Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 January 1886 — SILVER. [ARTICLE]

SILVER.

Sentiments .of Foreign Governments Upon the Question—Manton Marble's Mission. President Cleveland, m answer to a resolution adopted by tho "Senate Dec. 9, last week transmitted copies of documents showing the action taken by him to ascertain the sentiments of foreign Governments in regard to the establishment of an international ratio betweon gold and silver. The correspondence is accompanied by e a letter from Secretary Bayard to the President, in which he says in part: “It has been the object of this department and its agents, while avowing our readiness to cooperate, not so much to impress our own opinions and wishes upon others as to obtain wellconsidered and independent vieivairom the most influential, responsible, and competent sources, in order to lay before Congress .- First,-the actual status of the metallic currencies in the respective European countries ; and, socoudly. the intentions and policies of thoso Governments in relation to tho subject, with details of their action up to the xiresont time. It is believed that the accompanying lottors from tho Ministers of the United States to Great Britain, France, and Germany, respectively, summarize and Convey tho true condition of opinion and intentions of tho Governments and people to whom they have been severally accredited." Tho latter then mentions the designation of Mr. Marble as a confidential agent to obtain information upon tho subject, and says no separate report by Mr. Marble has been made because the results of his investigations appear fully in the replies of Mossrs. Pliclps, McLane, and Pendleton. The correspondence opens with a letter from Secretary Bayard to Manton Marble notifying him of his designation to visit Europe upon tho mission above indicated. Letters were also addressed to our Ministers at London, Paris, and Berlin notifying them of Mr. Marble’B visit and asking their co-operation. A reply was received from Minister Phelps, hnilnr date of London, Oct. ‘2O, ISBS, in which he gives tho result of conferences by himself and Mr. Marble with the leading members of her Majesty’s Government, and says; “From those, as well as other sources, I am satisfied that the British Government will inflexibly adhere to their past and present policy in respect to coinage ; that they will not depart from tho gold standard now and so long established ; that they will not become a party to any international arrangement or union for the creation of a bimetallic standard at a common ratio between gold aud silver for the purpose of making both an unlimited legal tender; nor adopt such double standard in Great Britain. On this point both political parties quite concur, and I beliove if either were to attempt to introduce such a departure from the existing money standard it ( would be driven out of power by the forco of public opinion. ” A reply from Minister McLane, at Paris, dated Oet. 1, 1885, expresses his opinion that; “Whilo Franco would gladly receive the intelligence that the TJnited States would adopt the French ratio of fifteen and one-half of silver to one of gold, no consideration of future consequences could induce her to adopt the Amorican ratio of sixteen to one; still less would she adopt any higher satio to assimilate the present • commercial or market value of silver with the • value of gold, nor would sho consent at uny rate now to permit an unrestricted or even a limited coinage of silver at her mints. The present purpose of her Government and people is to maintain, if possible, the two metals at their present ratio of fifteen and one*half to one, in domestic circulation and international exchange." Mr. McLane says the facts obtained naturally suggest the United States, the greatest gold and silver country in the world, should Busi>eud its Bilver- coinage in order to utilize it, not only for circulation hut as part of its Treasury reserve. Minister Pendleton in his reply, dated Berlin, October 19,1885, gives his conclusions briefly as follows; 1 “The adhesion of Germany to an international bimetallic union such as was proposed by the United States and France in 1881 can scarcely be expected, it seems to me, within uny limit of time now to he predicted. The co-operation of Germany in such a union may be sought with fair hopes of success whenever it becoipes possible to include in such a union England and Russia, tho former of which seems to cleave tenaciously to her gold, monometallism, while the latter staggers under the evilß of a depreciated uud largely .fluctuating paper money. The adhesion of England at least, is certainly now and would probably for an indefinite period bo regarded by Germany as a sine qua non.” Consul General Walker, in a letter to the Secretary of State, under dato of Paris, Aug. 20, 1885, reviews in detail the changes of sentiment of foreign countries int relation to monetary matters as shown in the proceedings of the conference, and expresses this opinion that nothing will so muchliasten the adoption in Europe of -the monetary polity which wo desiro'A to nave adopted as the suspension of silver coinage in tho United States. ■ The correspondence also includes a copy of an ogreehfient entered into at tho Pnriß Monetary Convention, the essential parts of which have been published. Miss Josephine Jenkins, who is rising into notice as a writer for the press of Roston, is a niece of the late Nathaniel Parker 'Willis. V Mr. Labouchebe says that exclusive of peisonal expenses and the returning officer’s charges, the election at Northampton cost him the modest sum of $195. About 500 divorce suits were filed in St. Louis during the year 1885. There are firms in New York and Philadelphia who hire ont clean cuffs and eollara.