Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-21
SILVER MEN EXPLAIN.
Why They Desired to Appear Before
the House Committee.

Why They Desired to Appear Before
the House Committee.
Chairman Towne of the silver republican
committee and A. ]. Warner of the BIZ
metallic league have sent reply to the
banking and currency committee relative
to the application of Messrs. Warner and
Towne for hearing before the committee
The committee said it would hear the gen.
tlemen in support of any bill for which
they might assume the authorship and re-
sponsibilty. The reply says:
I'VE think it proper to advise you and
the committee of the circumstances under
which the application was made on our
behalf for hearing. At meeting of the
executive committee of the American
Bimetallic Union held in this city on the
18th instant some informal discussion was
had respecting certain propositions of cur
rency legislation now pending before your
committee, viz: That of the administration,
commonly referred to as the Gage plan,'
and that of the so-called monetary COM
mission, constituted by the Indianapolis
sound money convention of year ago, and
recommended in advance by the President
in his special message of July "a last. The
opinion prevailed that the wide publication
of an ex parte exposition of those meas
ures by their supporters, such as results
from the policy governing the hearings
thus far, was calculated to create wrong
impression, and from our standpoint to do
views on banking and currency both un-
scientific in theory and ruinous in opera
ton.
vidng that an application be made to your
honorable committee for a hearing in be-
half of representatives of the American
Bimetallic Union; and we were designated
as such representatives. Having for many
years been somewhat familiar with the
procedure of committees of Congress in
similar cases, we could not anticipate the
refusal of such request. So far as we are
aware, this Is the first time that in mat
gressional committee engaged :. in giving
hearings on g. proposition before 1t, has re-
fused to accord a full and fair hearing to
both sides.
"At all events the important committees
OF. ways and means and coinage, weights
and measures have uniformly under such
circumstances opened their hearings to
representatives of every shade of opinion.
Not to our knowledge has it ever before
been required as a condition precedent to
being heard that each witness should have
had his own individual bill introduced and
referred to the committee. 1t seems clear
to us that such a requirement is wholly IL
logical and unreasonable. Under it the af-
ffrmative would always have a monopoly of
the testimony. and no person satisfied with
existing law on any subject could be heard
against any proposition to change it I'M
less he should first have gravely introduced
bill to keep the law as it Is.
IN conclusion, We beg to assure your
honorable committee that 1t was not the
intention of the American Bimetallic Union
to cause them any embarrassment. The
sole purpose of the application was to fur
nfsh way whereby the country at large
might learn in their appropriate connection
the views held by that numerous body of
citizens who oppose any and all plans to
substitute bank paper for government cur
rency or to commit the country more thor
oughly to the gold standard