The Washington times., 1913-11-10
CURRENCY BILL IS
CENTER OF STORM
Administration Senators Try to
Restrain Committee Until
After Caucus.

sarmy times for the currency bill
are ahead this week. Not only is the
Democratic caucus of the Senate to
be held on Wednesday, but the Admin
istration Senators on the Senate Bank
ing Committee are trying to hold the
committee back from action until the
caucus is held. They are seeking to
shape the bill in party caucus, but If
it be found the caucus method cannot
safely be followed because of too much
Democratic insurgency the gathering
viii be called conference and no at
tempt will be made to bind Senator'S
Trouble, too has broken out because
Chairman Carter Glass of the House
banking and Currency Committee, who
not long ago attacked Senator Hitch
cock, is now assaiiing Senator Reed.
This does not make for Democratic
harmony or for progress on the cur
Tency bill.
In fact. Mr.. Glass is being sharply
criticised by some of the Administration
Senators for assailing senator Reed at a
time when Democratic team work in
the Senate and support for the Ad-
ninistration currency measure are be-
ing sought.
Mr.. Glass is angry because Senator
Reed wrote a letter to the people of
Missouri" in which he charged the
Glass-Owen currency bill was of Wall
Street origin, and was absolutely in
the teeth of Democratic policies and
precedents.''
Glass Retorts to Reed.
This Mr.. Glass bitterly denies. He de-
-clares Senator Reeds letter, from be-
ginning to end, is a "misstatement OF
facts, either directly or by implication"
He asserts the bill was not prepared in
Wall Street, and charges Senator Reed
with having ''gulped down" the Van
derlip plan.
One thing which seems to have Mr..
Glass particularly sore is Senator
Reeds assertion that the bill which
passed the House was drawn by n.
Parker willis, editor of the New York
Journal of Commerce, generally known
as a Wall street publication"
Mr. Glass says Every provision of
the currency bill not written by me or
some member of the House committee
was prepared under my immediate di-
rection after consultation with the
President, Senator Owen. and Secretary
McAdoo; hence the attempt of Senator
Reed to identify the bill with Wall
Street is futile. The assertion that the
ton measure is completely answered
by the statement that nearly all of the
fundamental features were agreed upon
tentatively by the President and me at
Princeton and Trenton before Mr.. Will
sons Inauguration; that every material
alteration from the first draft was SUBJ
mitted to the President and his ad-
visers and by them approved before the
bill was introduced in the House; that
the President has many times publicly
stated that he stands for the main
features of the bill as II passed the
House, having repeated this declaration
I'm writing within the last ten days In
rejecting a scheme prepared by GER
tain Wall Street bankers and approved
by Senator Reed
Reed Wants Open Sessions.
Senator Reed. who is displeased with
what he regards as Misrepresentation
of his attitude by, some of the sup
porters of the bill, is demanding open
sessions of the committee and an open I
Democratic caucus, or conference
Administration Senators on the COM
Inittee were busy yesterday preparing
a report for the caucus and will urge |
passage of the bill substantially as il |
passed the House. Senators O'Gorman, !
Reed, and Hitchcock did noe meet in |
conference with Senators owen, Hollis, !
Shafroth, and Pomerene.
Senator Nelson reflects the attitude of |
number of Republicans in an inter- |
view, in which he says IF the Presi- |
dent is spelling for a fight he can
have it"
The tangled cohdition of things re-
specting the currency bill makes II |
more uncertain than ever when leeis-
lation will be had