Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-21
SCORE THE COMMITTEE.
COMMITTEES ACTION UNREASONABLE.
Its Illogical Procedure of Refusing n
Hcariug to Opponents OF tho
Proposed Legislation.

Washington. Jan. 21.--Chairman
Towne, of the Silver Republican COM
mittce, and A. j. Warner of the BIZ
metallic League gave their reply to the
banking and currency committee rela-
tive to the application Of Messrs.
Warner and Towne for hearing be-
fore the committee said II would hear
the gentlemen in support of any bill for
which they might assume the authors
ship and responsibility. The reply
says:
we think 1t proper to advise you
and the committee of the circum-
stances under which the application
was made on our behalf for n hearing,
AT meeting of the executive COM
mittee OF the International Bimetalllc
Union held in this city on the 10th In
slant. some information was had re-
speeding certain propositions of cur
rency legislation now pending before
your committee, viz:
What of the administration, COM
monty referred to as the Gage plan
and the so-called monetary commits
sion, constituted by the indianapolis
Sound Money convention of year
ago, and recommended in advance by
the President in his special message
Of July 2ith last. To prevent wide
publication of an eX-parte measure by
their supporters, such II purpose of the
party governing the hearings thus far,
was calculated to create a wrong I'M
preston and from our standpoint to
do harm by giving general circulation
to views on banking and currency
both unscientific in theory and ruinuus
in operation. Therefore, n resolution
was passed providing that an applica-
tlon be made to your honorable COM
mittee for a hearing on behalf of rep
resentatives of the American Blmetal-
lie Union and we We're selected as
such representatives. Having for
some years having been familiar with
the procedure of committees In Con-
gress In similar cases we could not an
tlcipate the refusal of such request
SO far as we are aware, this Is the first
time that in a matter of so much i'm
portance, great congressional COM
mittee engaged in giving hearings in
n proposition before II has refused to
accord a full and fair hearing to both
sides. At all events, the important
Committees of ways and means and
coinage and weights and measures have
uniformly under all circumstances.
/ opened their hearings to representa-
I tives of every shade of opinion. Not
| to our knowledge, has 1t ever before
| been required as a condition precedent
to being heard that each witness should
have his own Individual bill introduced
and referred to the committee 1t seems
clear to US that such a require
ment is wholly Illogical and unreal
sonable. Under 1t the affirmative
would always have monopoly of tes-
timony and no person satisfied with
existing law on any subject could be
| heard against any proposition to
change 1t unless he should first have
| gravely introduced a bill to keep the
| law as 1t Is
"In conclusion. we beg to assure your
honorable committee that 1t was not
the intention of the American Bimetal-
| lie union to cause them any embar-
rassment. The purpose of the appli-
cation was to furnish a 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 govern
ment currency, to commit the coun-
try more thoroughly to the gold stand
ard"