Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-02-01
THE INITIATIVE FOR SILVER.

New York before his failure was pro-
claimed. The latest announcement
of disaster comes from London where
it is said, "Senator Wolcott finds that
the position here remains unchanged
from that at the time of the Brussels
conference, namely that the British
government and the house of COM
mons are committed to do all in their
power to secure by international
agreement the stable monetary par of
the exchange of gold and silver. The
Bank of England is willing to keep a
in spite of the willingness of Great
Britain, to bring in the mints of India
into any international agreement,
England, under no circumstances,
will take the initiative in calling a
new conference, considering, as she
does, that the above offers are the
first practical step toward interna-
tional bimetallism taken by any gov
ernment. She now wants to see what
practical steps other governments are
willing to take. The continental
powers are equally unwilling to take
the lead in calling a monetary con-
ference, as they all believe that the
United States, both by it's position
and Importance, must take the initia-
tive"
We do not see much in this to sus-
tain declaration of failure, even as
suming that it is all true and that
there is no more to be said by Sena-
tor Wolcott himself of what he finds
in England. Senator Wolcott went
abroad as the unofficial spokesman of
an administration which is about to
come to power in this country pledg-
ed to promote an international none
tary agreement. We do not under
stand that he went seeking Euro
pean power that would take the ini-
tiative in promoting such an agree
ment but to learn how far European
nations would go in assisting such
movement. Provided he gets this in
forma ton, it is hard to understand
how his mission could be failure. At
any rate, nobody is authorized. to
proclaim his failure until the full
amount of what he learns becomes
pparent.-Statesnan
Relying upon the latest British blue
book. ON the subject, it may be be-
lieved that the powers of Europe have
at last agreed upon a coercive plan
of action at Constantinople. Last
September Lord Salisbury proposed
that the powers take measures to en-
force their proposals and that in the
event of unwillingness on the part of
any power to assume it's share in the
coercive measures applied that power
should not oppose the action of any
other. Austria gave her assent to
this proposition without qualification,
and later Germany assented with the
proviso that any coercive action tax
en- by the powers against Turkey
must be unanimous, and, furthe, that
integrity of the Ottoman empire
must be maintained. Italy gave her
absolute assent to the proposal, but
Russia objected to any scheme which
involved the application Of coercion
to make it operative. In interpos-
ing this objection M. Shishkin, then
at the head of the Russian foreign Of
flee, stated that coercive action was
repugnant to the czar. In reply to
this Lord Salisbury expostulated,
saying that it would be useless for
the powers to make further concerted
representations to the Porte in regard
to reforms unless they were prepared
to enforce their proposals. On Nov.
saying that the czar had agreed to
consider the question of coercion if
the sultan should prove recalcitrant
and the other powers were unanimous
in favor of resorting to coercion.
About the last of December France
gave a similar assent to measures of
coercion and the governments of
Russia, Austria and Italy reafirmed
their adhesion to that plan of action.
The time for action long ago arriv-
ed. the opportunity for action comes
every day; the news of action will be
eagerly awaited.
The wheat crop of Australia is SO
short that instead of exporting H.,
100000 bushels, as usual, this year
that country will have to import more
than 5000, 900 bushels In order to
supply the crop deficiency. There
Will be considerable profit for this
country in the misfortune to Aus
tralia. The wheat crop has also been
failure in India, and throughout