The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-17
Opposes Creation of Power in the Hands of
 the Few
SHOULD WAIT LONG
 BEFORE DECIDING
Says Present House Has Done Every thing to Reduce Expenses of vernment-Economy Is
 Absolutely Necessary

Kansas City, November 16.-Speaker Champ Clark tonight addressing the Trans Mississippi congress expressed ms dsapproval of the proposed changes In the nations currency and banking sys- tern as outlined by former Senator Nelson w Aldrich. chairman of the monetary commission.
 United States Senator James Reed also spoke in opposition to the proposed plan.
 Having no claim whatever to the char acteristics of financier,' MT. Clark ad- ded, T am utterly opposed to the crea- ton, or authorizing of any institution which will drift into the hands of d few men, I care not who they are or where they live. The powers of life and death not only over the bankers of the country, but over every business in the land is equal Financiers of renown differ wlde- ly as do the poles of the earth when asked about the Aldrich plan. Many great financiers indorse 1t, some emphatically, some mildly, and some doubtfully and hesitatingly. Such eminent and success ful business men as J. J. Hill and l.. M. Shaw, are openly against it on the ground
  monopoly. MT. Shaw says 1t would be so profitable to few men who would really run it, that they could well at- ford to pay the entire national debt Tor q perpetual charter, asserting that 1t would make them absolute masters of the American business world. Now If such profound financial physicians as Drs. Aldrich, Vreeland and Laughl1n, on the other hand disagree so radically on &1,t. N.t 1nf ha anf part of patriotic men to wait long enough at least to hear both sides in this inn portant matter before making up our minds? So far it has been largely in the nature of an ex-parte proceedingly. Only the opponents of the plan have had an inning Then, why rush pellmell into such an important matter? Why render verdict prematurely? Why not take time,s not too much, not too little, but amply enough to thoroughly investigate and to find out the sponsors to discover the motive of this undertaking, to as- certain who are to be it's beneficiaries, to learn with definiteness the powers rq sbe concerned, to invite all with information to testify before committees of house and senate, vigorously to cross examine to discover jokers if any are in this plan, and inform ourselves as we ought 10 be informed touching a problem of slch
 
 people now living and untold millions yet unborn. Individually I am not in favor of the Aldrich plan. Quite the contrary. I certainly will vote against it if an at tempt is made to rush it through under whip and spur. It should be thoroughly ventilated and the light otherwise let in.''
 "A safe rule" he continued, "is to vote against any bill upon which I am ;,,fo I my constituents the benefit of the doubt"
 Senator Reed said:
 q am against any currency scheme written by bankers for bankers. I do not mean to attack the banks or the fi- nancial centers of the country, but protest against any plan that will les sen the control of the people over the finances of the country"
 Arnold Shanlllin, consul to Mexico, rep resenting the state department. poke on the Panama canal and the development of cur Pan American trade.
 Bankers and business men, together with their less formal brothers, the far mers, today swept aside the banner of peace that hung over the Trans Mssis- sippi Commercial congress and plunged into bitter struggle over parcels post and the question of states rights.
 Defeated in the resolutions committee, Where tHey Edu expected victory, the supporters of parcel posts rallied their forces and vixen the convention opened not delegate was missing
 George J. Kindel of Denver, known best because of his fights upon railroad interests in Colorado, fired the opening gun for the parcels post adherents when, in a speech against what he termed the domination of the government by the 'robber express companies" who were getting the benefit of the failure to have a parcels post, he declared that only a nation of chumps would stand for such damnabe treatment and statesmanship
 q predict that in 10 years" he con- tinued, "there will be no express com- pany doing interstate or competitive bus mess with our postoffice."
 Addresses by Congressman William P Borland on Waterways" and by Gov. John Burke of North Dakota on I'm provement of Inland Waterways for Nav igation," as we'll as an address by Dar- win P. Kingsley of New York city on Life Insurance and Justice" occupied the rest of the convention's time.
 MT. Kindels statement came as an an- gry retort to an interruption by a dele gate. The Denver man was delivering an address advocating the parcels post in which he blamed the express companies for the annual postoffice deficit.
 Why don't you put some of these ideas into resolution to be placed before the congress?' shouted delegate.
 Ir replying MT. Kinde made his asser- tion that Congress was controlled by the
 
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