The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-06-16
B. Ernest G.. Walker.


(Mail Special 10 the Advertiser.)
WASHINGTON, MAJ 31-Congress
at last has gone. Some irreverent souls
feel like saying: "Thank the Lord."
1t fingered long when many good judges
thought Senators and Representatives
might have been better away at their
homes. Just when all the pins had
been set up for an adjournment, there
came a great parliamentary outburst.
Senator La Toilette, of Wisconsin,
:. Fighting Bob" of all Congress, went
into action. He held all Congress at
bay, almost single-handed, for close to
fOrty-eight hours.
The Senate has never before witness
ed such redoubtable opposition. The
Aldrieh- Vreeland Currency Bill, in the
shape of a conference report, had come
over from the House. 1t had passed
there in spite of the solid Democratic
opposition, and the opposition of a
handful of Republican members. What
would the Senate dot Everyone was
asking that question Perhaps the bill
would go thrOugh.there easily. Perhaps
there would be no long speeches
The Republican leaders hoped 50.
Senator Aldrieh began to vancouver. He
talked persuasively with Democrats. It
looked as though he had hypnotized
them They held conference, and ulti-
mately decided upon a gO-it-alone pol
icy. Every Democrat was to DO as he
pleased about fighting the bill, which
most OF them regarded as iniquitous.
As party the Democratic Senators did
not care to assume the responsibility
for defeating the legislation. Should a
panic come, they reasoned, the country
would hold them responsible for talking
any kind of currency relief to death
At that point Senator La Toilette
dragged himself off his sick bed to the
Capitol. He began to take careful no
-tiee. II am against that bill" said
the plueky Wisconsin fighter. HYes,
am going to fight it," He did not say
that he was going to make an endur-
anee speech against it, but when on
Friday the Senate proceeded to con-
slider the conference report, there re-
manned no doubt that Senator La Fol
lette was in for big one-man ilibus-
ter against the leaders Of his own party.
There was no mineing Of words Sen
ators Aldrieh and La Toilette gIappled
for fight to the finish. Senator La
Toilette said the bill had been eraftily
drawn so as to enhance the value Of
railroad stocks and bonds and to make
for the advantage Of the big and infu-
entail National Reserve banks Under
the provisions Of the pending measure,
it might be possible to put in ''ehsttel
mortgages on chickens" as basis for an
issue Of emergency currency.
How the Republican Senators did
fight their Wisconsin colleague. At fsss
they threw verbal missiles at him. He
came back at them in kind. Then they
hauled out from their desks copies Of
the Senate manual and began to consult
the rules Perhaps they could find
something there with which to embar-
rass him For vAile he forced them
to maintain quorum, till some item Of
business had interviewed. That relieved
them all Of the necessity Of staying in
the Capitol the night long, They forced
him to speak from his seat, 30 that he
could not walk over the central aisle
and shake his fist under their very
noses They tried to rule his clerks OF
the floor Two Of them remained there
constantly to attend him, not only 10
eoznt a quorum and inform him when
there was less than . quorum, but to
bring him milk punches and glasses Of