The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-16

Public Men Puzzled by the Appar
ent Insistency of the People
for Legislation.
New York Sun special Service.

Washington including, 6fsicerS of the
treasury department and members of the
financial committees of the senate and
house have been astonshed and somewhat
mystifled at the persistent efforts to Gre
ate the impression that the people Of the
United Sta tes as a mass are intensely in
terested In having the financial laws re-
vised and especially In the enactment of
a plan Of asset currency. 1t has been
noticed that the country newspapers of
the various states have been filed with
more or less accurate informa tden on
financial topics, enanating from Wash
ington. and that the daily mail of con-
gressmen has been burdened with finan-
cial advice, generally based on arguments
In behalf of asset currency. " ''
This subject was being discussed in a
committee room at the capitol between
some of the republican leaders when one
senat tor exclaimed:
tIt is very strange that the people OF
this country should have such grasp
of the financial question as to enable them
to tell congress what ought to be done |
don't understand where they get their
Information
A colleague replied with statement
that let's in a little light on the situation.
He said:
why, that's easy. Don't you know
| that there is an organization In. Wash
| ington maintained by contributions OF
banks throughout the COullly Will q
| staff Of officials whose business 1t Is to
prepare and disseminate to newspapers
| and to individuals throughout the United
States arguments in favor Of asset cur
rency? If you don't you don't know what
| is going on under your very nose 1t IS
| literary bureau conducted on the plan
| first put into successful practice by Sam
ue J. Tilden in his great !political cam
paign. The Washington organization is
| known as the committee of the 1nterna-
! tional sound money conference, and Its
chairman Is H. H. Hanna of Indianapolis
| That committee was appointed after the
| Indianapolis sound money. conference In
! 1896, and it is still in existence and operat-
| ing several hours a day for seven days
a week all the year round.
| This bureau was the backbone of the
| propaganda that resulted in the framing
of the Fowler currency bill by the house
committee on banking and currency,
and the supporters of which would have
tried to defeat the Aldrich bill If 1t had
passed the senate. Indeed they did de-
| feat q similar measure introduced by Rep
resentative Paine, who had it referred
| to the committee ways and means in
| order that it might be reported back and
a special rule made for it's passage. Ihe
ba mixing and currency committee insisted
| on taking charge of this bill. and accord
| ingly had its reference to the ways ana
I -
| bill had passed the senate the same fight
I would have been made on it, although it
| might have been possible to clrcumVent
the advocates of an asset currency, owing
| to the universal demand by those who
| have expert knowledge Of the financial
situation for the passage of the Aldrich
bill.
| "Anewspaper paragra phi which it Is gen
orally supposed emanated from the Hanna
bureau for the dissemination of informa
ton on financial questions, is now going
the rounds of the press, and reads as
follows:
Advocates of credit currency legislation are
| much encouraged by the fact that every one
of the republican members of the house commit
tee on banking and currency OF the hfty-seventl
congress except Mr.. Moss of Kentucky has been
reelected to the ffty-eehth congress- and but
two Of the democrats, Messrs Talbot of Sout,
Carolina and Pugley of York were not re-
elected. 1t would be in the power of Speaker
Cannon Of course to make mp an entirely new
committee, but it Is not at ell probable that be
will do 50. 1t is believed that he will reappoint
on the committee all Of the men who have been
/ reelected, and that the only new men will be
those appointed to fill the vacancies. The result
of this will be- that much valuable time Will be
i saved and it will be possible for the COMMITTEES
to report a bill to the house very soon after the
session begins. ...
THAT may be true, and it may only
4 be the opinion of the Hanna committee
for the dissemination of knowledge and
the other advocates of an asset currency
/ It is known to be fact that the senate
committee on finance will, during the
recess Of congress, make thorough study
Of the financial question with a view tt
ascertaining just. what sort, Of currency
legislation is needed and when congress
meets they will be prepared to take VI
this question in the light of knowledge
, gained and, use that knowledge in con-
, nection with the consideration Of the
credit currency bill which its friends thinl
will be passed before the Christmas holi'
days'