The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-03-27
SIGNS INDICATE
SPEAKER CANNON
FAVORS HAWAII
Walker Reports Current
Rumors of His
Relenting.
Mail Special to the Advertiser. }

(Mail Special to the Advertiser.)
WASHINGTON. d. C.. March 12-
There have been no decisive develop
ments in Hawaiian affairs here for the
last week. The refunding bill, or seq
regation bill, is still with the House
subcommittee to which it was re-
ferred and seems to be sticking there.
The Philippine Bill is still dead in tho
Senate Committee on Philippines. No
prophecies that some life will yet be
instilled into it are warranted. 1t is
simply q case where no one can tell
what may happen, although every week
that passes without agitation for action
increases the prospects that the bill will
not be revived at this session.
Chairman Cole, of the Territories
subcommittee, has been out to Ohio,
which is one reason for nothing having
been done on the bill But Speaker
Cannon has been opposed to the legis-
lation. There have been reports, APP
parently with some foundation, that
the Speaker has withdrawn his oppo-
sition as far as the Territories com
mittee is concerned Different mem
bers of the committee say they have
understood such is the case. but they
have no definite information. The OPP
ponents of the bill in the committee,
however, say that it can not be enacted
into law.
1t must be admitted that that seems
now to be the outlook. Col. "Pete'
Hepburn, who has befriended the bill
greatly, is still doing all he can to help
it along Should the bill by any chance
ultimately be passed, it will be in large
measure due to his loyal work just
now Col. Hepburn is in the South with
committee of Congressman.
Last week the Senate passed the
Statehood Bill, but struck out all ref
erence to Arizona and New Mexico,
leaving it a bill simply to erect a state
out of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
That is contrary to the administration
plan and Speaker Cannon has called a
caucus of Republican members for
Wednesday with a view to binding all
the Republicans of the House to vote
for the bill as it passed the House some
weeks ago. They will be asked to back
up their conferees in standing out for
the original bill and without the Senate
amendments.
This afternoon there has been con
| siderable talk in influential circles
about the House using the statehood
| bill to pry the Philippine Bill out of
committee before the close of the ses.
sion. The argument is that the Sen
ate has killed or mangled every admin
istration bill thus far sent to it and
that the House can now well afford to
insist on the observance of the Presi-
dent IS policies with reference to i'm
! portant legislation and by withholding
| its approval indirectly force the Senate
to action-on the Philippine Bill for
| instance.
There may be some logic in such a
plan, but it remains to be seen whether
the House leaders can accomplish any
| thing by it. As a matter, of fact the
| Senate does not care very much about
the statehood bill and many Senators
would be willing the bill should be
killed. The most one can say with as
surance is that the situation is very
tangled for the Republicans.
Mr.. George b. Mcclellan saw Gen
| Mckenzie, chief of army engineers
this morning and was informed that
the Comptroller of the Treasury, Mr.
| Tracewell had decided the War De
partment could utilize the 100000 ap
propriated for filling in Quarantine
Island forthwith, without the delay OF
| advertising for bids. Gen. Mckenzie
will therefore offer ten cents a cubic
yard for filing in that island and il
| Al 1nin N Ia
Harbor is willing to accept that figure
work can be begun forthwith. Other
wise Gen. Mckenzie will not award any
contract for the work, at least for thu
present,
Representative Kahn of California
has introduced a bill to appropriate
! $4,000 "to provide for filling in that
portion of the naval station at Homo
| lulu. Hawaii, known as the Reef
The text of the bill is as follows: Thai
the sum of thirty-fve thousand dollars
or so much thereof as may be neces
sary, is hereby appropriated, out o.
any money in the Treasury not other
wise appropriated, for the reclamation
of that portion of the naval station n
Honolulu, Hawaii, known as the Reef
from material now being dredged from
the harbor at Honolulu, and for tn
necessary dikes or retaining walls, &
he expended under the direction of tn
Secretary of War, and the npervisio
of the Chief Of Engineers, such portio
thereof MS may be agreed upon betwee
the Secretary of War aud the Secretar
Of the Navy, as necessary for fortified
tion purposes, To be transferred 10 th