The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-11-10
Senator Hitchcock Spoke His
Mind on President Wilson's
Efforts to Force
a Report.
PRESSURE FROM OUTSIDE
Caucus Has Been Called to Pass Upon
the Bill But the President
Did Not Urge

expected storm on currency broke In
the senate this afternoon when Sen
ator Hitchcock, democrat, insurgent,
on the banking committee, spoke his
mind on President Wilson's efforts to
force a report on the Glass-Owen
and Senator Reed of Missouri, re-
nounced his own insurgency. Fitch
cock insisted that the committee would
lave had report ready at the stipu-
lated time II 1t had not been for an
outside influence which manifested IT.
self on Wednesday and "undid" all
the committee had accomplished. I'VE
were told that President Wilson would
not approve our course and were told
to retrace our steps," he said. 81 un-
derstand the pressure that such a
message brought, and have no crit
icism to make those who yielded.
Were the issue political, l too would
yield to certain degree.
But it is not political. l feel that
when the senate refers to COM
mittee an important bill of this char
acter, the senate is entitled to have
members Of the committee examine it
carefully and vote according to their
own convictions. ! would retire from
committee rather than vote for a
vital or fundamental feature against
my convict tion even to meet the views
Iof the president Of the United States
1t may be said that 1t is presidential
deadlock that I have produced it. >
Majority Leader Kern denied inter
ference with the committee by Pres
ident Wilson and denied that the
coming conference was caucus. He
said no attempt was made to pledge
participants in the meeting.
Senator Reed indicated himself back
In the fold when he made speech
glorifying party loyalty
The calling of the caucus of the ma
jority members of the senate to pass
upon the currency bill was not at the
request of President Wilson. 1t meets
that the fight for the Glass-Owen bill
could have been done without resort.
ing to that weapon. The president
made this very plain to callers today.
He insisted that he still believed cur.
rency bill will be agreed on which will
receive bipartisan support. So far as
democracy Is concerned, 1t must as
sumo all responsibility for all legisla-
tlon enacted while 1t controls the gov
ernment but the position OF the presi-
dent as expressed today, Is that 1t
must also try to concilliate opposition
in order to get the best results. 1t
must originate legislation the presi-
dent holds, but thereafter it must try
to SO frame all bills that the united
support Of both houses can be bid for.
Having assumed this attitude the
president will take no part in the
opening of the caucus. He will make
no attempt to influence any OF the
participants. 1t is understood tha:
he had suggested the advisability of
permitting the newspaper men to be
present and inform the public of what
transpires. But even on this point, it
was stated he will not insist.
To every senator who mas talked
currency with him during the last
week the president has definitely stat
ed that he is convinced the people
want good law and they want II
now and he has professed to believe
that individual members of the senate
realize this just as fully as he did and
that therefore he could leave the
question to their decision. When Sena.
tors Reed and O'Gorman changed
front on the central bank plan the
president believed the battle was won
and that the caucus was not needed
But other senators thought differently
and he finally approved of the plan
The president told all Of his callers to-
day that he was certain a bill contain
ing all Of the essentials of the Glass.
Owen measure would be law before
the conyening of the regular session OF
congress.