Evening star., 1933-12-17
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

President Roosevelt will have the sill.
yer question put squarely up to him
when the Congress meets next month
He will have to tell Congress, it is be-
lieved here, whether he Is willing OF
unwilling to approve a bill for the re-
monetization of silver. This. indeed. Is
the conviction of Democratic leaders
now in Washington.
The President, they say. may state
his position with regard to silver before
a reconciliation bill is taken up for
passage, or at least he may let the
Democrats in Congress know whether
he is opposed to such measure. 1t is
obvious that if he let's bill go to pas
sage the President will then have to ap-
prove or veto the measure.
Speaker Rainey Of the House said yes
terday he was confident that the Con-
gress would pass a bill for the remone-
tization of silver The sentiment In
favor of such action was overwhelm1ng
in the House, he added. He made no
prediction regarding the position OF the
President on such proposal, but he ex-
pressed the hope that it would be IA
vorable.
OF all the proposals for currency re-
form and imitation the proposal to IN
crease the use of silver both for the
basis of paper money and for currency
has the greatest number of supporters,
according to Mr.. Rainey and other
members of Congress now here.
action Certain"
Both Senator Thomas of Oklahoma
and Senator Wheeler of Montana are
as insistent as the Speaker Of the House
that Congress will take action on a sill
yer bill. Senator Thomas said he was
not sure just what form the bill finally
would take, or what ratio for silver ana
gold would be established.
"Of one thing feel positive, how
ever" the Oklahoma Senator contin-
ued, land that is silver bill Will be
brought before Congress and that 1t
will command the support of a major
ity in both Houses There are four
groups backing the reconciliation OF
silver The first group is composed OF
those who hail from the Mountain
States, where silver is produced. The
second group is composed OF those who
insist that all paper currency shall
have metal back of 1t. The third
group believes that the use Of silver
will put a check, an effectual check,
upon the printing of paper money and
any wild imitation growing out of the
too great use of the printing presses.
The fourth group believes that the re-
monetization Of silver and its enhanced
value will give this country far greater
trade with the half of the world which
is dependent upon silver for money
and will give American products, par
ticularly textile products, better op-
portunity in the world markets when
in competition with the goods made in
Japan and in the factories of the Brit
ish Empire"
Wheeler 16 to 1.
Senator Wheeler said he proposes to
reintroduce and to press for action on
his old bill for reconciliation of silver
at the 16-to-1 basis. This bill barely
failed Of passage in the Senate at the
special session last Spring and Sum-
mer, and a change of two or three
votes would have put it across. Only
on the representation that President
Roosevelt desired not to have it passed
at that time were the Democratic lead
ers of the Senate able to prevent its
passage then. Senator Robinson of
Arkansas, the Senate leader. told his
colleagues the President had plans of
his own and that such mandatory ac-
ton by the Congress would be an EN-
barrassment just then. So enough Sen
ators shifted away from the Wheeler
bill, which was proposed as an amend
ment to the farm relief bill then pend
ing, to prevent its adoption. The vote
was so close as to make the admins
tration leaders hold their breath until
the result had been finally announced.
Later the so-called Thomas initiation
amendment to the farm bill was adopt
ed, giving the President discretionary
powers to deal with the currency ques-
ton. And those powers included the
greater use of silver for money
It Is possible that the administration