The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-20
SILVER AND INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCES.
a contemnorarr saws.

A contemporary says:
1t is strange to see how bitterly all
the silver papers of Democratic pro-
| clivities, N the silver region. denounce
any effort toward an international adj
jusment of the silver question. mas
much as they know nothing that is not
known by US all. the conclusion is ire
SiStiDle that they do not want the
question settled until it car. be done by
the Democracy. Certainly the COM
I missIoners who have gone to Europe
may fail. but why should they not be
encouraged by the friends of silver?
Without assuming to speak for the
silver papers of Democratic proclivi-
ties, we believe it is a comparatively
easy matter to give the reasons why
they 'denounce any effort toward an
International adjustment of the silver
| question" or rather why they have no
faith in the mission of Messrs. Wolcott,
Paine and Stevenson.
F'irst-They believe that the com
mission has been sent abroad that the
pledges Of the st. Louis platform may
be technically carried out. and no
charge Of bad faith brought against
! the Republican party.
Second-They do not believe that
President Mckinley. or any leader of
his party, has any faith, in the least,
that the commission viii accomplish
anything that viii result in the bring
/ ing about Of any international agree
ment which viii in turn result in inter
national free coinage of silver at any
ratio.
Third-They recognize that the COM
mission is handicapped by the fact that
the administration which sends it is
pledged to take no initiative so far as
the restoration of the free coinage of
silver is concerned without the consent
of the leading commercial nations.
But there is another and a stronger
reason than these why the silver pa
pers of Democratic proclivities" have
and can have no faith in the efficacy of
another international monetary con-
ference so far as being the means of
accomplishing the restoration of the
free and unlimited coinage of silver is.
concerned. There have been four in
ternatiohal monetary conferences, all
called for the purpose of furthering
the interests of silver, and after the
adjournment of each conference the
plight of silver has been worse than
it was before. Can anyone point to a
single thing in any one of those con-
ferences that lends one ray of hope
that another one would do anything in
behalf of silver? All these conferences
having ended in failure so far as ad
vancing the cause of silver is con-
cerned, can any other inference be
drawn from them than that another
would end as they have? Is not that
the only thing that can be logically
concluded from them? When an ex
pertinent from which much was eX-
pected has been tried and thrice re-
peated and no results obtained, can it
be termed anything but folly and in
fatuation to make it again? The only
thing that can justify another inter
national monetary conference is the
doctrine of CHARGES.
We think we do not misstate or over
state the position Of the silver papers !
of Democratic proclivities" when we
say they look upon the mission of the |
present commission as being more il |
the nature of theatrical display than
a genuinely sincere effort in behalf of /
silver.
The silver papers of Democratic /
proclivities do not pretend to a knowl
edge of what the result of the com
missions mission viii be that is not |
common. but they have their belief.
And while they would be glad 10 see
the restoration of the free and unlim
tied coinage of silver brought about by
the present administration, or anyone
else, they have no faith in the methods
adopted by the administration TO bring
it about. In fact the object of the
administration efforts is. at present,
to ascertain whether another confer
ence is feasible.
There is no reason why the gentle
men who have gone to Europe as BIZ
commissioners should not be
encouraged by the friends of silver
Such encouragement is beautiful ex-
ample Of faith-faith being the sub
stance Of things hoped for, the evil
dence of things not seen"