The Mena weekly star., 1913-12-25


 remained for the Senate to act up- on the compromise which had been effected by managers of the two houses.
 Democrats in Harmony.
 The Democratic majority in the Senate seemed to be working smoothly and the leaders expected to see the bill finally engrossed and on it's way to the White House for President Wilson's signature before night.
 All the changes made by the con- ference managers were agreeable e to the president and it was understood in official circles that he would ac- company his signature with a state menL 10 the country.
 BristOw Makes Attack.
 When the Senate debate began under the agreement to vote by 2:30 this afternoon, Senator Bristow, one of the Republicans of the banking committee, who had been denied admittance to the deliberations of the Democratic conferees, led off with an attack, saying he proposed to express his opinions where they would get into the permanent rec ord.
 II The permanent agreement plac- , ing the secretary of the treasury, the secretary of agriculture, and comptroller of the currency on the committee to organize a new sys- tenn, declared Bristow, was a move to bring the whole system under political control.
 Arrangements for debate provid- ed that Senators Bristow, Nelson and other Republicans who oppose the conference agreement would have about three hours to talk.
 Says Owen Feared Him. Senator Bristow declared he be- lieved Senator Owen had excluded ! him from the conference for fear he would join some of the Demo- crats against Owens pet measures.
 'It was done because he knew he could not control my Vote," cried Bristow, and he could not control the votes of some of his Democrat ic colleagues in the interests of cer- tain great banking interests that } have had a hand throughout the framing of this bill"
 Owen Makes Retort.
 If the senator from Kansas l thinks he can split the Democratic party to suit his own convenience and change it's policies as he de- sires, he is mistaken said Mr l Owen He tried it in the banking ' committee and failed. ? My allegation is that this bill has | been drawn in the interests of the banks" continued Senator Bristow that the senator from Oklahoma is largely interested in banking ,, that tht profits derived from this | system bv the banks he is interested in will add directly tohis personal ]. fortune, and that he has voted to | increase from to per cent diVi- ! dend paid by the new regional banks on the stock held by member | banks"
 2 UphOlds Old Rule.
 Bristow's attack was based on a v rule of Jefferson's manual of par l liamentary practice, that a senator should not vote on legislation in ! which he was directly interested Q Bristow had a newspaper clipping 9 purporting to quote Senator Owen I as saying he had taken stock in a l new national bank to he organized
 in St. Louis.
 Owen retorted that Bristow charges were false and ridicu- lous."
 e Senator Owen said that twenty four years ago he had helped to or ganize a little bank in Oklahoma;' that he still owned stock in the 0 bank and will own it until l die" e "The allegations that my action | on this bill was influenced by the U ownership of stock in that little . bank are ridiculous he said; more r than that. they are false, and the , ! StIdtbI klluNS lHfN dl v AdiN'' i BriStow'S Final Fling. Q Bristow wound up by taking a l. fling at the recent dissolution of = the American Telephone and Tele- graph Company.
 . The attorney general has been ]. able to send up the market price . of telephone stock at a jump, he n declared. He could send it down again just as quickly. With the power the attorney general has un- der the laws which he assumes tC control. and the power the secre- s tary of the treasury will have un- der this new banking system, we will have a centralization of power l under Democratic administration : that Alexander Hamilton would f have blushed to assume" e Another Republican Assails. p Senator Nelson another of the ex- cluded conferees, assailed the | Democrats.
 You have not only insulted the ], Republicans of the Senate and in- suited and humiliated me, The said l. but you have disfranchised the state I represent"