The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-07-26
DEMOCRATS WRANGLE
over CURRENCY BILL
Lively Tine in House Banking CON-
mittee Over Proposition to Take
Measure to Caucus.
SENATE INFLUENCE IS BLAMED

President Wilson was sharply rebuked
yesterday at a meeting Of the Democratic
members of the House Committee on
Banking and Currency. A motion that
the administration banking and currency
bill be transferred from the committee
to the party caucus that was known to
have been suggested by the President
vote.
Yesterdays meeting was the most dis
orderly that has been held since the adj
ministration bill was taken up for consid-
GRAFTON. Bedlam Was Sunday school
affair by comparison with the session.
which was marked by debates in which
fourteen members all tried to talk at the
same time. many of the disputants glar-
ing across the table at one another in n
manner that promised for a time to wind
up in a good. old-fashioned rough and
tumble. One member suggested that 9TH
ers were lacking in courtesy. whereupon
another member remarked that he had
never before been accused of discourtesy.
and that he was not going to start at
this late day to permit others to impute
discourtesy to him.
There is a suspicion in some quarters
that influences in the Senate have some
thing to do with the chaotic Of affairs
in the House committee. Despite efforts
that have been made to create a con-
trary impression many Senate Democrats
are unalterably opposed to banking leg
islation at this time. Their attitude In
reflected in a statement made yesterday
by Senator Hitchcock of Nabraska, rank
ing Democratic member OF the Banking
and Currency Committee of the Senate.
Il am decidedly opposed to the passage
of a banking bill at this time. and 1
have so advised the President" said
Senator Hitchcock. Il think l am safe
in saying that a majority of our COM
mttee is opposed to action at this ses-
sion. This legislation is too difficult
and delicate TO push through under the
whip and spur"
Wholesale discussion" in the House
committee was begun yesterday when
from a conference with the President,
moved that the bill be reported to the
House forthwith. This was bawled down,
whereupon Mr.. Wingo made another mo-
ton that will be taken up i'm the party
caucus a week from Monday. This was
President Wilson'S idea. The question
was put and the motion lost in a chorus
of negative yells that could be heard in
the Capitol corridors. Representative
tSaEsQale OF SOutn SarOllna provoked
more disorder by moving that the bill
be reported to the caucus without recon-
mendation a week from Monday. Mem
Ders Wed with one another in downing
this motion.
Chairman Glass took occasion to make
ironical remarks about the amendments
offered yesterday by Mr.. Ragsdale, one
of which proposed the issuance OF cur
rency on corn. cotton, and wheat ware
house certificates. Mr.. Ragsdale leaped to
his feet and rushed into the next roou.
He appeared in a moment holding aloft
a copy OF the Lynchburg CVa) News.
owned and edited by Chairman Glass.
Mr.. Ragsdale read an interview. in which
Mr.. Glass was quoted as saying that the
and currency situation was "all
balled up" and conveying an intimation
that Mr.. Ragsdale was, in part, respon-
sible.
The South Carolina member charged
that Mr.. Glass was trying to embarrass
Ragsdale in his own district Mr. Glass
repudiated the interview. According to
all accounts of the exchange between
Glass and Ragsdale. they were
far from wholesome, and at times
abridged the rules governing parliament (
tary debate.
The upshot of the meeting was an ad-
journment to meet again Monday after |
noon. Preceding Mondays session, Rep |
Ragsdale will have a confer |
ence with the President, in which an eff |
fort will be made to get the South Caro- |
lima member into line.