The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-05-10
FROM THE
CAPITAL
Mr.. Walkers Letter on
Washington
Affairs.
tMail Special to the Advertisep.

WASHINGTON, D. c., April Is
There has been a recent quickening
here at the Capitol The lethargy, fol-
lowing the departure of the President
weeks ago and the virtual removal of
the seat of the government to the wfIds
of Texas and the mountain Businesses
of Colorado. is dispelled. The President
| is hurrying back from his hunting trip
sooner than was generally anticipated.
All sorts of reasons are being given
for the cutting short of his vacation,
except what is possibly the strongest
one-that he has become tired of rough
| ing it in a snow bound, bleak, and al
most uninhabited country at the most
| inhospitab BILE season of the year and
bankers to return once more to civiliz-
alton. Within a few days also. there
has been a decided stir here over
charges, alleged to have been made by
| Minister to Venezuela Bowen, involv-
| ing Assistant Secretary of State
Loomis. The latter has vigorously de-
nounced the charges as false in every
| particular but Bowen is to come home
and there will be a settling of scores
apparently when the President is put
in possession of all the facts. There
will be plenty of business for the Pres
idents consideration, when he returns.
Castro is still a problem to the admins
tration and Minister Bowen may throw
a little light on that situation as well
as on the Loomis charges when he
reaches here.
state, which would certainly make it
! look better for the President to cut his
| play days short for the present. Re
Gently the great increase of the Treas
ury deficit has been emphasized. It is
| by no means likely that the President
can check the growth of this deficit,
now promising to reach $35, ,00o,0G0 be-
| fore the close of this fiscal year but
lliSIS eiI e lilctiS iuColioAS III SoiiAiNNttoiA
with it, on which he must ascertain
public sentiment. Above all, the wheels
! of the government turn more smoothly
when the President is here. Human
nature is the same in Washington as
in other parts of the country and when
the official head is away there is re-
| taxation in every department of the
! government service
Washington is greatly interested in
the Loomis- Bowen embroglio, because
both are well known to the official
world here. Bowen resided in Wash
ington a while some years back, when
Venezuelan affairs had reached an
acute stage. He has great avoirdupois
and is very companionable. At the
time he created an excellent impression
but this has been dispelled somewhat
by subsequent occurrences, which have
caused many people to look upon him
as a bit hasty and hot headed. Assist
ant Secretary Francis B. Loomis is al
most his direct, opposite in figure and
temperament. Loomis is lean, and
calm. He has had a remarkable career
all told, having risen largely by BIS
own effort from the station o. news
paper correspondent to that of Einiste:'
to two countries and is now supposed TO
be on the way to an ambasS1-i i1rship
at the city of Mexico. He has been
the center of a deal Of turmoil and this
has caused some men to doubC !-s real
capacity for affairs On the Other hand |
he has had some very good ideas about |
the character of our consular and dip |
nd has advanced them l
with dignity and force. He is a strong |
writer and there can be no question |
that Loomis has ability in more than |
one direction. In advancing the COM |
merciaI interests of this country, he |
has done excellent work wherever he |
has been, whether as consul at St
Etienne or as minister TO Venezuela |
or Portugal.
At present he is known to have the
Presidents confidence. If he retains 1t |
and proves himself entirely free from |
the charges that Minister Bowen Is
supposed to have promulgated, LOOMS
will emerge as bigger man than ever.
Two or three years ago ii was supposed
he had received about all in the way Of
official honors he could hope for but |
the opposition he has
he has been constantly
growing stronger. He haz been much
the acting secretary of state. which has
caused him to be target
for more criticism than otherwise
would have been the case.
AS To TIE DEFICIT.
Possibly TIE paramount question he-e
now is what the President will do IN |
the face of the growing deficit. 1t is