The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-11-10
DOUBLE DEALING
Mckinley Humbugging the Silver Re-
Dublfcans-Wfn There he a BreakY


publicans-Will There he a Breaks
(From Philadelphia American.)
Mr.. Mckinley, in sending the VOL
colt commission abroad to negotiate
for bimetallism and then by his acts
undermining that commission, has
played double game. It is a severe
thing to say of ones president, but in
sending that commission abroad to
work for bimetallism while the ener-
gles of his administration at home were
directed toward the fixing of our cur
rency system firmly on the gold basis.
he showed lack of good faith-of good
faith to the American people whom he
caused to regard him as earnestly work.
ing for bimetallism. to the Wolcott
commission and to the foreign govern
ments that that commission invited to
Join us In re-establishing bimetallism;
asked them to join in an agreement that
the American government had no DUR
pose of carrying out
And the Republican papers not only
recognize but laud the president for
this double dealing Indeed, to find the
president most brazenly accused of this
double dealing, of acting with hypoc-
risy and lauded for such hypocrisy, we
must turn to the Republican press. Thus
we find in the Philadelphia Telegraph
the failure of the Wolcott commission
summed up after this manner:
"The commissioners were sent across
the ocean in fulf1llment of the pledges
made by the Republican party as con-
cessions to the supposed silver senti-
ment of the country and in the mere
act OF comforting upon the commission
ers the color of government authority,
the president fully discharged these
pledges, and the commissioners in ac-
cepting their offices, performed all the
duty really required at their hands,
beyond that of making creditable dis
play in the capitals of Europe"
So it appears in what loose regard
the pledges of the Republican party and
of the president are held in regard to
promoting the restoration of bimetal-
lism by an international agreement and
how the following of the shadow of BIZ
metallism that can lead to naught is
nj fol
lowing the substance.
But it was not this lack of earnest
ness on the part Of Mr.. Mckinley that
led to the final collapse of the endeavors
of the Wolcott commission. 1t was the
opposition of the money lenders of
London that constrained the British
ministry to reject the proposals of the
Wolcott commission and French gov
ernment, made July last, and thus put
the final stamp of failure on the inter-
national bimetallic movement for the
time being.
How commercial, industrial England
feels over this triumph of money lending
London can readily be imagined. That
the refusal of the British government
to agree to reopen the Indian mints to
free silver coinage, in response to the
suggestions of the Wolcott commission,
took a good part of industrial England
by surprise is certain. That there must
be keen soreness, deep regret, from this
refusal Of Britain to agree to the open
ing of the Indian mints conditional on
States and France to free coinage, can
be gathered by couple of short quota
tions from an article in the National Re-
view Nondon) written, before this ac-
tion was taken, by Sir Edward Sassoon,
one of London's leading merchants:
'The uncertainty and the disOrganiza-
ton prevailing over the marts of the
East and West" he wrote; "the gloomy
outlook for all those engaged in in
dustry and commerce; the desperate
straits to which agriculture, our Brit
ain's) primordial enterprise, is reduced
owing to the abnormal fluctuation and
depreciation of silver demand the ur-
gent attention of our ruling authorities" :"
And then he asks, "Is it not fact Of
common knowledge that land has to
remain fallow, farms derelict; that ma
chinery has, and consequently wage
earners. have to work half time, that
laborers are driven into overcrOwded
towns, where life mocks at hygiene and
decency?"