Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-07-09
No SPECIAL MESSAGE To BE SENT
TO CONGRESS JUST NOW.
MIGHT DELAY THE TARIFF BILL.
REPUBLICAN LEADERS CONFER
WITH THE PRESIDENT.
Urge Upon Him the Inexpediency of
Pressing the Matter of Curren-
cy Commission Until the
Tariff Bill Becomes
Law.

Washington. July s-The proposed mes
sage OF the president to congress recon-
mending the appointment of commission
TO consider the question of revision Of our
currency and national banking laws will
not be transmitted to-day, nor for several
days, II it goes in at all, which is a matter
OF doubt
The president is now undecided whether
or not to send in any message for the rea-
son that a number of the most important
leaders Of the party in the senate and house
have made strong representations to him
Of the inadvisability of sending a message
TO congress while the tariff bill is In con-
ference. Senators Allison and Quay. Rep
resentative Dingley and other party leaders
called at the White House this morning and
had long conference with President No
hinley. They urged him to reconsider his
determination to send a special currency
message 10 congress. and gave as reason
that the sentiment in congress was such
that 1t would be likely TO arouse feeling
and cause friction that would delay speedy
hnal action on the tariff bill. After the
conference Secretary Porter announced to
the newspaper men that it had been decid-
ed that it would not be expedent to send
in the message to-day and that it would not
80 in for several days at least, and might
be deferred altogether during the special
session OF congress
Upon his return 10 the capitol, Senator
Allison expressed the opinion that IL a
message should be received it would be ex-
tremely difficult, if not impossible, to Sc
cure action by the senate under existing
conditions. Necessarily, he said. the mat
ter would be referred to the finance COM
mittee. majority OF which would. in all
probability, be opposed to the scheme for a
fccg0y
hold the matter up Indefinitely
Independently of the statement of Sena-
tor Allison, it is known that the Republic
an managers of the senate agreed three
weeks ago not to press any measure pro-
Viding for a currency commission at the
present session of the senate. The promise
was made at a time when the fate of the
tariff bill was by no means certain, and
when it was in the power of the opposition
TO at least indefinitely delay action upon
that measure. The agreement provided that
there should be no effort on the part Of
the opponents of the tariff to unnecces-
sarily delay action and that the Republic
ans should not urge the currency commits
sion scheme upon congress at the present
session, even though the president should
send In message recommending such a
commission.
The Republican senators feel that any
effort to get currency legislation through
would be futile. Aside from the difficulty
of getting a measure such as that pro-
posed by the president out of committee.
the scheme would. II reported. be debated
at length. and then upon a vote would
probably be defeated.
I'VE think we have the votes i'm the sem
ate to beat such measure" said Senator
jones. of Arkansas, a member of the
finance committee. but If it should be re-
ported we should feel that it would be of
sufficient Importance to demand exhaustive
debate. l think that 1t would be difficult"
he added. Ito dispose of it in less than
three or four months"
The prevailing opinion on the Republican
side of the chamber is that the president
will not Immediately send a message but
that 1t may come later. The Republican
senators seem to think IL better that all
proceedings in connection with the matter
be dropped until after the final disposition
OF the tariff.