The Washington herald., 1913-06-12
|OPEN HEARINGS
ARE in favor
Banking and Currency Sub
committee Votes for Pub
licity of Sessions.
BULL MOOSE FOLLOWED
Democrats Placed in Attitude Of
Agreeing with Resolution Of Lind
bergh Of Minnesota.

| Publicity of the deliberations of tn,
Committee on Banking and Currency or
| the banking and currency revision bill
| that soon will be transmitted to the
House leaders by President Wilson. !!
| practically assured as a result OF actor
taken yesterday by the Buckley subcom-
mittee on the resolution introduced by
Representative Lindbergh, the Bull
Moose member from Minnesota
By a unanimous vote. the subcommit
tee. of which Representative Buckley oil
| Ohio. is chairman. decided to recommend
| publicity to the full committee, and there
will be publicity unless the committed
ignores the action OF the subcommittee
The House leaders were thunderstruck
when they were informed that Mr.. Bulk
ley and his associates had decided &c
recommend that the doors OF the Bank
ing and Currency Committee should be
thrown open to the public, especially as
1t was publicly announced before the
subcommittee that Representative Under
wood was opposed to such a course.
Precedent Is Established.
The action of the subcommittee is sig
nificant for two reasons: First, II would
require public discussion of the banking
and currency bill, and sharply bring out
that only a select few have been consulted
by administration leaders in the prepara-
ton Of the measure. Second II places the
Democrats OF at least one committee in
the position OF following the lead Of the
Republican and Progressive organizations.
which already have thrown open their
party conferences to the press and the
public. II the Banking and Currency
Committee concurs in the resolution ap-
proved yesterday by Mr.. Buckley and his
associates a precedent will have thus been
established. which leaders fear may force
them to apply the idea of publicity not
only TO the party caucus but to the ses-
sions OF all the House committees.
The resolution adopted by the SUBJ
committee yesterday provides that the
press shall be given access TO the jour
nal of the committees proceedings, and
that all sessions shall be open to- the
press unless the committee decides other
wise in every instance by a majority
vote. The practical effect OF this pro-
posal would be to insure publicity Of
all the business OF the committee" said
Representative Buckley. "Only in rare
instances. in my opinion. would the COM
mittee vote for an executive session."
Opinion is divided among the leaders
as TO whether the committee will adopt
the recommendation OF Mr.. Buckley and
his associates. Mr.. Underwood has stated
that IL the Banking and Currency Com
mittee admitted tire press ana pubHc 10
its sessions the result would be TO
seriously hamper work on the admins
tration monetary bill. and possibly de-
lay its passage through the House.
The opposition to currency legislation
at this session of Congress is increasing
in the Senate. At a meeting yesterday
Of the Senate Co lmittee on Banking and
Currency Senators O'Gorman and Hitch
cock voiced their opposition to taking up
the currency bill at this session, deClar-
ing that It was impracticable and would
interfere with the consideration of the
tariff bill.
Other Senators expressed similar views,
and at tie conclusion OF the meeting It
was said that Senator owen was practi-
cally the only member of the committee
who was in favor of action at this ses-
sion.