The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-02-04

1t seemed about agreed that there
should be harmony. The plans were
all laid to have Senator Lodge-the
Presidents special champion, the man
who at the start had offered an amend
ment, which, although in different Ian
guage, was identically the same as
obnoxious clause Senator h ackburn
had put in-move to lay the latter
clause on the table. Ye gods, what a
spectacle it would have been. 1t
would have given Senator Lodge an
enduring reputation for inconsistency.
The conservative Senators with whom
he trains most of the time but who,
nevertheless, have little liking for him,
would have had a gleeful time taunt-
ing him of his record.
Still it looked we'll for the tabling of
the Blackburn resolution till late Sat-
urday evening the President allowed
some of his newspaper friends to know
how he was thinking. He did not want
to dictate to the Senate but he did not
like the look of things. There were
numerous familiar faces in the opposi-
ton. Same old crowd" he remarked
to Senator Lodge, and other friends
who visited him. Yes, they are the
men who fought me in my campaign
the Republican party the appendage of
Wall street, Now they are trying to
wrest the control of the party from
me and take it back to Wall street. Let
US have test. The Brownsville matter
10 only one feature of this present fight.
There is politics behind all the maneuv-
ering. see no objection to the Black
burn amendment. I am giving my
friends to understand that I am for it. !"
The above does not purport to be
stenographic report of what the Pres
ident said, but entirely authoritative
accounts. current in Washington, run
very close to the language quoted. And
in any event Senator Lodge came away
from the White house, ready for
aggressive tactics. The metropolitan
newspapers Sunday morning f1ared
with first page articles of the Presi-
dents defiance. All that day, the con-
sentative Senators, amazed at the
smashing of their harmony plans, be-
gan to gather their scattered forces.
They conferred all day long. brought
Senator Lodge into their conferences,
had a word likewise with the President,
who spent part OF the afternoon at Sem
ator Lodges residence talking over the
war plans, and finally by evening had
agreed upon still another compromise
resolution. This resolution was almost
a complete surrender by the conserva-
tiveS but nevertheless was not quite so
abject a surrender as the President and
Senator Lodge have wanted. And so
the dickering is proceeding, but there
may be an end to it in a few days and
at last the Brownsville matter may be
settled till after the Senate Committee
on military affairs has concluded it's
However, probably one
should not prophesy too confidently,
for there may be another sudden turn
and twenty-four hours may suffice to
change the situation entirely AS long
as it is possible to agree upon some
harmony plan the Republicans will not
permit the vote to be taken in the Sem
ate.
There is one Senator, Mr.. Foraker of
Ohio, who stands out boldly and who
s ready to go on record against any |
that the President acted
within his legal and constitutional au-
.hority in discharging the negro troops |
When there is so much skirmishlug |
md so much running to cover when the |
zoe stalks in sight, Mr.. Foraker is gain |
ng much commentator for his |
STRAIGHTFORWARD course, however much |
some may disagree with his views. 1t |
las always been possible to state with |
confidence just where Mr.. Foraker
stood and that has not been possible of
my other Republican in the Senate.
ERNEST G.. WALKER.