Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-23
ENDS LONG BATTLE
ON CURRENCY BILL
Senate Adopts Report of Con-
ference Committee After
Heated Debate.
RECESS TO JANUARY IL
VOTED BY BOTH HOUSES
Final Discussion Marked by Sharp
Clash Between Senators Bris-
tow and Owen.

tow ana OWen.
flnal action upon the currency bill. st
Tar as Congress is concerned. was taken
by the Senate this afternoon when il
adopted the report of the conference
committee by vote of i3 20 -.
Three republicans Norris, Jones and
Weeks-and one progressive-Poindext
voted for the conference report Other
wise. the vote was strictly partisan, all
the democrats voting for the bill and
other republicans against IT,
The bill will be sent to the President
for his signature Immediately IL is un-
derstood that he will sign the measure
at the White House at q O'Clock tonight
Immediately after the adoption OF the
conference report the Senate passed a
resolution. already approved in the
House. for recess beginning this after
noon and lasting until January II. Then
began hurried exodus from Washing
ton of members of Congress on their
way to their homes for Christmas. 1t
had been the plan of the Senate TO put
| through recess until January 10, but
after the House had acted the Senate
| leaders decided to conform to the House
date.
Final Debate in Senate.
\ The Senate met at 10 o'clock this
| morning. having agreed to take vote
on the conference report not later than
$50 O'Clock this afternoon. Unanimous
consent for this proceeding was granted
at the session last night. immediately
a quorum had been obtained, Senator
Bristow of Kansas. one OF the republican
conferees on the currency bill, launched
into a bitter attack upon the democrats
because they had framed the conference
report without inviting i'm the republicans
to assist
Senator Bristow went so Tar as 10
charge that Senator owen. chairman or
| the Senate banking and currency commit
tee, had 'pufposely excluded the repubii-
cans from the conference because he knew
that he could not control their votes. and
was afraid that the republicans might
succeed in splitting the democrats over
many propositions In that event, he
! said, Senator Owen and other democrats
of the conference committee would not
have been able to put through amend.
ments which favored the big banking in
terests as apposed to the people
Replying. Senator Owen said, sar.
icastically:
Il deeply feel my affiliations with the
big banking interests, to which the
| senator from Kansas refers. But L call
| his attention to the fact that the re-
publican senators had been in power
for many years and that they have
never done anything TO bring about
| relief from these big banking inter-
| ests.
Mask to Deceive Public.
| THE senator from Oklahoma, I'm TINS
bill, has accepted the most vicious pro-
visions of the Aldrich bill and covered
them with a mask to deceive the pub
lie" shouted Senator Bristov'- he
criticised in vigorous terms the action
| of the conference committee I'm strik-
ing out of the bill the provision look
ing to the guarantee of bank deposits.
/ Il charge that the bill has oeen
| drawn in the interest of banks ana
that the senator from oklahoma, Mr.
owen is interested in banks He has
voted to increase his personal fortune.
declared Senator Bristow, pounding the
air. Senator Bristow declared that the
| action in the interests of the banks would
have made Alexander Hamilton blush.
THE senator's remarks about me are
| in violation of the rules Of the Sen
ate." replied Senator Owen But 40
not choose to dignity them with a re-
ply. The senator knows that | have
always supported the guarantee OF
bank deposits, and that hve years
ago I spoke on the floor Of the Sen
ate i'm advocacy of such a plan. The
| House committee has a subcommittee
| which is preparing a separate meas
ure for the guarantee Of bank deposits
| which will be presented later, anu
| which will be more effective than the
provision which was contained in the
Senate bill"
Once Owned Bank Stock.
| Senator Owen said that twenty-four
years ago he did own stock in little
bank i'm Oklahoma. The charge of Sen
ator Bristow that he was acting for the
purpose of increasing his own fortune in
helping to frame the conference report he
declared to be ridiculous and false"
/ During the debate Senator Owen called
attention to the fact that the republican
members of the conference had been in
vited to attend the conference after
the democrats had completed the prelimi-
nary work" He insisted that the con-
ference report was still open and subject
4 to change at the time the republicans
were invited in. but that the republicans
had fatty refused to come into the con-
ference.
When asked why the republicans were
not permitted to attend the preliminary
conference Senator Owen said that SEN
tend because the democrats did not want
TO have "a debating society" in the con-
ference.
Conferees Under Fire.
| Senator Bristow criticised the action
| of the conferees for changing the amend
ment offered by Senator La Toilette and
adopted by the Senate making il inpos-
sible for members of Congress to be d.
rectors or officers of banks which are
members of the new system. He pointed
| out that as the provision comes from the
| conference. IL merely provides that MEM
bers of Congress shall not be officers or
directors of regional reserve banks.
NO one ever expected that a member
of Congress would be officer or
director of one of the regional reserve
banks" said Senator Bristow.
Senator Nelson another republican
conferee on the bill. strongly con-
demned the democrats for the manner
in which the conference had been
handled He said that he had seen
two democrats administrations come
and go. during his public career.
"I have seen a third democratic ad-
ministration come" said Senator Nelson.
.,-.-a n oxpacf IN SEQ