The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-10-25
is CURRENCY BILL
|. GOING TOPASS NOW
Be S|DETRACKED?
President Is Still Confident
Measure Will Become Law
at Present Session
WILLING TO MAKE
SOME CONCESSIONS
The Members Are Worried About
Getting Mileage if the Present
Session Continues Until
Next Opens
BY G. E. STEWART

Washington, October 24.-(Special 1.-THE
one live legislative question in Washing
i ton right now is, what will become of
the currency bill? viii the admnistra-
ton be able to accomplish its design and
write the bill upon the statute books
during the extra session?
On this question there Is variety of
opinion. The President himself still re-
tains unshaken confidence that the meas
ure will be out of the road and leave
things clear for the other important ad-
ministration legislation by the closing
days of November. Many others do not
share this view, and there are some who
profess to believe that the currency bill
will occupy several months of the long
term beginning in December.
Among these is Minority Leader Mann,
who is conducting a filibustering game in
the House. Mr.. Mann is really trying to
force an adjournment on the grounds that
the currency bill cannot be passed at this
session, and that it is a waste of time
and energy in trying to dispose of it
before the long term is we'll under way.
President Has Won SO Far
President has won out in practically all
of his contentious so far in matters Of
legislation. and the President is firmly
convinced that this bill ought to be dis
posed of now, and leave the party free
to tackle the trusts and to put up a
fight for economy in appropriations during
the long term. No one predicts but what
the long term will run far into summer
next year-the greatest time being con-
If ,.i,fi IN
view of the fact that the attempt to
create a budget committee failed the party
leaders will concentrate all their energies,
in holding down appropriations, on the
several committees of the House which
have the authority for making them. 1t
is anticipating this struggle and the anti
trust legislative programme that makes
the President SO very anxious to put
through the currency bill now.
While it is next to impossible to predict
with any accuracy whether the currency
bill will be passed in November or not, an
analysis of the situation will show that
the chances are favorable to such action.
The delay in the measure now being ex-
perienced is caused by its friends in the
most part. That is to say, those who are
helping in holding the bill back are men
who favor currency legislation. Those
who have been opposed to such legisia-
ton have accepted the situation, and real
izing that there is to be currency lesis-
lation are satisfied with the pending bill
and are making no fight against it.
Willing for Reasonable Concessions
In the meantime it is apparent that the
President is willing to make reasonable
concessions in the bill, provided there is
no material assault on its fundamental
principles The delay, then, is caused
in an effort to get as near an ideal meas
ure in the eyes of those who have it in
charge as is possible, and when finally
negotiations, investigations and hearings
have reached the point where it Is GER
tain that there is no further use in delay.
the pegs will be pulled from under and the
bill will go through in short order. and
that very thing is liable to happen be-
fore the November days have all passed
away.
There is no danger of the defeat of the
currency bill. The country as Whole
approves it, and Congress is going to give
them the measure in some form. and that
soon, ands 1t will be substantially as the
bill came from the House. The Presi-
dent may consent to minor changes-for
instance, he will not object if it is de-