Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-13
Representative Fowler Expects Cur
rency Reform Legislation.
AVOIDANCE WOULD Be COWARDICE
Sound Money Men, He Says
Would Unite.
BASIS FOR HIS REASONS

"
who Is member of the House committee
ON banking and currency and an acknow;-
| edged authority on economic subjects does
| not agree with some of his colleagues that
! TIE prospect of financial legislation by the
| Fifty-tfth Congress is homeless Mr.
| toWler is quite certain that some such
| legislation Will be enacted and in Il brief
| chat today with Star reporter he explain
ed IN Detail mis- reasons for so thinking. In
reply 10 the question, How do you regard
the outlook for legislation this winter on
| the subject of banking and currency re-
| fornl?' he said:
should l answer that question in the
| hight OF the Importance of financial legisla-
| don the mandate of the people to the pres
ent Congress, and with due consideration
Tor that int ligence ard patriotism when
mas marked the history of the republican
party up to this hour, / would say ttat
there could he no possible doubt about the
matter being taken Up at once ard a SOUND
and comprehensive measure prepared and
passed during the present session. \ srld-
leo disregard of our currency problem can
only spring from political cowardce. which
the American people despise and invariably
rebuke.'
Sound Money Men Would Unite.
'Will all the sound money republicans
and democrats favor a well-matured PLAN"
of both parties unite pom proper meas
ure, but they are anxiousiy waiting Tor
leadership in that direction
In what way can you make This plan
satisfactory to the south and southwest
where the silver sentiment is the strong
est?'
The people of the south. southwest. west
ard northwest" replied Mr.. Fowler.
though vastly rich in resources have very
little wealth in the form of deposits in
bGnks. because whatever they may save at
once gees INTO improvements and little into
the form of accumulation Of money. For
this reason they are the greatest sufferers
from cur present faulty system of cur
reEcy. From my intimate knovi-
edge of the conditions existing throughout
these regions / an, confident that sound
system OF credit currency would command
d large majority of the representatives
END senators who today are advocates of
silver upon The ground that it would give
them more money. The fact is the great
majority of the people care nothing for si,-
YER for its own sake, but using the
lree silver cry as means to end.
thinking that it will give them more
money and thereby facilitate the exchange
of their products for those things they
heed. II these people could secure a me
dium OF exchange created out OF their own
Wealth-their cattle. their cotton. their
corn, their wheat. their wool their manu-
factures-which differ from silver only in
being a vested form of wealth. they
the products of their toll at little eXpense
until the most advantageous time should
arise for their disposition. and when that
time arrived exchange them for the things
they needed at little cost they would have
no occasion to support the free coinage of
silver or any other heresy that calls for
the arbitrary making of money 1t is the
want of proper means for the distribution
OF our products and the great ineuualitv
in the rates of interest growing out of our
present currency methods that is the
source OF most, if not all, of our COM
plaints'
Probable Action of the House.
You think, then, that the House at least
Is likely to pass such bill as the commits
sion may formulate, Notwithstanding sav-
efal members have been quoted as regard
ing the outlook as unpromsing?''
IF the commission Should prepare A
measure not only economically sound AMI
defensible in the light of experience. but
politically wise, there would be such keen
appreciation of their work as well as of
the Importance of the subject as 10 com
mand the approval and enthusiastic sup
port of all men who have studied the sub
jcct. Given this condition and the Hcusa
Will certainly pass the measure, because by
SO doing they will have responded to the
viii OF the people and laid down policy
founded upon experience and principle
which will be worthy of a great national
contest in the fall of 1885,
suppose, Tor the sake or argument, that
such bill passes the House, how do you
regard its chances in the Senate. with its
large free silver voter"
THE chance of the passage of such a
measure in the Senate would be far more
hopeful than was the repeal of the Sher-
man act in 1893, and better, in my judg-
ment, than was the passage of the tariff
bill last June, for the reason that when
such measure is presented to the Amer
ican people and properly explained il will
appeal to their good sense and find its
heartiest support in the SOUTH where II
present such support might seem most
doubtful, for that section above all others
is in favor of system of credit currency,
and there can be found the strongest ad-
vocateS of it's advantages.
Il may say, in conclusion, that if on the
other hand, the leadership of the repub.i-
can party should be devoted to a futile ef-
fort to repeal the civil service law and take
backward step locking toward political
barbarism, and repress with all its power
and prevent if possible any consideration
Of the currency question the Fifty-siXth
Congress will be largely democratic, not
because the people believe that the leaders
OF that party can solve this all-important
question, but as rebuke of the republican
party for having failed to courageously and
do its duty.