The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-10-24
CURRENCY BILL
HOLDS THE STAGE
While Senate Committee Wrestles
With II, House Has Job TO
Hold Quorum.
BY Ernest @. Walker.

aeeTns Nftually put one governmental
matter at Washington nowadays to
think about and talk about. OF course.
that is the Currency Bill aud recaci.
trant senators. 1T is a little strange
this should be SO for in normal Octobers
government business Is beginning to
I, quicken at the federal seat. Officials
are; coming together at that time for
the season of CLOSE attention to duty.
Scores Of issues are rising and the tu-
ture teens with prospects.
President aNilson is actually finding
himself face to face. with the most for
midablea task he has yet undertaken.
The opposition is trying TO break him,
as 1T has never tried before and is |
counting upon q jaded senate to CO.
operate. The chances yet are, however,
that the President will getihis Currency |
Bill. The point of Importance is how
much will ultimately be yielded to the
hanks. 1t is taken for granted here
that on two questions the administra-
tion will stand pat. One is the govern
ment control of the federal reserve
board; the other government issue of
notes. Certain minor concessions may
be made as to government control Pos
sibly part of the proposed cabinet
membership will be eliminated, as for
instance the secretary of agriculture.
There will probably be concessions as
to the regional reserve hanks. Instead
of twelve there may be but three or
four. 1t has beeu- suggested that at
first the country banks Of the West
and South be exempted from the re-
quirements to organize regional re-
serves and that the experiment be tried
out in the, more populous sections of
the country
lsNsa Banks May Resist
Just now it looks as though the banks
would make long fight, but in this
appearances may be very deceptive. As
soon as the banks are assured some
concessions will be made the campaign
may collapse 1t might happen that
the hearings before the senate commit
tee would cease sooner than planned
and that the bill might even be speeded
out of committee and through the SEN
ate. There is no assurance of such an
outcome yet, but senators of the bank
ing and currency committee havo not
reached the stage where they are cen
tering upon changes that can be agreed
to by a majority.
!
the mean time. Some compare resist
ance to the pending bill with the fight
waged against railroad rate regulation.
The fight is fiercer now than it ever
was during rate regulation. 1t remains
to be seen whether it will be as pro
, longed. President Roosevelt was two
years getting his first railroad bill
through congress.
No Truancy Allowed.
There is utter stagnaton of business
at tho Capitol, outside of the currency
committee of the senate. More than
four hundred representatives, trying to
get away to their homes, deserve some
consideration, when it is remembered
the regular session will soon be here
with at least six or eight months of
\ hard grinding The Colorado members
, of the house, who had sought to gel
away for weeks, Just reached their
homes the other day, when, in the
+ struggle for quorum, all leaves Of
absence were revoked. Several Far
! Westerners found themselves in like
plight. Few of them brought their
families to Washington for the summer,
and have planned the home. trips for
: the sake of bringing their wives and
: Republicans, playing parliamentary
n politics, are responsible for the situa
tion, but Democrats, in being the ma
. jority party in senate and house, shoul
der whatever blame attaches for not
keeping a legislative quorum at hand.
{ House Republicans, for reasons of their
owns, ascribe their course to the Cur
: rency Bill. to which they claim to be
much opposed. And yet the Currency
: Bill has passed the house. The house
can have nothing more to do with the
p Currency Bill till after the senate has
acted.
After a few days the members will
$ disperse again, and Minority Leader
: Mann may have IA chance once more to
perform. But before the quorum again
I disappears the Deficiency Appropriation
= Bill will have been disposed of. 1t
I would seem a minor matter of legisla-
y tion, but it carries appropriations for
numerous governmental projects and
likewise salaries for thousands of gov.
: ernment employees.
/. Tariff Amendment
/. II the Tariff Bill has to be amended,
i because of that perplexing clause grant
ing five per cent reduction on goods
: brought IN American bottoms, Il few
o days of legislative activity may be ex-
pected II Is bard TO understand why
the Democratic house should have ever
insisted on such a provision. The Dem
: ocratic secretary of state counseled
= against IL. lie wrote letter, empha-
I sizing in the plainest terms that II
9 would contravene treaties and lead 10
serious embarrassment.
There will hardly be the usual prepe'
Z ration this year ior the winters work
at Washington. Everybody Is more or
less exhausted from the long sojoun
, in the capital. k0w and then sugges.
, tions are made for legislation after the
q Currene, Bill Is passed The prospects
, are that nearly everybody will be TAX.
!. ing rest during December aud that
s The large tasks OF the regular session
a Of congress viii be- deferred ill into
\ the spfiHs and summer
! l.s.N.. Il.