The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-10-01

/ repOrted by the Senate coiHmllVees
and something like half of those re-
ported sent TO the House. The Senate
committees have the unreported meas
ures on their calendars and can aci
upon them Immediately upon reas-
sembling if they desire
sneaker Reed. By Withholding most
of the committees until the day OF ad-
journment, and preventing the House
| from engaging in general legislation,
kent the output of Congress at the eX-
ira session down to Il public acts, Il
public Joint resolutions and one private
Joint resolution, the Dingley tariff act
and the four appropriation bills tAgrl-
cultural, Sundry Civil, Indian and Cen
eral Deficiency which had failed at the
preceding short session, being the only
measures Of general Importance in the
list. But the members of the House
were free TO introduce bills, even II
thew could do nothing else, and they
put in 1859 bills, 81 joint resolutions,
six concurrent resolutions and 81 House
resolutions. many of these measures
being. of course, duplicates of measures
offered simultaneously in the Senate,
and these bills and resolutions, with
those sent over by the Senate, can be
taken up by the House committees on
the very first day of the session II the
managers want it done.
Speaker Reed, 1t is believed, would
like TO have Congress do more IN the
way of legislation at the next session
than TO pass the appropriation bills,
keeping their amounts as small as pos
sible. and standing on the Dingley tar
if act as all the general law-maklng
which the country wants at present, or
at least all that il wants and can get,
for. while Speaker Reed may desire TO
see our Treasury and financial laws i'm
proved. if not to suit the currency re-
formers at least TO enable the Govern
ment TO issue bonds to protect the
Treasury. on better terms than it can
now do, he would not, it is believed,
favor the agitation of financial legis-
lation when in the present condition OF
the Senate il is practically impossible
TO carry any of it through.
As TO lesser matters, such as the
Bankruptcy act or the Improvement OF
the immigration laws, Mr.. Reed might
say that while the country needs them,
il does not want them as much as it
wants Congress 10 adjourn at an early
day. But. whatever his views may be,
the Speaker is. after all, as he con-
tends. the organ rather than the mas
ter of his party in the House, at least
10 the extent that he cannot make the
majority do what it really does not
want to do, now that the committees
have been appointed, although he can
prevent it from doing some of the
things it may want to do, so that it is a
question of compromises and he must
humor his majority somewhat.
Then. too, he must, as the party lead
er in the House and on friendly terms
with the Administration, not only con-
suit. but carry out TO q considerable
degree the wishes of the President as
the party leader pre-eminent. Speaker
Reed will feel proud to put throught the
House those measures which President
Mckinley recommends as party meas
ures. or which he thinks the business
interest of the country demand, unless
the Speaker has decided personal OBJ
jections. If Secretary Gage presents
the bill for Improvement of Treasury
conditions or the national banking sys-
TEN. Speaker Reed will be expected to
put it through the House, even though
he knows nothing will come of it in the
Senate, just as he did with the Currency
Commission bill the day Congress ad
journed, although nobody supposed he
personally approved it
And just so as TO measures affecting
our foreign affairs and notably the leg
islation in the interest of the consruc-
ton of the Nicaragua Canal as an Am
erican project which President McKin-
ley is expected TO recommend after he
receives the report Of the Walker COM
mission in December or January, and
the legislation which may be necessary
10 consummate the annexation of Ha-
waii with which the Nicaragua Canal
scheme is fitted in by the Administra-
ton.
Speaker Reeds greatest service TO
the Administration in its dealings with
foreign affairs was, of course, rendered
al the extra session, when he held back
the Cuban belligerency resolution.
which threatened 10 make it impossible
for the Administration TO continue its
attempt TO bring about peace in Cuba
by peaceful negotiations
A YEAR FOR LoG-RoLLING.
With members of the House looking
forward TO the attempts most of them
viii make to secure denomination next
spring and reelection next fall. it will
be difficult for the Speaker TO keep the
majority from extravaganza in appro-
priations for new public buildings and
river and harbor Improvement. This
is the year for River and Harbor bill
and also for a log-rolling scheme of
public buildings projects, and the fact
that the Treasury deficit will continue
in all probability TO the end of this fiscal
year viii not make it much easier to
prevent the candidates for reelection
in the House from voting for larger ap-
preparations TO be expended in their
districts out Of the surplus expected for
the next fiscal year through the return
Of prosperity.
Doubtless some of the near-sighted
Republican politicians in the House Will
follow General Grosvenor in attacking
Civil Service reform, but as even he
had to attack his friend, the President,
in doing so, it will be difficult for them
10 maintain agreeable relations at the
White House while they are doing so.
and of course nothing will come of it.