The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-11-05

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house. elected in 1910, should pass
postal savings bank bill which sub
sequently should be defeated by q
Republican senate.
Certain congressman in the middle
West who oppose the Cannon-Aldrich
element, but who do not believe
the creation of postal savings banks Is
wise. have been compelled to bow be-
fore the unreasoning animosity of the
people to everything the controlling
dcment in congress favors. Reports
from the interior Indicate that loyalty
70 the postal savings bank is being
made in the text in a great man con-
grcssional districts along with oppo-
sition to Aldrich and Cannon. y
Many country Republicans ,.es-
pecially in sections remote from
banks, are saying that "Wall Street"
is opposing the postal bank as the
New England ana Pennsylvania man
unfacturers are held responsible for
the failure to obtain adequate tariff
reform. The fact TINT many of the
little country banks are also opposed
to the postal savings system seems
to be overlooked, and n condition is
rapidly developing where political
leaders are saying that the postal
bank must be established as a polit-
ical necessity and entirely without re-
gard to It's economic value to the
community.
The postal savings bank is becoming
political issue for reasons not hard
to find If we go back year and a
half In the first place 1t is Roose-
welt policy. 1t was passed originally
by Postmaster General Meyer, who
is retained by the Taft cabinet as
the only one of the Roosevelt ad-
visers. He pressed the postal bank
with rare ability unon the attention
of congress. 1t was one of the dis
tinct Roosevelt policies which by tacit
Chicago platform, and in a way rank
consent were left to the succeeding
administration. %&%*
To Offset the Bryan bank guaran-
tee plan, the postal savings bank
was given undue prominence. 1t was
made an i'm portant feature of tho
cd next in importance TO the pledge
for tariff revision. During the cam
paign Il was re peatedly pointed out
to the people that the postal savings
bank furnished the means of hav-
ing deposits I'm small amounts guar
anteed by the United States govern
ment itself. The Republicans rallied
around the postal bank just as the
Democrats did about the, guarantee
of deposits.
Even the Republicans in Minnesota,
Kansas, and other states who had
been tainted with the Bryan theory,
made much of the postal bank as
means of letting themselves down
easily. The result was that next to
tariff revision the postal savings
bank became the most concrete pledge
made by the Republicans and by Mr..
Taft to the people in the campaign
of 1908. m w. .s--
Now the postal bank is once more
becoming ;, a political =. and an
economic issue. Senator Aldrich.
Speaker Cannon, and others h9ye de-
clared against it. President Taft
favors the postal bank for ITSELF be-
cause il was q Roosevelt policy. and
because IL became such distinct
pledge in the campaign which elected
him..
| A large percentage of the bankers
of the country seem to be lining up
against what they consider the in
vasion by the government of a purely
legitimate field of private enterprise.
The establishment of such a system.
while IL does hot directly concern
the plans for currency reform. is so
vastly important that Senator Aldrich
and the members of the monetary
commission have a good deal of rea.
son on their side when they insist that
the postl bank shall be treated as
part of the general financial plan,
aud that nothing shall be done about
II until the commission reports along
about Jan. 1,1910.
Country congressman from the mid.
die west do not relish this program
of delay They say that time has
passed for an academic discussion OF
the advantages or disadvantages OF
the postal bank. They insist that
1t has become as fixed a feature OF
the party policy as the tariff itself
These men have been talking with
the farmers during the summer, and
have become impressed with the
gravity of the situation. They argue
this way:
In the first place, the party stood
| ioi 'ofih reNiSioH. GTesiuent IdIl
in his campaign constantly referred
to the rtvision as ore generally
downward. Congress disappointed
the people previously. Presideni
Taft injected into the law about all
there was of good in II. For that
reason the people feel inclined to for
give him for not taking hand earlier
in the game.
Now they are watching the postal
bank. II nothing IL done at the APP
preaching session, these country con-
gressmen say. there will be blood on
the rural moon. Currency reform
was not a feature of the Republican
platform OF 1908. Postal banking
was. so the rural farmers argue that
party pledge should be redeemed
by itself independent OF It's supposed
relation torsofne financial policy about