Omaha daily bee., 1899-03-10
CONSIDERING Tvr ciBBEycy

Before the adjournment Of congress
the house republicans appointed Il
special caucus committee to prepare a
plan Of currency reform for submission
to the next congress. The senate au-
thoriZcd its finance committee to sit
during the recess to consider the cur
rcncy question. 1t is understood that
the republican members of that COM
mittce will sit with the special com
mittec of house republicans and 1t Is
said that the advocates of currency re-
form are hopeful that plan will be de-
vlsed acceptable to the next congress
and to the country.
The house committee consists Of Hen
derson of Iowa, DalzCll of pcnnsyl-
vania, Payne of New York, OvcrStreet
of Indiana, Curtis of Kansas, Lowering
of Massachusetts, Morris Of Minnesota,
Loud of California, Babcock of Wiscon-
sin, llawlcy of Texas and Kerr of
Ohio. The republican members of the
senate finance committee are Allison cf
Iowa, Aldrich of Rhode Island, Platt
of Connecticut. Wolcott of Colorado,
Burrows Of Michigan and Platt of New
York. Thus every section of the coun-
try is represented in these committees
and among the members are men who
have given very thorough study to the
currency and are well-nformed rs TO
public sentiment on the subject. If
these men do not succeed in framing
plan of currency reform acceptable TO
the next congress there will be very
little chance of any currency legislation
by that congress.
We are inclined to doubt whether an
acceptable plan will be devised by this
joint committee, for the reason that 1T
is likely to be largely under the same
influences which dictated the bill re-
ported from the house banking and cur
rency committee-a measure that did
not command the support of majority
of the republicans in the last congress,
That bill was carefully drawn and in
some respects was commelidable. 1t
did not regard the demands of the more
radical reformerS, though it would in
time have served the purpose they de-
sire to accomplish. 1t was COM
promise, but it proposed to eventually
eliminate the legal tender notes and
give to the banks Il monopoly of the
paper currency of the country. No
of this character will ever be
because no political party will
take the dangerous responsibility of
down the government paper
elusive privilege of supplying the people
with paper currency. This fact should
be clearly understood and if the sena-
tors and representatives who will ell
deavOr to prepare Il currency plan do
not take it into account the time they
ton will be wasted.
A large majority of the people believe
that the United States legal tender
notes should remain a part of our cur
rency. They are satisfied with the
greenback and they reject the theory
that there is danger in that currency
and that it's existence is barrier to
These people are also in
veterately opposed to giving the banks
a monopoly of the paper currency. No
party can afford to ignore this public
opinion and it is safe to say that none
will do so. If, therefore, the men who
have been designated to consider the
currency question will do this with a
due regard for popular sentiment they
may be able to propose legislation that
will have some chance of adoption.
Otherwise their labor will be to no pur-
Dose