Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-25
BAILEY SCORES
POSTAL SAVINGS
TEXAS SENATOR RIDICULES
BANK MEASURE
PEOPLE CAN TAKE CARE OF OWN
MONEY, is ARGUED
Senate Sets March as Date for Vote
on uestion-Members Are
Pleased by Prospect of
Disposition
Associated Press1

lASSoCldleu HTeSsJ
WASHINGTON, Feb. 24.-Decided
progress was made in the senate to-
day toward the disposition of the
postal savings bank bill. In addition
to a striking speech by Senator Bailey
of Texas and an amendment by Sem
ator Burton, which is offered as q
compromise of the various differences
on the question of disposal of the funds
arising from the postal deposits, Sen
ator Carter succeeded in getting Mafch
fixed for vote on the bill.
There was no objection to naming a
day and senators appeared pleased
that the time had been fixed for the
final disposition of the measure.
Senator Carter made his request i'm
mediately after the close of senator
Baileys speech. The time was well
selected, for the reason that many
senators have been waiting to hear
from the Texas senator before agreeing
to any time for the disposal of the Dill
After Mr.. Bailey had concluded many
expressed the opinion he had thrown
much light on constitutional questions
involved in the subject. He had large
audience both on the floor and in the
galleries. and his speech was received
with general favor
Mr. Owen gave notice he would speak
tomorrow on his proposed amendment
substituting a government guaranty OF
bank deposits for the suggested postal
banks.
Discusses Constitutional Points
Mr.. Bailey discussed the different
clauses of the constitution under Whlch
the savings bill had found support. be
ginning with the commerce clause ne
declared it to be a grotesque absurdlty
to saw that such an institution as a
postal savings bank system could pc
established under it.
Referring to the contention that the
bill was justified under the borrowing
clause of the constitution. he asked It's
advocates whether the real purpose OF
the measure was that OF BORROWING
money. If it were, then it was con
stitutional. but, conceiving the object
of this clause to be that of enabling
the government to perform its func-
tions in time of emergency, he con-
tended that this measure would not
Justify the contention made under TINS
clause.
He said he would not affront the in
teIligence of his own colleagues or
dfscredit his own candor by saying
he believed anyone would vote for the
bill with the idea it was intended to
enable the government to raise money
under the borrowing provision.
He also entered on extended argu-
ments to prove the measure was not
justified either under the postoHlce
clause or the money-coining clause OF
the constitution.
Proposed Measure Business One
If customs houses were as numer-
Gus as postoffices, said Senator Bailey
they would have been apt to be chosen
for this business. The business pro
posed was a purely fiscal operation
he declared, and made no pretense or
anv connections with the operations
Of the postal service. He declared the
private citizen had right to do with
money as he pleased, as he had a right
to do with other property.
"If you can bring money from It's
hiding place in one way you can IN
another way, he SAID 1ou h4ke tte
lust as much power to compel the
citizen to supply money by threaten
ing him with punishment as you nave
to tempt him by guaranteeing him
profit on it. If you can employ a pre-
MUM you can employ penalty. You
have no more right to prescribe what
a citizen shall do with his money than
you have to say what he shall do with
his land"
Encourages Thrift
He then attempted to show the pur-
nose of the bill was to encourage
economy and thrift. He quoted the
message of President Roosevelt OIL
1907 in support of this contention, en-
tering on an argument to show this
was not part of the duty of the gov
ernment, but on the other hand that
it was an unwarranted obtrusion of
the government into the affairs OF
citizens.
In this connection he referred to the
future possibility of bank legislation,
and said this intrusion of the govern
ment into affairs of the people soon
would be followed by the intrusion OF
private corporations into the affairs OF
the government
Entering then on a discussion of the
abstract rights of citizenship Mr..
Bailey declared it was libelous to say
people could not take care of their
own money, and declared that only
through struggle and suffering could
a strong people be developed. He
contended that people must learn to
take the chances and act on their own
n