Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 May 1881 — THE MONETARY CONFERENCE. [ARTICLE]

THE MONETARY CONFERENCE.

, The mortality of Chicago farAtfe ’ month flf Mlrch was 874. -tn‘in /• -t 1 - . i. gge YW clergyman’s wife* in Mub& divorce, alleges aa onk Chta grounds for complaint that the mm - later frequently Brought Limburge r * stjgsta’ipto the how. If that Unfit “strong" grounds for divorce we don’t know what Is. * When a man must suicide 1 i$ la met*, that be do sn without leaving any sensational letters behind him to worry the public mind, John Dennis, of New Orleans,was a sensible fellow. When he killed himself the other day, he left written on the back of a pawn ticket the following messages “The proprietor of this card lost and oontfladed to suicide.” The Chicago lumber yards on the Ist instant contained 822,491,284 fefct of lumber and timber, 125,648,26 f shingles, 83,338,899 lath, feet of pickets, and 79,887 cedar posts. A*r compared with the stocks on hand March 1, there is a decrease of 7(jjDoo,009 feet of lumber and timber, 40,000,000 shingles, 8,000,000 lath, 662,000 pickets, and 97.417 cedar posts. A letter from Ma«irid states the minister for foreign affairs is zealouly endeavoring to conclude a commercial treaty with the* United States in the interest of the Spanish wine merchants and fruit dealers, who are continually arguing the necessity of granting greater facilities for the trade. The letter goes on to state that it is not unlikelytata an understanding may bo arrived at on the subject with the cabinet of Washington. Austria-Hr no ary to represented at the monetary conference by CodlgXuefstein, the councillor of the legaOeh in. Paris, and Messrs. Nie-| bauer'and Hejedus. It la announced semi-offlcially that the delegates will not enter into binding engagements. Their standpoint will be a neutral one, but with a alight inclination Uk wards bi-metaiism. This tendency will, however, be shown merely in an academical way, and only in the case of England and Germany inclining to' this same view. The instructions given to the delegates will expressly declare that Austria-Hungary does not regard the regulation of the monetary values, but only the study and discussion of the project, as the object of the Paris conference.

The distinguished gentlemen representing fifteen different nations who are now sitting in Paris in an international monetary* convintiorf haVe* not got an easy task to perforin in arriving at a final conclusion con erqing bi-metallism. Some of the nations represented seem to have sent their ambassadors either out of curiosity, or courtesy. England’s commissioner has instructions to look on only ; Germany sent a learned gentleman with the distinct understanding that the step did not commiteher in any way, whatever the conclusion of the conference might be. Judging from these facts, the outlook is by no means promising. . , '• The main object of heretofore officially stated, to to secure the general, or, Xa better word), the universal adoption *of the jtwo metals, gold* and silver, as currency, at a .'ratio, under a system of free coinage, of 1 to 15J4The “dollar of our dad--dies” represents 1 to 16, and in this coin alone the debt to payable. If the standard of value be made 1 to 15\, the silver dollar coined under the new' arrangement could not be used to pay off our many bonds. A 400-gra\n doh-; lar would be a boom for our silver meh, stimulating production o rife metal in oar western mines; but' such a movement would find thousands of opponents who find even the •‘turkey dollar” too light.' Thus it is readily seen that any attempt to arbitrarily fix the values of our two precious metato will cause trouble, even in our own country. France cannot be soothed by anything less or greater than 15)4, because that is now the relative value of her silver coin--age, and she wiU not change itJ There is but one way out of ths present fluctuations in the two metals, and that is to adopt some system of bi-metallic international coin-

age that will recognize the change in the value of the two metals as deterinmed by the cost and quantity of the same. To lo this of coarse all existing silver coin would have to be melted and recoined with an increase of weight to each piece—said increase to represent exactly their present bullion 'trklue. Even with such a system the relative value of the two metals would fluctuate as the production of the one or the other increased or dimfnishedt Perhaps after all the Chinese system is the best, and the system in vogue in mining camps, where the market prices rule and the dust is weighed out for each purchase. In times of peace the fluctuations in the nhnofour coins would be scarcely, noticeable, under the above system, and while the plan is not a perfect one, what else can be devised? Each nation, at least each nation which produces its own bullion, is ii>terested in getting the conference to adopt some plan for the benefit of the producing country and consequently differences will arise that will result, we feel almost safe in making such a prediction,. in a want of agreement, and the breaking up of ■ th* conference without final action.. sgßssase b«t the prou.ahilfe Dfc&aan* *>r Ap >eL* ooßferenee. tfwtffceraltht a deed-lock. ■ '• *?■