Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1909-08-28
Jersey Representative Charges
Conspiracy i0RuleC Congress.
aMALICE IN EVERY ACTION"
Declares "uncle Joe' Is In a Plot With
Senator Aldrich to Control Legisla-
ticn-charges Speaker With Favor
itism. conceit and Putrid Prefer
ences.

ttisr1, Sonceit ana Fuuiu FTSISF
snces-
Elizabeth, N. J., Aug. 24-One of
the most sensational attacks made by
q responsible authority upon q public
man in the United States in modern
times is contained In an open letter
addressed to Speaker Joseph G. Can
non by Representative Charles N,
Fowler, OF this city.
Representative Fowler boldly
charges the existence of a c%onspiracy
bstween the speaker OF the house and
Senator Nelson w. Aldrich, of Rhode
Island, for the purpose of controlling
all important national legislation and
of defeating both tariff reform and
currency reform.
For several years the New Jersey
congressman was chairman of the
house committee on banking and cur
rency. At the close of the recent spe-
cial session Speaker Cannon declined
to reappoint Mr.. Fowler to that i'm
portant craftsmanship. Such action is
almost unprecedented.
Despairing of securing what he be.
lieves Is necessary legislation for the
reform of the currency n banking
laws oY the country as long as the
house is under the control of the pres
emit rules as interpreted by Speaker
Cannon, Mr.. Fowler announced him
self as a candidate for speaker at tha
opening of the special session. He
explains that he did this. not in the
expectation of being elected, but solely
for the purpose of bringing squarely
before the people the issue of genu-
inc currency and banking reform as
distinguished from the legislative pro-
gram on that question agreed to by
Aldrich and Cannon. This conduct
made Mr.. Fowler an "insurgent" in the
ayes of Uncle joe"
Defends His Course.
Referring to his course in that re-
spect Representative Fowler says In
his letter TO the speaker:
do you suppose, sir, that | did not
appreciate fully the probable conse-
quence of my act when l undertook to
play my part in securing this reform?
'Do you suppose that l was not
aware of your ignorance, prejudice, In
ordinate c~onceit, favoritism. putrid
preferences, and that like all such
characters possessing absolute power,
malice is the handspring of your every
action under such circumstances"
After reciting from the official rec
.ords the speakers support of unsound
money measures in congress up to the
present time, Mr.. Fowler reminded
Mr.. Cannon of the latter's opposition
to remedial legislation proposed by the
New Jersey man to avert the panic o.
1907. He reminds him of how ne was
pleaded with to permit consideration
of the bill prepared by Fowler with the
assistance of fifteen of the greatest
bankers in the country, and recites
this:
"You literally hooted the idea of a
panic and inquired: What does this
bowling in Wall street amount to? The
country don't care what happens to
those spectators. Everything is al
right out west and around Danvilia.
The country don't need any legislation.
Then I don't take any stock In your az
set currency"
Asks About Conspiracy.
Mr.. Fowler adds: "As usual, your
ignorance and prejudice were all sufl-
cisnt then. But the panic came, as
every man who had any intelligence
upon the subject knew it would.
Nov. sir, mark this-the bill pre-
pared by these representative bank
ers, which met only with your sneers
and contempt, and known as the
bankers bill, provided for about $3.50
900, 900 of credit currency called in
that bill national bank guaranteed
credit notes
"If that bill had been upon the stat
ute books when the pressure came
there would have been no general sus
try, no general breaking down of the
exchanges, as all the banks could havg
more thar met the demand for cur
rency."
After accusing Speaker Cannon Of
deliberately conspiring with Senator
Aldrich to pack circumference commit
tee on the tariff bill against the house
bill. Mr.. Fowler adds:
81 have gone into these details to
lay bare your miserable, contemplate
false p%retense and to expose your du-
plicity, treachery and perfidy to that
legislative body over which you pre-
side, whose will you were bound TO de-
fend and not destroy.
els it possible that you. the Repub-
lican speaker of the house OF repre-
sentatives, and Senator Aldrich, chair
man of the finance committee of the
senate. entered into a conspiracy to
secure the adoption of the senate bill
In general and the highest rates in
both bills throughout for the purpose
of discrediting the president by repu
dating his pledges and the platform
of the Republican party?
Taking all the facts as they appear
in the case, from start to finish. q