The Washington herald., 1913-11-10
CAUCUS TO GET
REGULARS VIEW
Administration Senators Pre-
pairing Report for Party
Conference.
HITCHCOCK OUT OF FOLD
Feature. Of House Currency Bill in
Main viii Be Approved-Repub-
Hcans Preparing Measure.

Four Democratic members Of the
Senate Committee on Banking and Cur
rency, who have adhered to the admins
tration program on currency Legislation,
met yesterday and began work on a re-
port to be made to the Democratic eau
Gus called for Wednesday afternoon.
The four welR- the chairman, Senator
Owen, and Senators Pomerene, Hollis.
and Shanroth. 1t developed after the
meeting that the four will Join in
recommendation that the caucus indorse
the. Glass bill practically In the form II
passed the House. Whatever changes
that are suggested will bear the indorse-
ment of the President. The number OF
regional banks may be reduced below
twelve, as provided by the House bill.
but IL this is done II will be only after
the President has approved.
Senators OGorman and Reed were not
present yesterday at the conference. nor
was Senator Hitchcock. The three Sen
ators will be asked to concur In the re-
port the four Senators are preparing to
make to the CAUCUS There is no hope
apparently that Senator Hitchcock will
sign 1t, but o'Gorman and Reed or both,
may do 80.
Minority Preparing Bill.
Meanwhile the Republicans are making
their plans to join in a report to the
Senate on q bill that may authorize a
central bank, but will certainly not pro-
vide for more regional reserve associa-
tions. The Republican bill also will re-
quire that the stock OF the reserve asso-
Citations shall be owned by the public II
the public will absorb II. and that II
shall be controlled by the government.
The Republican measure will embody, in
short, such changes as the majority or
the Banking and Currency Committee
have made in the bill up to this time, but
otherwise the bill will adopt most OF the
features OF the House measure.
1t is likely that there will be trouble
when the Banking and Currency Com
mittee meets this morning at 10 O'Clock.
-Four administration Democrats, II they
pursue the policy they did in the COM
mittee meeting Saturday. viii try To
prevent any further action by the COM
mittee, pending the Democratic caucus.
1t Is possible that they will be supported
In this by Senators Reed and O'Gorman.
but this is hardly likely. The Republican
members Of the committee will insist on
going forward with the work Of amend
ing the bill, regardless of the Democratic
caucus. and IL they can command a
quorum, they will keep up the work
regardless of whether the Democratic
members attend.
The Republican leaders evidently mean
to emphasize before the country the fact |
that the party caucus has intervened to |
try to control the action OF a stand |
ing committee Of the Senate on a meas |
ure pending before the committee. The |
leaders declare that this is unprece- |
dented. They say that II IL entirely in |
consistent with President Wilson's pro-
fessed adherence to the rule OF legislat- |
ing In the open and usual way, and not |
by secret methods. |
There was much resentment, even |
among the Democratic Senators. over |
the way the Democratic caucus in the |
Senate took control OF the tariff bill and !
by making it a partisan matter and ap- |
plying the test Of party loyalty. forced |
the Democratic Senators into line to |
pass it The objection to this method |
was that 1t destroyed Individual action |
on the part OF Senators.
It was announced by the administration
when the currency. bill went before the !
Senate that there would be no party |
caucus Of Democrats, but that the leg
slation will be handled in a nonpartisan
way. But as soon as the Democrats in
the committee began to assert their in |
dependence of the administration's view |
and to try to improve the bill as they
thought 1t should be. the Democratic
leaders, with the approval Of the Presi-
lent, called a caucus. L
The Republican Senators hope to be
able to command a quorum of the COM
nittee to continue their work II Sem
ator Hitchcock meets with them there
will be six of the twelve members OF the II
committee present at each meeting. and
on this basis they may proceed to frame
l report for the Senate, regardless OF the II
caucus. III
Undoubtedly the action of the Demo-
,ratic leaders in calling a caucus will
work delay in passing the bill. Its first
and immediate result will be to defeat
he prospect for a unanimous report in
he Senate on the bill, which seemed
fright at one time. The Republican men,
,ers served notice on the administration
senator's Of the committee yesterday that
( a fight was to be made on partisan
ines they would be prepared to meet the
ssue. They declined to be driven by a
Democratic whip.