The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-12-08
WILL TAFT AND
CANNON CLASH +?
BY Ernest g. walker.

Ihere is running to and fro among the
little Congressman, not the big ones.
This man, who has been to Hot Springs,
says so and that man, who, too, has
been to Hot Springs says thus. ga
fight, a fight, +" comes the veil from
many quarters and high old time is
predicted by the ready prophets for
the very beginning of the new admin.
istrstioI.
1t will be well to discount the alarm
cries very materially and, to bear in
mind a few things, that are as certain
to happen along in March, 1909, M
anything can, be in politics. One il
that "Uncle Joe' Cannon win be re-
elected Speaker a third time, when
Congress assemblies in the extra session
which Mr.. Taft has promised to call
Another is that the new President, Mr.
raft, wants to work in harmony with
Senate and House and in all probable,
lty Will be able to realize his wishes.
The Speaker is not likely to antagonize
Mr.. Taft and Mr.. Taft is not likely
to antagonize Mr.. Cannon. Perhaps
the President and Congress will quarrel
before four years have passed and per.
haps they will not quarrel.
Overzealous friends of the new Pres.
ident are possibly responsible for con.
siderable of the hostile talk. Mr.. Taft
is much in earnest for a very thorough
revision of the tariff. 1t is exceedingly
important to the success of his admin.
istration that he secure thorough re,
vision. Many, many voters, who were
moved to support the Republican ticket
at the recent election on the plea that
the Republicans would revise the SEIZED.
ules thoroughly but with as little dis.
turbance to legitimate business as
might be, will expect the pledges of
the Chicago platform in that particular
to be carried out.
Would Give Taft Good Start.
If there is such revision right at
the threshold Of his term, Mr.. Taft
will have scored no mean triumph. That
success will give him new prestige and
he will be in better position to get
what he asks subsequently of Congress.
1t is well known that Speaker Can.
non is not an ardent revisionist. Meth.
err are his lieutenants of ways and
means, who will figure prominently in
the tariff legislation. They may want
to revise less than Mr.. Taft would want
to revise, but there has been no word
from them yet to warrant any positive
inference. Men who were irving to
stir up some trouble for the Speaker
in the recent campaign are still trail
ing him. Mr.. Taft's sympathies NAV
be more strongly with the so.called
progressive wing, but after all there
is no splendid prospect yet of a quarrel
between the Speaker and the next Pers,
ident.
1t is almost superhuous to assert that
Mr.. Cannon will be reelected as Speak
er, If he lives and enjoys good health
till next March, or till the extra SEES
sion of Congress assemblies. He is un.
questionably the leader of his party in
the House. 1t would be contrary to all
precedent to defeat him now for re.
election. His defeat would divide the
Republican party in the House. To
some extent it would demoralize the
party forces there and open wide the
breach between the two powerful fac
lions there have been in the party for |
six or seven years. Personally the |
Speaker is popular with 90 per cent. |
of the Republican members Probably |
he is more popular personally with |
members than any other Speaker of the
last twenty years. For while Reed may
go down in history as a greater man
than Cannon and is still regarded as
one of the greatest Speakers the House
of Representatives ever had, he was
not personally very popular in the
House. Members admired his ability. |
but did not like his sarcastic sayings |
Not Promising for Rivals
Furthermore Mr.. Cannon undoubtedly |
has majority of the votes OF the Re. |
publican caucus--a very large majority |
already pledged to his reelection. It |
is almost inconceivable to those, who |
are familiar with the present organiza-
tion of the House and know the S,rces
which enter into it, that any Repub.
liean candidate for Speaker who might |
stand forth between now and next
March, could defeat him for the caucus
which will be equivalent to
an election. :"
Representative Burton, of Ohio, is
almost the only man of speakership
size on the Republican side, other than
Mr.. Cannon. He is bent on coming to
the Senate from Ohio. Possibly some
diligent ohioans, who would be entire.
ly willing to put few obstacles in the
10y Va hio AtHdtOlidl nave
encouraged the gossip about his becom-
ing an active candidate for Speaker.
Mr.. Burton has already announced, as
a matter of fact, that he does not as.
pire to the speakersbip
President Roosevelt is anxious to
force some labor legislation through
Congress at its short session this win.
er. Normally Congress is very averse
o enacting much, if any, general Iegis.
alton at short session because the
burden of enacting the necessary ap.
'ropriation bills at a short session has
lone become more or less irksome. The
that each session of Con.
Iress must vote amount to approximate.
y billion dollars and that is about
III such an unwieldy body as the Con.
'ress of the United States can do well
uring two months. For while Congress
ssembles December this year, there
little hope of much legislation be,
ore early January. There will be
christmas recess of about two weeks. ,
,xperienc has shown that no work .
an be done during that Christmas ,
eriod. II has been the custom for :
ANY, many years TO take that holiday. ,
Congress should not take it, so many !.
It's members would hasten away for