The Free Coinage Specter

Tueke is bvery reason to believe tliat during the next year or two the eilver question will overshadow even the tariff in general interest. The advocates of free coinage are by no means discouraged and they mean to make the most of their opportunities. Consequently, too much stress cannot be laid u pon the great dangers to which such a policy would subject the business intereslsof the nailon. In a recent speech Secretary Foster said: "I feel quite safe iu aaying that one of the hinderances to an early international agreement liy which the parity of the two metáis upon au accepted ratio may be maintained is the belief in Europe that free coinage is tobe the policy of the country. If this is to be our policy (hey know that their silver will come to us and that our gold will go to them. Is H not.that part of wisdom for us to refrain from doing anything that will impair our ability to preserve the parity ? Oonvince Europe thal we will not perïait ourselves to fall in this respect and an obstacle to the agreement so much (lestred is removed, lo this cogent j-tatcment the New York Press adds: '3o long as auy considerable body of American public men favor free coinage here, iadependently of vrhat Eorope will do, justsolong will Europa prefer to remain in 1 position to take advantage of our policy of driving out gold and fav■ ring the cheaper metal. Not only that, but so long as we have, chiefly in our treasury vaults, $400,000,000 of zilver dollars coined at a ratio of 10 to 1, Europe will decline to go into an international free coinage agreement with na even at its own ratio of 16) to 1, unless we provide for the recoinage of that $400,000,000 here by oureelves. Europe wants a very platn guarantee ihat we will not dump that $400,000,000 of our silver into the European mints for recoinage into $413,000,000 worth of M'.ver currency at the Eiropean ratio of 15J to 1 . This is why the eilver speculators do not want an international ratio. This is just why they do not want an agreeinent that will benefit the whole people by maintaining the two medals in equal standing value. This is wliy they want the laboring man to be taxed by the depreciation of his wages tü fill tlieir pockets. They want the first fruit3 of free coinage to be the silver they bring to the miü-s rather than the silver already in the vaulls of theTreasury. How that silver in tbe vaulls is ever goins to be recoined and Kurope placated while they are dumping into the mints all the individual zilver accutnulation8 they can scrape vip they neither know nor care. Nor do they cure that free coinage, in the shape in which they demand it, would speedily send gold up and send prices up till the workingman's weekly wages, payable in legal tender dollars, would be eaten up by his having to pay a dollar or what was worth ouly eighty cents when gold and silver were eqnal."