The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-09-17
Representative Emmett Wilson
Speaks On the Banking Bill
Congressional Record Sept. IL. 1913

ten minutes to my colleague on the
| committee, the gentleman from Flor
| ida (Mr. Wilson-)
The Chairman-The gentleman from
| Florida (Mr. WILSON, is recognized
for ten minutes.
| Mr.. Wilson of F1orida-Mr Chair
man, it was not my purpose to ad-
| dress the committee tonight on the
| pending measure. but after listening to
/ the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
! Burke) am moved to make some re-
| marks in regard to the bill which we
have presented for the consideration
of the house.
| The gentleman from Pennsylvania
has discussed everything, Mr.. Chair
man, except the merits Of the pending
measure. He has made a partisan, a
| political speech. He has made
| speech which he wishes to read into
| the Record, to use in the campaign
next fall.
The burden Of his complaint, MT.
Chairman, rs that the Republicans
were not brought into our committee
| to help frame this bill. He decries
against a secret caucus. He decrfes
against a conference Of the mem bers
| Of the Democratic majority of this
| committee. I wish to know from the
found his redemption, because it Is
fact that under the domination Of the
Republican party. more stringent and
more powerful than ours, he was a
! suppriant follower of Joe Cannon and
| of every method that he pursued when
! he was at the head Of this house. He
| followed not caucus OF the Repubn-
/ can party, perhaps, but one man who
| dominated this house, when he voted
| for the Vreeland- Aldrich currency bill.
| And now he comes in here, not with
| the purpose of doing a patriotic duty
| for the benefit of the country, but for
| the purpose of using what he has said
against the Democratic party in the
next election.
! IF we have erred in the matter in
which he says we have erred, the
party upon the other side of the aisle
has erred more grieyously than we
have. But, Mr.. Chairman, this bill,
presented to a Democratic caucus and
passed upon by a Democratic caucus.
is the will Of the majority Of this
house. 1t is not the will of one man.
1t is not the will of a few men, but
| 1T is the solemn judgment of the ma
| jority of this house that this BILL as
presented here for your consideration,
| should become a law.
II is astounding to me to hear the
remarks of the gentleman from Penn
| sylvania (Mr. Burke) in criticism Of
this measure, making 1T upon a politi
| cal and partisan basis. When 1 sat
| in the committee when there was d
roll call upon the question Aof whether
or not this bill should be reported to
this house favorably every member of
that committee, as 1 recall it, voted
-
bers, who voted aye" with the ex-
ception of the gentleman from Penn
sylvania. He voted mo" He ostra-
| cizes and criticizes his Republican fol-
| lowers on that committee in the speech
! that he has made here tonight
| Mr. Chairman, no such speech would
ever have fallen from the lips of my
distinguished friend from California
! (Mr. Hayes.) The gentleman from
California, I believe, has looked at
| this measure not in a partisan spirit,
not in a spirit of political partisan
| ship. but he is looking at 1t, Mr.. Chair
| man, as we are trying to look at tt
In the spirit of broad patriotism, in
an endeavor to do something for the
good of our country. (Applause on the
Democratic side.)
Another word, Mr.. Chairman. in re-
gard TO the secret caucus. heard the
other day the gentleman from Penn
| sylvania (Mr Moore), who has been,
| so far as 1 know, an abject follower
of Republican tenets, decrying against
the methods we have pursued in pre-
| senting this measure to this house.
I have heard 1t from the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly) a Pro-
gressive-indeed, they are all from
Pennsylvania-a gentleman who seeks
20 lead this house out of the wilder
ness of darkness, that we are pursuing
measures which will be repudiated by
the American people. 1t is amusing to
me, it is amusing to everybody who
has read American history, to hear
from the lips of my good friend from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Burke), my good
friend from Pennsylvania CMr. Kelly),
and my good friend from Illinois (Mr
Mann) speeches decrying against the
methods that we are here pursuing
hope that the American people have
sufficient intelligence, and l believe
ehey have sufficient intelligence, to
disregard the mimic and mock warfare
that is being waged upon the other
side Of the aisle.
Now. with reference to this bill, Mr..
Chairman, ! want to say only a few
words. AS a member Of the commit
tee, and zealously trying to do what
think should be done for the benefit
of the American people, have voted
for and zealously supported the pend
ing measure. For some seven or eight
weeks we considered this bill in the
committee. 1t is true that I came here
as a new member Of this committee
but have studied the fundamentals of
the bill, I have tried to learn what
ought to be done with reference to
banking and currency, and stand
MISS TAYLOR'S
nTTDr TYONFr rFADr