The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-12-06
A new CONGRESS
How the Parties are Now
Lining Up.
Island Legislation Sure to Fill a
Large Place In the Caller
dar of BUSINESS

or the nation, and stimulating anrici
patory suggestions as TO what that au
gust body can do, what it must do ane
what it ought TO do.
This brand new Congress-so far a,
the House of Representative is con.
cerned-was elected one year ago. Al
that election there were chosen 12f
Republicans, 1872 Democrats. Pom.
lists and Silverites, indicating con.
| siderable changes from the personnel
or the house in the Fifty-fifth Congress
which was composed of 200 Republi-
cans, 123 Democrats, FuSionists and
Silverites. This change was effected
Dy the election of los Congressman last
year who had not served in the preced-
ing Congress. The Republicans lost sc
seats and gained Is, making a net loss
| OF 20. and reducing their majority in
! the House from 80 to Is. Of the lost
| seats % were in the districts east of the
AlleghanieS, the heaviest losses being
II seats in New York districts and in
Pennsylvania. The remaining losses
were in the Southern States of Virgin
la, Kentucky, North Carolina and West
Virginia-with the exception of 3 from
illinois. Republican gains, with the
| exception of seats from Michigan and
1 Delaware, were entirely confined to
the far Western States of California,
Kansas, South Dakota, Washington
and Wyoming, without which the party
would have lost control of the House.
Among the prominent personalities
who have been retired are Belden. Bel
ford and Quigg of New York, Stone and
Brumm of Pennsylvania, and Barrows
of Massachusetts-all Republicans
Dockery of Missouri, Mcmillan of Ten
nessee, and Sayers of Texas-all Dem
oncrats. During the year death has
removed five members of the last Con-
gress, including Bland of Missouri and
there have been two designations, in
Guiding Reed of Maine; but all these
places have been filled by election with
out changing the political complexion
OF the House.
The Senate appears to be safely Re-
publican by majority of IS, without
counting the vacant seats of California,
Pennsylvania, Delaware and Utah
which, If filled, are likely to give two
votes TO each party-and without re-
garding the probability that Kyle, In
dependent. of South Dakota and Jones,
Silverite, of Nevada are likely to con-
tinue voting with the Republicans on
party measures. We have, then,
Republican Congress with a small but,
il united, an effective working MAORI
~ in both Houses.
While a merely cursory glance over
large field OF legislation reveals
many questions apparently waiting the
meeting of Congress, it may prove
that many Of them are not ripe for ac-
ton, making it hazardous to predict
what the new Congress will achieve
or even attempt Congress will, of
course, busy itself with the usual rou-
tine measures which cover the appro-
priations, both regular and deficiency,
and the enormous mass of personal
bills which in the last Congress aggre-
gated more than fifteen thousand 1t
is confidently expected. also, that the
Republican majority will try to pass a
currency bill, the details of which are
not known, but upon which a special
committee of the House has been work
ing during the long recess. The indi-
cations are that no radical financial re-
forms are contemplated, but that the
main effort will be brought to bear up
on measure which will prevent the
Executive from putting the country
upon practical silver basis by order
ing the redemption of bonds and
greenbackS in silver at the option of
the Treasury, in order to forestall an
assault upon the gold standard in the
case of the election of man like Bry-
an TO the Presidency.
The subject of an Isthmian canal
may be allowed to sleep during the
session, and is almost sure to do so
unless the various commissions which
are making new and exhaustive eXami-
nations of the various routes are able
TO report earlier than their movements
now Indicate 1t would seem, though,
that the question of a Pacific cable
might be actively discussed, since the
landing points necessary are all Sc
cured and the needs of the service ext
gent.
AS TO legislation affecting the islands
which we have gained or for which we
have become responsible, it is probable
that it will turn largely upon the rec
concentrations of the President in his
annual message. Hawaii is being
peacefully governed under provisional
arrangement. which makes the Presi-
dent the successor of all the powers of
the Dole regime. Cuba is still in an
inchoate state which can not wisely be
altered except upon the lapse of con-
siderable time and experiment. The
conditions in Porto Rico are not yet
sufficiently determined to offer a basis
for permanent legislation. and must
wait upon the report of General Davis,
who is now in the island as a commits
sioner of the President All Of these
problems are likely to be left to the
initiative of the President, and he may
not be ready TO memorabilia Congress
upon them during the session. 1t is
probable. too, that the Philippine war
will be left in his hands, and that his
tacit proposal that the insurrection
shall be completely subdued before the
question of the disposition Of the
group shall be taken up will be re-
spected.
So far as it is known no one is pre-