Bisbee daily review., 1911-12-31
BANKERS ARE SUBJECTED ID
 SORRY JOKES
French COnCeSSiOnaireS in Venezuela Wait Upon
 Closing Hours
RECEIVE ADVANCE CASH
 AND FAIL TO DELIVER
More Stringent Monetary Laws Supplant Legislation That FinanCierS
 Desired

VII LEMSTAD, Curacao, Dec. 31- The special session of the Neuezue- Ian congress has closed after perpre- trating what is regarded here as tAe best joke since President Castro was notified that he might continue his vacation outside that country indefin- itely.
 The joke was on the French bank. eIs who defrayed the expenses of the special session cOnyened purpOsely to approve legislation which in the final days Of the meeting was reject. ed.
 Early last summer the government granted a concession for the estab- liShUIsut of a new bank with the eI. elusive right to issue paper money and to the extent Of 30.000,O00 boil wares. The bank was granted such ether advantages as probably would have resulted in the closing Of the Old-established bank of Caracas and the bank of Nenezula.
 This accomplished, the concession wires took the first steamer for France where they had no trouble of dispCsing of the concession to Paris fnanciers. But 2 concession in Ven. ezula does not become a law until it has been approved by congress and unfortunately congress- Led just ad- journed and would not meet again in regular session for a year In the mean time many things might hap pen. Castro might reappear and up set the whole plan. Accordingly, the French interests made their accept ance of the concession conditional up- on the agreement Of President Gomez 10 call congress in extraordinary ses- sion. Gomez was agreeable but could not see why Venezuela should be put to the expense involved which, for salaries. and travelling expenses, he estimated at SS0.000.
 The French bankers thought it oy- CT and notiiied the Venezuelan execu- tive that they would stand the ex- pense. Gomez. hoW5yer, having had some experience with congress and perhaps in doubt as to how the e1- pected legislation would turn out, cab. led Pans that 1t would be neces- saFy 10 have the cash in advance
 The money WAS received in Cara cas and the congressman assembled.
 They delibeTated for a month anu then instead of approving the bank tsncesslon passed q new banking law, sounder then the old one and making the issuance of depreciated paper money impossible. Congress also decreed the coinage of 7,000,000 of bcliYares Of silver currency and B. coo, ,OJe Of gold. The members then left fok their homes, having much en- joyed tlieir stay at the capitol. and more than ever impressed with the French generosity.
 Most Of the credit for the reaction against the paper money danger is gwen to General NJ. A. Mates. Minis ter for Foreign Affairs, himself a very wealthy banker. For days and days meetings were held nightly at Cen eral Matos's home in his attempt to convince the members of the govern ment of the danger of the new con cession. He vas sly seconded by Dr. Jose Gil Fortoul, Minister of Ed ucation.
 The projected revolution of Gen eTal Jose Manuel Hernandez, who has thrown down the gauntlet to President Gomez from Porto Rico has now lost its battle cry of down with paper monsy and the bank conces- sion General Hernandez was a member Of the Council of State and is the head Of the Conservative parSS in Venezuela He has lead innumeT- able reyolutions and has been beaten in all He will probably join forces with General AlejandrO Rivas Vas, quez and Geseral Aristides Telleria and use Trinidad as a base Of operations.