New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-07-09
NEAR FIST FIGHT IN
CURRENCY CONFERENCE
Democratic Members of House
Committee Almost Come to
Blows at Secret Session.
CHAIRMAN GLASS ASSAiLEO
Serious Discord Jeopardizes the
Success of the Administra-
tons Measure-Open
Sessions Hereafter.

Washington, July S.-Dlscord Of most
serious nature to-day took possession OF
the secret conference of the Democratic
members of the House Banking and Cur
rency Committee, almost resulting in a
fist fight between two members and
jeopardizing the success of the admins
tration currency bill. So constant was
the pickering OF the four-hour conference
Of the committee that practically no prog
ress was made on the bill, and but
twenty-five lines of the measure were
read.
Chairman Glass, visibly angry, declined
to see newspaper men after the meeting.
He tersely said that for certain personal
reasons he had to refuse TO discdss In
any way what had happened. Other ma
jority members of the committee left the
room under pledge OF secrecy, and but
fragmentary reports of the row behind
the closed doors could be obtained to-
night.
That there was an utter lack OF har-
mony at the conference is not denied In
fact the Democrats OF the Banking and
Currency Committee are now so widely
split over currency reform that person
aiities are being brought into play, and 1t
Is apparent that President Wilson and
Representative Underwood, the House
floor. leader, must be relied upon TO re-
store comparative harmony. 1t is re-
GREETED in Democratic circles that both
have been absent from the city. The
President will return Thursday. and Mr..
Underwood may be back tomorrow in
time to step into the widening breach.
Chairman Glass, It was learned. was
assailed at the conference to-day because
of certain published leaks concerning
the deliberations Of the majority mem
bers Several Of the new members OF the
committee are said to have resented pub
lished statements that they were holding
I'D the progress Of the bill. although there
was no denial OF the truth Of published
reports Of dissension in the committee.
The names OF two members who in the
height OF the excitement expressed de-
sire TO engage in personal combat are
withheld by almost equally warlike spec
tators, but rumor links TO the episode the
names Of two or more members who have
disapproved from the outset the Glass
owen bill. One member of the House
committee, who evidently regarded the
conference to-day as a farce. laughlngly
left the committee room with the COM
ment:
They are having the devil OF a time
IN. there. Two OF the fellows almost got
together Just now when one said his Irish
blood was getting het up and another re-
torted the sooner II gets het the better. :"
The two Democrats of fighting proclivi-
ties and Irish ancestry are reliably re-
ported tonight to be Representatives
Brown, OF West Virginia, and Ragsdale,
OF South Carolina. The Irish tempera-
ment OF Mr.. Brown is said TO have been
warming up when Mr. Ragsdale eX-
pressed a willingness 10 see the process
expedited.
The conference was discussing at the
time proposal OF Mr.. Wingo to make
the meetings OF the Democrats open.
which Mr.. Brown is understood 70 have
opposed and which Mr.. Ragsdale stoutly
favored.
Chairman Glass has called a meeting OF
the full committee tomorrow. At this
meeting the LIndbergh- Buckley resolu-
ton for open sessions" probably will
prevail.
All sessions of the committee for con-
sideratlon of the bill will be open TO the
public. This was agreed upon to-day by
the Democratic members.