The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-26
FOR A SOUND CURRENCY
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE
MONETARY CONFERENCE TO ACT.
1t Will Select a Commission to Frame
a Currency BiIl-Mr. Hanna Talks
of the Presidents Attitude.

Mr.. Hugh H. Hanna, chairman of the ex-
ecutive committee created by the monetary
convention held in this city last January,
yesterday announced that he would call the
committee together, either at Chicago or
Saratoga, within week, and it would at
once take up the matter of appointing
commission to frame a currency bill for
presentation to Congress at the beginning
of the regular session The convention, 1T
will be remembered, laid down a few funda-
mental principles for sound currency and
authorized the executive committee to en-
deavor to persuade Congress at the extra
session to authorize the appointment of a
commission by the President, failing in
which it was authorized to select such
commission for the preparation of meas
ure The chairman and members of the en-
ecutive committee have spent a great deal
of time in Washington during the extra ses-
sion and the result of their labors is seen
in the strong message on the subject sent
to Congress by the President and the quick
passage of the Stone bill, authorizing
commission, by the House.
THE executive committee" said MIR.
Hanna, yesterday. will be called together
within a week and the matter will be taken
up and pushed without cessation to the end.
The strong and admirable message of Pres
ident Mckinley did not surprise me. He
has never for moment wavered in the
cause of sound money or in his anxiety for
action in that direction by the present Con-
gress. He is thoroughly sincere in his de-
sire that the party he represents redeem
the pledges upon which it was given power,
and have reason to know that at no time
has he believed the currency question of
secondary Importance to the tariff, but he
understood as did everybody else familiar
with the situation in the Senate, that the
| two questions could not be mixed without
danger of Wrecking both measures. l was
| graJlhed, of course, at the high terms In
| which he spoke of the Indianapolis con-
Vention, and do not recall any other pop
ular movement that has called forth such
comment in a Presidents state paper. The
vote on the Stone bill in the House was
| also gratifying, and we understood matters
in the Senate so we'll that its action is not
surprising. Yet there is a majority IN the
Senate for a currency measure that is right,
and l have no fear OF the tate OF proper
| bill in that body.
mittee now must be the selection of a COM
mission of eleven men. The commission
mus be nonpartisan and composed OF men
big enough and broad enough 10 handIe the
| subject, men who have knowledge OF the
question and who understand the needs OF
the country with it's enormous agricultural,
| commercial, manufacturing and tranSporta-
ton interests. The work Of the committee
| will have just begun when the commission
! is selected. IL Will De It's business 10 pro-
vide for the running expenses of the com
mission, which Will serve without salary,
and to provide it with data, to bring peo-
pie before it and to furnish 1t every fdcll-
| ity for doing its work thoroughly and Well.
! [ think it will be given much valuable help
and advice in its work by members OF the
| banking and currency committee of the
| House and finance committee of the Sen
| ate, many of whom have devoted years OF
intelligent study to the subject and have
acquired vast stores of information.
IF the commission does not bring forth
proper bill, one formed upon broad and
patriotic lines, it were better it never
it does frame a right and proper measure,
and I take it that it Will, it viii be the
business of the executive committee TO or
ganize behind the measure the whole bust
ness interests of the country, and by the
business interests I mean every. class
interested in the prosperity or the
country, the farmer as much as
much as the banker and the professional
man as much as the manufacturer. We
are all alike interested in stable currency.
With the people behind the measure,
1 have no fear about its passage. The av-
erage member is anxious to know what
the people want in the way Of legislation
and then give it to them. We shall have
a long fight over the measure in the Senate.
Such a thing as closure cannot be had there.
and it is likely to resolve itself into ques-
ton of endurance but there is a sound
money majority in the Senate, and the
members realize that the passage of a cur
rency bill is a question of the highest i'm
poftance ana tney beleNe as 1 40 lndI
If such a, measure is not passed by this
| Congress, the opportunity Is not likely TO
come again.
The executive committee is composed of
Hugh II. Hanna, chairman, Indiana; j. j.
Mitchell Illinois; II. II. Kohlsaat, Illinois;
W. B. Dean, Minnesota; f. o. Stannard,
Missouri; John z. Irish California; II. c.
Power Montana; Augustus f. Wilson,
Kentucky: NJ. l.. Crawford, Texas; j. w.
Fries North Carolina; c. c. Harrison,
Pennsylvania; Alexander Orr. New York;
George Foster Peabody, New York Ro-
land Hazard, Rhode Island, and Frank
Hanson Georgia. The members have been
incessant in their work before Congress,
and their unselfsh enthusiasm in the great
enterprise remains fresh and strong as
when they were first intrusted with the
work last January.