The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-09
INDEFINITELY DELAYED.
Proposed Message of President on He--
vision of the Currency.

Proposed Message of President on Hes-
vision of the Currency.
WASHINGTON, July S.--The proposed
message of the President to Congress
recommending the appointment of a COM
mission to consider the question of a re-
vision Of our currency and national bank
ing laws was not transmitted to-day, nor
will it be for several days, If at all, which
is matter of doubt. The President is now
undecided whether or not to send in any
message for the reason that 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 conference. Senators
Allison and Quay, Representative Dingley
and other party leaders, called at the
White House this morning and had a long
conference with President Mckinley. They
urged him to reconsider his determination
to send a special currency message to
Congress and gave as a reason that the
sentiment in Congress was such that 1t
would be likely to arouse feeling and cause
friction that would delay speedy final ac-
tion on the tariff bill. After the conference
paper men that 1t had been decided that
it would not be expedient to send In the
message to-day and that 1t would not go
in for several days at least and might be
deferred altogether during the special ses-
sion.
Upon their return to the Capitol, Sem
ators Allison and Quay denied having con-
ferred with the President on the advisa-
bility of sending in a message upon the
question of the currency. Senator Allison
expressed the opinion that If a message
should be received 1t would be extremely
difficult if not impossible, to secure action
by the Senate under existing conditions.
Necessarily, he said, the matter would be
referred to the finance committee, ma
jority Of which would, in ali probability,
he n q
commission and would therefore hold the
matter up indefinitely Independent Of the
statement of Senator Allison, II is known
that the Republican managers OF the Sen
ate agreed three weeks ago not to press
any measure providing for a. currency COM
mission at the present session or the Sen
ate. The promise was made at q 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 on that measure. The agreement
provided that there should be no effort on
the part of the opponents of the tariff to
unnecessarily delay action and that the
Republicans should not urge the currency
commission scheme on Congress at the
present session, though the PRESIDENT
should send in a message recommending
such o commission The Republican Sen
ators feel that any effort to get currency
from the difficulty of getting measure
such as that proposed by the President out
a vote would probably he defeated.
1--WE think we have the votes in the Sen
ate to beat such measure" said Senator
Jones. of Arkansas, a member of the
finance committee, "but If 1t should be re-
ported we should feel that it would be or
sufficient Importance to demand exhaustive
debate I think that it would be difficult
to dispose of it in less time 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 IL will come later. The RepubIcans
seem 10 think il better that all proceedings
in connection with the matter be dropped
until the final disposition of the tariff.