The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-22
. SILVER MEN REPLY.
The First Time IA House Committee Ever
Refused n Fair Hearing.


Washington, Jan. 21.-Chairman
Towne of the silver republican commit
tee and A. ]. Warner of the Bimetallic
League gave their reply to the banking
and currency committee relative to the
application of Messrs. Warner and
Towne for hearing before the COM
mittee. The committee said 1t would
hear the gentleman in support of any
bill for which they might assume the
authorship and responsibility. The re-
ply was:
I'VE think it proper to advise you
and the committee of the circumstances
under which the application was made
on our behalf for a hearing. At meeting
of the executive committee of the
American Bimetallic Union neld in
this city on the 10th inst, some infor-
nation was had respecting certain
propositions of currency legislation
now pending before your committee,
viz: That of the administration, COM
monty referred to as the Gage plan,'
and the o-called monetary commission,
constructed by the Indianapolis sound
money convention of year ago, and
recommended in advance by the presi-
dent in his special message of July p
last. To prevent a wide publication of
an ex parte measure by their support
ers, such a purpose of the party gov
erning the hearings thus lar was cal
TO create Il WTOHS ilIipiSsSHfi,
and from our standpoint to do harm by
giving general circulation to views on
banking and currency both unScientifc
in theory and ruinous in operation.
Therefore a resolution was passed pro-
viding that an application be made to
your honorable committee for hear
ing on behalf of representatives of the
American Bimetailic Union, and we
were selected as such representatives.
Having for some years been famil-
lar with the procedure Of committees
in congress in similar cases, we could
not anticipate the refusal of sucn
request. So far as we are aware this Is
the first time that a matter of so much
importance, a great congressional COM
mittee engaged in giving hearings on
proposition before it, has refused to ac-
cord a full and fair hearing to both
sides. At all events, the important
committees of ways and means and
coinage and weights and measures has
uniformly under such circumstances,
| opened their hearings to representa-
| tives of every shade of opinion. Not
| to our knowledge has it ever before re-
quired as condition precedent to be-
! ing heard that each witness should
! have his own individual bill introduced
! and referred to the committee.
| TT seems clear to us that such a re-
| quirement is wholly illogical and un-
| reasonable Under it the affirmative
would always have a monopoly of tes-
| timony. and no person not SATISFIED
with existing law on any subject could
| be heard against any proposition TO
! change it, unless he should first have
gravely introduced a bill to keep the
| law as 1t is.
I'm conclusion, we beg TO assure your
| honorable committee that 1t was not
| the intention Of the American Bimetal-
| lie Union to cause you any embarrass-
ment The purpose of the application
was to furnish a way whereby the
country might learn in their appropri-
ate connection, the views held by that
numerous body of citizens who oppose
any and all plans to substitute bank
paper for government currency, to COM
init the country more thoroughly to the
! gold standard"