San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-10-08
SILVER and Seals.
John Bull Will Not Favor
Either
INDIA REFUSES TO OPEN THE
MINIS AND CANADA TO PRO-
TECT THE SEALS.
John Bull Backs Down From His
Accepted Invitation To Partici-
pate In A Friendly Confer
ence- Other Late Te1e-
graphic News.

new YORK, Oct. S.-A dispatch TO the
Tribune from London says:
The British governments answer to
the proposals of the United States and
France for bimetallism by information
al agreement will probably be ready
within a fortnight. Possibly it will
be ready even earlier, as there is ev-
idence that the ministers are disturbed
by the prolongation of the controversy
over the monetary question in the
press and wish to make such conces-
sions to the United States and France
as would enable those powers to con-
woke monetary conference. Sir
Michael Hicks-Beach obtained from
the governor of the Bank of England
a qualified assent to the conversion
into silver of one-fifth of the reserve
for the redemption of the notes of is
sue. The Indian government was al
so consulted respecting the eXpediency
of reOpening the minis to the free coin
age of silver. If the answer to that
proposition had been as favorable as
the reply of the governor of the Bank
of England on the minor point of a
larger use of silver in the reserves, it
would have been completely success
ful in opening the way for a new ses-
sion of the conference.
That answer has not been officially
revealed but it has been received in
London and is considered in diplomatic
circles to be favorable to reopening the
Indian mints. Not one word of this
has yet appeared in print and no Off
cial confirmation of it can be obtained,
but it is currently reported among the
best informed financiers that the In
dian government has advised against
reopening the minis. If this be true,
and there are strong reasons for be-
lieving that it is, the ministers will
not have the courage to act against the
advice of the Indian government, but
will summon the French and American
ambassadors and the bimetallic en-
voys without delay and return a cour-
teOus but firm answer to the proposals
for an international agreement for the
maintenance of the par value of gold
and silver.
Canada and Great Britain have re-
fused definitely to take part in a seal
ing conference if representatives of
Russia and Japan are allowed to par
ticipate in it. This matter was set
tied yesterday and cannot be reopen
ed.
When the diplomatic correspondence
is published it will be evident that the
State department has done everything
in it's power to enable Canada and
Great Britain to attend a conference
which was declared to be merely con-
4 4 L, 10
binding force upon any maritime pow
err taking part in it. Canada has in
terpOsed her veto, and Great Britain,
who, on this question, has no will of
her own, has sanctioned it. Lord
Salisbury having revised the original
invitation of last July at the instance
of Canada, now follows the Ottawa
government in declining to meet Rus
STA, Japan and the United States in a
friendly conference for determining
anything can be done for the
protection of the fur seal herd. No
objection could be offered
to the presence of Russian and Japa-
nese representatives, but Canada has
adopted a differential tariff in favor
of British manufactures and her ca
prices suffice to control the diplomacy
of the foreign office on other questions.
An American ambassador is still sent
to London in Difference to old-time US
ages. He might with more propriety |
be accredited to ottawa, where Eng |
fish diplomacy on American questions |
really has its origin.
The holding of a second conference |
is a question which will depend upon |
the scientific information produced be- |
fore the first conference. If it be true |
that eighty per cent. of the sealsxins |
coming into this market show gunshot |
holes and that the bulk Of them are
the furs of females, the speedy extinc-
ton of the herd cannot be long defer
red. If it be true that there are now
only 100000 seals breeding on the seal
islands or on other grounds where |
there were once several million of
them, the herd has already lost its /