Omaha daily bee., 1897-07-29
THE CURRENCY MESSAGE.

Cleveland Plain Dealer: The president IL
undoubtedly right In asking congress to take
measures FOR the reformation Of our monetary
system and the country will thoroughly In
dorsc him in his statement that the subject
should receive the attention OF congress at
it's special session and that It ought not to
be postponed until the regular session. .
Philadelphia North American: 1t may be
said for the currency message that 1t merely
requested congress to authorize a non
partisan commission Of men well informed In
finance for the consideration of q rlan to
simplify the currency. No legislation
further was requested. The house passed a
bill authorizing the commission, and the
senate quietly pigeon-holed i.--as VAS ex-
pected. The status quo IS not changed, there
fore, only the views Of the president are now
OF record.
Buffalo Express: The currency message
which President Mckinley sent to congress
on Saturday makes 1t plain that the chief
executive Is OF the opinion that some changes
In the monetary system are desirable and
that they should be made at once. lie says:
This subject should receive the attention
Of congress at It's special session. II ought
not to be postponed until the regular ses-
sion" But the president does not indicate
the nature OF the changes which he regards
as necessary.
Philadelphia Record: The message will
have a wholesome effect upon the country.
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sound money ranks, and 1t will be accepted at
home and abroad as an earnest and n pledge
that. whatever the financial vagaries of the
senate, the executive branch of the govern
ment, at least, is s~quarely set against any
cheapening Of the dollar OF the people, aud
that that dollar cannot be MeXicanized Sc
long as Mr.. Mckinley shall sit in the White
House. The senate may funk, but the pres
ident intends to do his duty.
Philadelphia Inquirer: In its closing hours
the house of representatives passed a bill
for a currency commission In accordance
with the views of President Mckinley, as
expressed in his special message on the sub
ject. The senate sent the bill to commit
tee and we shall hear nothing from II until
next year-perhaps not at all. We cannot
but look upon this move as a mistake at
the present time. While ii Is true that there
are some things in our currency system that
need mending 1t is hardly wise to agitate
the matter at present, and we doubt whether
any commission will settle the question salts
factorily.
Springfield Republican: Was the president
sincere in all this, or moved merely by his
own inaugural words and by a promise 2ade
to the agents of the indianapolis business
mems conference of last January? He had
decided to send in the message two or three
weeks ago, but republican senators urged
its postponement. These same senators now
saw they never had any idea of seriously at
tempting the passage of a commission bill,
Either the president was aware of this, or
they deceived him. Anyhow the delivery OF
the message was put off until congress was
about to adjourn. and then the senate
shelved it with scaut courtesy. The pres
ident could hardly have expected any other
result. He must have been aware of what
would come ct this last hour dispatch. 1t
| proves altogether to be about the biggest
farce ever enacted between president aud
congress.