House Has A Lively Discussion

The house entered upon the consideratlonofthe urgency defloiency uppropriation bill. The biü contained two disputed items, the uppropriatloh for special ponsion examlners and the appropriatinn for tlie collcction of the inoome tax. The former appropriation opened the doors lor a debate on the conduct of the pension office, espccially the practtce of summarily suspendlng the payment of alleged fraudulent pensions and the debute on the income tax appropriation was ospecially lively, but the motion to strike it out was defeated In eommittee by a vote of 54 to 127. It is probable that a. record making vote will be demanded ia the house today. An incident of the debate on the pension exaniiners was when General Sickles got up, and aniid a roar o{ Republican applause repudiated the charge of wholeïalo fraud made against pensioners, and declarcd his unalterable opposition to the appropriation unless it could be authoritatively shown that the pension examinen provided for by it were employed In aidIng, instatl of embarrassing deserving claimants. The proceedings before the banking and euxrency committeo werc noted bv a letter from Lyinan J. Gage, the banke'r of Chicago, whose opinions are summarized in the following extract: "Agreeing with tlie crttlcisms made by these offlcers of the govenimeiit as to the present weakne9s of oursituation and the great ile.sirabiiity of separating the guvernment from the direct responsibility of currency issvies, I am persuaded that the country is not roady to accept thelr recommendations as to tlie methods proposed. 1 believe tho 'Baltimore plan' carries the true principies of a credit currency, but we cannot reach it by any one stop and years may intervene before it can be reallzed. "In the meantirne the way for the government to stop out of the currency business and place the burden of redemption on the banks is plain. Authorize the issue of fciöo.uOO.oOO of -y per cent, bonds, payable ml such tlnae vs congress may elect (twonty-fivc years dosirable) to be offered to subsoribers at par. Accept in payment United States legal tender notes or triíasury notes, the saino to be canceled. Amend the national bank act so that banks can obtain note issues to the face valueof bomls depositad as security for circulution. Koduco the tix on ciroulating notes to one-half of 1 per rent ' A letter was also ruad trom Kdward X Gibbs, treasurer of the Xew York Life InBurance conipany, approving t!;c nacional bank systcm witli some modiücation. (ieorge C. Butler, of New Haven, Cojín., then addressed the connnittee. He prosented a c-urrency plan differing somcwhat froni tho secretary's and the Baltiuiore plan. lts features included note issues up to SO icr cent. of a bank's wtpital ; roiuoval of tho comptrollei' uf currency to Mew York, whcrc hc iis to liavu ' 4de up of 3Ti pt oeu . ol h... i - i su 'il.