Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1897-11-19
THE WOLCOTT FIASCO.
NO SHOW FOR INTERNATIONAL
BIMETALLISM.
The Republican Party Must Now Meet
Democracy and Defend the Obnoxious
British Gold Standard--Peopls Fooled
Long Enough.

The reply of Premier Salisbury Of the
British government to the proposals Of
the bimetaHic commissioners sent
abroad by the federal admin
istratiOn for the purpose OF
fooling the people, seems to
be very much in the nature Of the ac-
ton of that little bird which once was
in danger of being caught through the
process of throwing salt on its tail.
1t is quite possible, at least so far as
we are able to judge, 1t is quite posi-
BILE, that the salt has been thrown and
the throwers have been in position
to watch results. But throwing salt
on tails is not an approved manner OF
and so it seems that the bimetallic
commissioners and the federal admin
istration they represent are in pretty
much the same position as bird
catcher who confined himself to the
use of salt, and the upshot of the mat
ter is that the proposal of the federal
administration looking toward anoth-
err international conference has left
matters just where they were when the
present federal administration went in
to power. The truth is that this
whole affair has been one stupendous
sham. There has been a pretense OF
honest effort. But there is little sense
in running up against stone wall, no
matter how honest may be the inten-
lions of the runner. Great Britain
gave no promise of favoring another
conference, even if it were to be grant
ed that another international confer
the previous conferences have amount
ed to. There has been no hope at any
time that the commissioners could ac-
complish anything. All that they
have been able to do at the most has
been to raise disturbance when the
Bank of England was mentioned as
giving slight promise Of doing I'M
der impossible circumstances what 1t
is expected by authority of its charter
to do at all times. The long drawn
out negotiations may or may not have
been the result of diplomatic delays.
The fact is, that defeat faced the COM
missioners when they were appointed,
and it has been facing them ever since.
If defeat had taken it's eyes off of them
for a moment their lack of authority
and general uncertainty Of object
would Immediately have drawn the
eyes back. 1t is no wonder, there
fore, that the matter has turned out as
1t has, her only wonder in the matter
being in the patience of the American
people in the face of this wide-open
flim-fiam game. The gullibility Of the
American public is great, but 1t is al
most too much to believe that it has
been misled into the belief that the
present national administration means
to do anything for the rehabilitation
of silver. The present administration
dare to do nothing in this line. The Nc
Kinley following sold itself body and
soul to the Plat faction, dominated by
the gold standard extremists at the st.
Louis convention last year, and 1t dare
not now call its soul it's own. 1t Is COM
forting in all this to know that this
commission sham is now thing Of the
past, and that the real policy of the ad-
ministration will now soon be brought
to light in the proposition of Secretary
Gage to retire the Greenbacks. run the
nation into the hands of the banks
through bank currency and bind the
nation for generations yet to come by
a bond issue ad libitum.