l al
ways watch these roads; because they are
in my dictrct and because they are safe,
reliable index of business conditions. This
advance is significant of the improvement
of business
Speaking of the political situation, Gen
Henderson said that the republicans would
win in Iowa and Ohio. He said that his
taking the stump IN Ohio would depend
Upon whether the state committee of Iowa
could spare him. but that he thought he
would be able to fulfill a promise made
conditionally to Senator Hanna.
Improvement in the West.
Ex-Representative Picker of South Da-
kOld, WHO Is III w ol puSlutSS
and will be here for a day or two, says
that the conditions il the west have very
greatly improved. Our people," he said,
ARE doing very much better than they
were, and there is a very perceptible re-
Taxation of the financial strain The high
price of wheat and the increase in the
price of cattle is very great benefit to
the people of my section. L would not
say that any one thing alone has brought
about the improvement but undoubtedly
we are feeling the benefit of the tariff.
The duty on hides is affecting the price of
cattle to some extent, and our farmers
feel the benefit of the wool duty and the
Guty on other foreign products. Another
thing is that they have been economizing
and scraping together little money to re-
lieve them of some of the pressure of
debts with which they became burdened
some time ago. They are generally more
Contented and occupied with their business,
so that they are not talking politics. They
are not even talking about the money ques-
ton. do not know whether there has
been any change in sentiment with rela-
tion to the silver question-whether the
silver sentiment has grown any weaker
but the fact that the people are not dis
cussing it indicates probably that there is
rot as much interest taken In it as former
ly. OF course, there Is good deal of feel
ing in favor of silver among the demo-
Gratis in the