The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1897-05-20
THE SILVER COMMISSION.

President's Appointmen Of Con.
missiOners Generally Commended.
President Mckinley, by his appointment
OF commissioners to an international mon
etary conference, has given another strik-
ing assurance of Republican good faith
in dealing with the silver question. The
pledge of the st. Louis platform to pro-
mote an international agreement in the in
terest of bimetallism and the cordial SYM
pathy OF the Republican party for every
PRACTICAL movement in that direction are
1orclDly demonstrated by the Presidents
prompt and statesmanlike action in the
present instance.-New York Mail and
Express.
President Mckinley has acted wisely in
making the bimetallic commission a radi-
cal one. Two of the members are for free
silver without any qualifications. and can
be trusted to do all in their power to bring
about international bimetallism at tho
ratio of Is to 1. The other is gold man
who favors bimetallism, and who, Of
course. will not place any obstacles in the
way of his colleagues. There can be no
complaint hereafter that the bimetallists
have not been given ample opportunity to
achieve their purpose.-Baltimore Ameri-
can.
President Mckinley has very properly
named commissioners to represent the
United States al the international none
tary conference.-Atlanta Journal, Dem.
The platform of the national Republican
convention advocated an international
conference upon the free coinage of sill
yer. The Republican Congress carried
out the proposition by appropriate legisla-
ton and authorized the President to ap-
point commission. President Mckinley
shows mis- intention of obeying that legis-
lation to the best of his ability by the Sc
lection of Senator Wolcott of Colorado,
ex-Vice-President Stevenson and Gen.
Paine of Massachusetts as the members.
These gentlemen are all bimetallists. SEN
ator Wolcott is one of those radical silver
men who can be respected for his honesty
of purpose. He is, first of all, Repubh-
can. and refused to desert the party along
with Teller and Dubois and the rest Of
them. The commission is a strong one
Philadelphia Inquirer
President Mckinley is working in good
faith to carry out that declaration of the
st. Louis platform which pledges the Re-
publican administration to do all in its
power to promote international bimetal-
lism. The last Congress having provided
the necessary Legislation whereby either q
monetary conference might be called or
special commissioners be appointed to
sound foreign governments on the ques-
ton of bimetallism, the President has
adopted the latter course.-Chicago
imes-Herald
President McKinley's appointment of q
commission to an international monetary
conference demonstrates anew his loyalty
to the best interests of the currency and
his desire to carry out the declaration Of
the national Republican platform in re-
gard to securing such larger use of silver
in the moneys of the world as may be
made with safety. The commission an
nounced is representative and its person
mel could hardly be improved 1t covers
all phases of opinion on the silver Ques-
tion.-Ohio State Journal
The silver Democrats have persistently
maintained that the Republican party was
not sincere when it declared at st. Louis
that it was favorable to the largest posi-
BILE use of silver as money metal, and
was further favorable to bimetallic cur
rency based on an International agree
ment. Since the election these same peo-
pie have stubbornly insisted that Presi-
dent Mckinley, nor the Republican party,
would do nothing favorable to the restora-
ton of the white metal as primary mon
ey. Our dispatches this morning are .
sufficient answer to such assertions. Pres
ident Mckinley has already begun the
good work of getting ready for an inter-
national conference with view to secure
an international agreement for bimetal-
IL <hok ho 1<ot> 10 20 -
great commercial nations of the world
Dubuque Times.
If anything can be done in favor Of in
ternational bimetallism this commission
can accomplish it. If nothing an be done,
and the indications are not flattering, We
shall know the truth about the matter.
If an international coinage ratio cannot
be established, it is possible that the re-
mark of Senator Wolcott, one of the COM
mission, to the effect that financial men
in Europe are eager to arrest the depre-
citation CT silver bullion, indicates that an
effort may be made to come to an agree
ment by which nations may absorb and
Use more silver as money.-lndianapol
Journal.
President Mckinley has taken the first
step towards carrying out the pledge OF
the Republican national platform to pro-
mote international bimetallism, by ap-
pointing three commissioners to an inter-
national monetary conference, in accord
ance with the act passed at the last ses-
sion. The composition Of this commission
is certainly favorable to the silver men.
The expectations Of the country as to the
success of this commission will not be
raised too high: but if it fails it will be
satisfaction to know that sincere effort
has been made by able representatives OF
the United States to fetch the leading
European nations into line.-Minneapolis
Tribune.
Wilson's Winning Ways.