Charlevoix county herald., 1915-07-03
Republican Constructive Legisla-
ton Postal Savings Bank

washington, June 10 lopecial cor
respondence)- The frequency with
which the Post Office Department
makes elabori t, announcement of the
success of the Postal Savings Bank,
and its effusiveness in laudation of that
branch of the service, might lead some
people to believe that the Democratic
party was the originator of that govern
mental aid to small savings. 1t will be
surprising therefore, to those who are
not familiar with the facts, when the
record is brought forward to show that
the Postal Savings Bank law was en-
acted with almost unanimous opposi-
ton on the part, of Democratic Senators
and Representatives
Examination of the record in this re-
gard is particularly opportune in view
of the recent declaration of President
Wilson that the Republican party has
not had a new idea for thirty years.
The Postal Savings Bank law, in the
form in which it was enacted, Demo-
cratic idea, for it was passed by Re-
publicans over the protest of Democrats
This measure was enacted in 1910,
and signed by President Taft on June
25th of that year. II was introduced in
the Senate by the late Senator Carter
of Montana. It was reported to the
Senate by a Republican Committee,
and passed by that body by a vote OF
fifty to twenty-five, every affirmative
vote except one being by Republican,
and every adverse vote being cast by a
Democrat. Of those senators who were
paired, every Democrat was paired
against, and every Republican paired
in favor of the bill.
A similar situation confronted the
measure on its arrival in the House.
It passed that body after considerable
debate by vote of 1875 to 102, party
lines being very strictly observed.
Among those distinguished gentle
men who voted against the bill were
A. S. Burleson, the present Postmaster
General; Champ Clark of Missouri, the
then minority leader and present
Speaker of the House; Congressman
Moon of Tennessee, the then ranking
member of the House Post Office Com
mittee and now Chairman of the Com
mittee Representative Fitzgerald of
New York, the present leader of the
Democratic side Of the House; and Mr..
Oscar w. Underwood, the newly elect
ed Senator from Alabama.
Few measures in that Congress were
fought more bitterly by the Democrats
than was the Postal Savings Bank bill.
All sorts of evil in government and
finance were predicted as a result of
the enactment of such a policy into
aw.
The principal arguments made
against the bill were that it would lead
to the establishment of central bank,
that money would be drawn from pri-
vate banks to be deposited in the Pos
tai Savings Bank, and that money would
be drawn from the outlying communi-
ties to the commercial centers. But
time and experience have demonstrate
ed the wisdom of those Republican
leaders who framed the legislation,
pushed it to enactment and put it into
operation No small measure of their
reward is in witnessing the long delay
ed acknowledgement on the. part of the
Democrats that this legislation was wise
and beneficial.
AS piece of permanent constructive
it will stand as a testimony
to the efficiency of Republican Con-
gress and Republican President. AL
though the original act has been amend
ed in some minor parts, il still stands
on the statute books in its original
form, and any proposed changes are a
matter of detail and not of fundamental