The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-05
'GREAI Biz QUESTIONS
Before This Congress, and
More of Them
SAYS JESSE DIVERSIFIED
Than Have Ever Confronted
Any Single Congress.

Guthrie, o. T., Jan. 4.-Hon. Jesse Over
street. who represents the Indianapolis
district in congress, and his brother, Mr..
Arthur Overstreet, accompanied by their
father-in-Iaw, Mr.. F. T. Crump. of Co
lumbus. Indiana. are in Guthrie for the
purpose of settling the estate of the late
Samuel L. Overstreet, brother of the two
former gentlemen and late United States
district attorney for Oklahoma. Congress
man Overstreet is not a stranger to Ok
iahoma, having visited the territory six
years ago. Since that time he has
achieved a national reputation, first as
secretary of the congressional campaign
committee which furnished such effective
work in the campaigns of 1896 and 1885,
and more recently and notably in his
management during the present congress
of the financial measure which passed
the house before the holiday recess and
which is now pending in the senate.
''The leading features of the financial
bill as it passed the house." said Mr.
Overstreet, in an interview today, "are
that it defines clearly a gold standard
and makes provision for its maintenance,
and the method of payment of all govern
ment obligations is clearly set forth
There is provision for the increase of
the supply of fractional currency by re
pealing the limitation clause Of a former
statute. Aside from the gold standard
feature, the bill allows the issue of cur
rency up to the par value or government
bonds, instead of 80 per cent as hereto
fore and authorizes the organization Of
national banks with a capital stock of
$4,000 in communities not in excess of
1000 population. The bill is now in the
senate, which will probably substitute is
own bill and throw the whole matter in
conference, but as both bills have for the
chief object the establishment of the gold
standard, in my opinion an agreement
will be reached, probably, by the first Of
February"
Forecasting the results of the present
congress, Mr. Overstreet said: I'm my
judgment, this congress will be one of the
most interesting since the war of the re-
beilion. This is another formative period
in the history of our country. Among the
questions to be solved are the Philip
pine war, the establishment of gov
eminent for Porto Rico and Hawaii the
building of a merchant marine and the
Nicaragua canal and the establishment
of territorial form of government for
Alaska. These constitute more important
subjects than ever before a SINCE con-
gress and I anticipate a long session"
On the subject of free homes, so dear
to the hearts of all Oklahomans, Mr..
Overstreet said that the time of congress
had been so closely taken up with the
discussion of the financial bill that the
subject of free homes and the kindred
topics of statehood had not yet begun to
receive much attention. He said, how
ever, that the house last year passed the
free homes bill by a substantial majority
and he had yet to hear of any member
changing his mind who had voted for the
bill on that occasion. The wonderful de-
velopment of Oklahoma as denoted by
Governor Barnes. in his admirable report
to the secretary OF the interior, is the
talk not only Of Washington, but of the
entire east. and the opinion is general
that such a thriving territory with its
abundant resources ought not be kept
out of the sisterhood of states.