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Wall Street keeps a quick eye upon the prospecta of the suggested international silver conference. It sees in the adoption of a world-wide policy of biïnetallisni the certainty of a material increase in the metallic money of the commercial nations, and assumes that, in sucli case, there would be a general rise in values and a consequent speculative boom of wide dimensión. At present, there is no real certainty about the calling of such a conference, but the probabilities seem to preponderate largely in its favor. At such a gathering, one of the gravest points of discussion must be the adoption of a reduced valuation of silver. Whatratio between the two inetals would safisfy the conserative European nations it is not worth while to speculate upon ; but no doubt they would insist upon a material departure from the present standard of 152 to 1. At this poiut it becomeüs a matter of much regret that, of the delegates provisionally selected by Congress to represent this country in such a eniig, so large a proportion are strongly comwitted to the ratio of 16 to 1. Judging from their deterrained insistence on tliis point, it is not impossible that the} might go to the length of presenting that as their ultimatum ; thougli it is to be presumed that the President would put in his "instructions" some limitations upon their discretion. It is therefore desirable that public opinión favoring an international method of setting this question should make its influence feit as against any insistence upon proposals which the European powers might be counted upon to reject. It needs some explanatiou why the silver leaders of the mining States so persistently insist upon free coinage at the ratio of 16 to 1. They seem to be more than indifferent about international action; and yet, unquestiouably the international basis would afford uiuch more prouiise of stability than would isolated national action. This must be olear to any man nöt blind from prejudice ; indeed it is so clear that a large proportion of the friends of silver would probably reject free coinage upon any basis short of an international compact. Why, in the face of these facts, do the iniuing leaders insist upon national rather than international action? Their principal reason is that they are well awiire tliat European co-operation would be imposible without the adoption of a re-yaluation of silver more or less approximating the redueed market value of silver bullion. That, say the miners, would make impossible the complete recovery in the price of silver; which is the supreme object tliey, as producers, have in view. Theyare concerned solely witli tlje value of their output; and considerations affecting the quality of money, which may appear important to many of their followers, have nothing to do with the solely industrial purpose which controla the mining interest. They consequently insist upon a settlement that would enable them toget a dollar for 371.25 grains of silver while othér nations might insist upon valuing the metal at possibly 450 to 500 grains to the dollar. Here comes out the utter selfishness of the silver miners in opposing international free coinage. It is the old story of blind selflshness, - sacrificing a good bargain by demanding a one-sided contract.