The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-10-19

Brief But Animated Contest Over the
 Action of the Convention in Adopting
 an Amsndment to Prohibit Former
 Presidents of the Association from
 Participating in the Deliberations of
 the Executive COunciI-Denounced as
 Ungenerous Act.
 St. Louis, Oct. 1S-Discussion of the currency question by the convention of the American Bankers association, the topic upon which the attention of all the delegates is centralized, to-day for a second time was postponed. The re- port of the bank legislative committee, which would have precipitated the dis cussion, was laid over until tomorrow as a special order of business.
 When the session convened to-day 1t was confidently expected that the re- port of the committee would be pre- sented but a contest over the amend ments to the constitution proposed by William George, of Aurora, Ill, devel- oped. It was finally decided to lay the entire subject of amendinn the consti- tuition relative to the limitation of the membership on the executive council over until next year
 In view of the fact that much time had been consumed in this contest, and the management of the Olympic theater desired the house at noon because of a matinee and also because of the ex- pressed opinions that it was deemed in- advisable to offer the report until the hot blood" of the delegates had cooled down, the reading was deferred until tomorrow, the final day.
 Just before adjournment to-day a brief but animated contest was precip- itated by Festus J. Wade, president of the Mercantile Trust company, of St. Louis, president-elect of the trust sec tion, who protested against the action of the convention yesterday in adopting an, amendment to prohibit former pres idents of the association from partici- pating in the deliberations of the exec utiye council
 This action was taken during my ab- sence," said MT. Wade. Had I been here at the time I would have vigor- ously opposed such action. By this ac- ton You have robbed some of the brightest members of this association of a little honor that is due them for their work in making 1t the powerful or ganizaton 1t is to-day. At the meet ing in 1896 there was a southern rebel at the head of this association, but he was one of the men whose influence helped to place the association on rec ord in favor of the gold standard He was a man we all loved. You have shorn him of a little financial sum or some honor, What would the American Bankers association be without the work of Colonel Bob Lowry of Atlanta, and Logan Murray? Go somewhere else to do this odious, ungenerous and un-American act"
 E. F Swinney, Q former president of the association, who fathered the amendment, said that while he had great respect for the ex-presidents, he did not see any necessity for retaining them for life on the executive council. Untll TOUT years ago, when the con- vention met in New Orleans, he said, ex-presidents were not accorded that privilege.
 A motion to reconsider the vote on the amendment was defeated by ris- ing vote of 142 to 195.
 The session to-day was brief, con- suming little over two hours.
 
 Charles J. Haden, of Atlanta, Ga, on the topic "A Plea for the Cotton Fields" and MT Yeijero Ono, superin- tendent of agencies, the bank of Ja- pan, on Some Financial Aspects of the Late War" He expressed the opinion that the recent war came at the right tims.