The times., 1897-07-13
B|METALL|Sn IN EUROPE
Wharton Barker Tells What He
Found Out There.
ENGLAND'S POSITION STATED
She Would Open the India Mints,
but Do Nothing MOre-Frewen
and Grenfell Believe the United
States Could Re-establish Parity
without Any Foreign Assis tunce.

New York, July g Among the passen-
arrived here Friday night, was Wharton
Barker, OF Philadelphia, whose pronounced
bimetanist leanings induced him to sup
port the Democratic p Populist nominee for
the Presidency in the late Campaign Mf.
Barker returned from a. Conference with
the bimetallists of Great Britain and
France, which was the prime object Cf
his trip abroad
Il left Philadelphia June l and arrived
III London a week later, ne said in an in
terview today. The day a8ter my ar
rival my conference with the British, bi-
biuetellists began. l met Lord Aldenhain,
tie president of the British BimeCalltc
League, and Sir William Houldsworth,
chairman OF the executive committee OF
the British Bimetelic League, RI. Hna A.
J. Bahour Rt. Hon. Henry Chaplin, Mr.
J. j. Faraday, Mr. FTewen, Mr.. W. II.
GrenreU, Mr. Make, Mr.. j. B. Robinson,
and others. Lord .Aldenham said In his
directors room at the Bank OF England
in the most emphatic manner that Great
Britain would, he thought, without doubt
open the indian mints to the free coinage
of silver on the old terms the moment the
United States opened the American nints
and France the French mints, and that
no further contribution TO bimeranism
would be made by Gre at Britain.
.'Sir William Houldsworth Confirmed the
statement made by Lord Aldenham, and
said that, in his Judgment, there were,
no doubt, votes enough in Parliament to
ffrp to
nints Mr BaIfour and MIR. Chaplin were
OF the same opinion with regard to the
opening of the Indian mints, and said that
in no event would the British government
at this time either open or consider propo-
sition To open the British mints on Tower
Hill.
''Messrs Frewen and Grenfell go further
than some of their British associates iu
believing that the United States can re-
establish the parity without any assist
ance from Europe, and as they believe that
Mr.. Mckinley is under the influence of the
gold standard people in New York and
will not accept the opening of the Indil
lnints as a sufficient contribution by
Great Britain, that the settlement OF the
whole question must be LETT until after
the elections of 1898 and / 800 in tie
United States All of these men said
that the British government, through Sir
Michael Hicks Beach, the chancellor of
he eXchequer, had some months since
in the House OF Commons said that Great
Britain was ready to open the India mintS
II France and the United States opened
theirs, and that this is as far as the
government can offer or undertake TO go
In France l communicated with VI.
Meliuo, the prime minister OF finance, and
M Edmund TheTy. editor OF the Econo-
mste European, the leading financial
journal OF Europe. As both these gen
tlenen had already conferred with the
Woicott commission, / viii leave an ex-
preston of their views to be gathered
from that commissions report.
1T is not unfair to day, however, thar
France considers the opening of the
Indian mints as a sufficient contribution
on the part of Great Britain to the restora-
ton OF bimetallism, and that the CO.
operation Of that country can be OBJ
tanned on that basis