The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-03-27
ROOSEVELT FOR
ALDR|CH BILL

The telephone is ringing frequently Il
Senate committee rooms these days
and the White House is on the line.
viii Senator B please steI
around to the Presidents office to-
morrow morning. say about Il
o'cIockg''
Yes. certainly" and the receiver i:
hung UP.
But ting-a-ling the bells 90 ringing
in other Senate committee rooms, or,
perhaps. at the Senator's residence,
and the White House is on the line
again. The same soft voice is asking
the same questions and receiving the
same answers. OF course. it is not the
President who speaks. It is one of his
secretaries for him.
Sometimes the request goes out in
the form Of a letter. with the familiar
White House heading, especially if
the Senator can not be easily reached
by telephone. There are still few
Senators who will not tolerate a tele-
phone and some who have 3, telephone
but will not permit the public TO have
the number. In such cases the letter
goes out by mail or by special White
House messenger.
And next morning the Senators go
trooping TO the White House offices.
Those who give any excuses 10 the
press have some explanation but the
right one. for, be il known, the Presi-
dent Is taking q hand once more in
making Congress do something. 1t is
Western Senators this time, who are
being subjected 10 pressure, all Of
which goes to show what strange
changes politics do bring about.
Two years ago about this time. the
Western Senators were working shoul-
der 10 shoulder with the President in
getting a railroad rate bill If he had
asked some Of them 10 hasten out into
the streets and stand on their heads,
they would have complied with alac-
rity. The people at home, who elected
them 10 the Senate wanted anything
that the President wanted, and when
he wanted IL. So how eager they were
10 vote for any kind of railroad rate
bill that bore the Presidents Q. k
The Eastern Senators, a little more
accustomed 10 do their own thinking
and having less feverish constituent
cies behind them, did not warm up TO
the railroad rate bill materially. None
Of them saw any prospects Of railroads
being in receivers hands two years
ahead and a score Of other railroad
systems trying 10 keep out of the
courts for the appointment of receiv-
erS. but they feared the consequences
OF the proposed law Finally it was
modified 10 suit them TO a degree, and
after many Eastern Senators had an
swered the White House telephone and
gone thither TO let the President try
10 convince them, they voted for the
bill
Now it is turn about. The Eastern
Senators are trying TO get the Aldrich
currency bill passed. Ii is having a
hand time. because the Western SEN
atorS are kicking over the traces. Their
people Go not care very much about
the Aldrich currency bin. The East
sru senators have none too many votes
10 enact il into law and they must
have help.
- the Eastern Senator's have asked
the President TO help them. senator
.AldrJch, Of Rhode Island, who was one
~ the worst Of the reCalCitr9nts dur
ing the railroad rate bilrs considera-
tiou. has been 70 the White House 10
tell the President what the conditions
ares 50 has senator Crane, Of MaSSa-
chuSettS. who was another one Of the
raIlroaa rate bin recalcitrants, The
President wants the Aldrich bin pass
ed in The hope that IL viii save the
country from another financial strin-
gsocy and 50 he is joining forces with
Republican senators who have been
ranged on the opposite side from him,
They are al tugging and pushing TO
set the Western senators lined up.
OF course the people are likely 10
be with the President and will shout
bravo" 70 his requests FOR the passage
of the Aldrich bill. To them he is not
Yet BY any means a setting sun. The
-A>aAAANN % elANAA NA E0NtAAA4AANAAN -
generally unpopular with the masses
these days, who do not remember how |
Tor many generations men fought with |
&ings ana gave Up their lives on many |
= battlefield TO establish firmly for all |
time the legislative branch of govern !
ment as a check upon the executive. |
That may De trekking back a long |
ways from the present issue between |
the President and Congress and from |
the present popular mania for wor-
Shipping the executive, whoever he may |
be. because he is q one man power and |
does not have TO make haste slowly. |
As soon as the President gets this |
little Job Of passing the Aldrich bill |
or his hands with the Senate, he will |
give his attention 10 some other little |
matters Of legislation. Speaker Can |
non is likely TO need some help on the |
same measure over in the House. That
is a great body. we'll disciplined under
Mr.. Cannon's dispensation but the con- !
ditions get ugly sometimes, for men
like to break over the barriers. Just
now they are laundering in the cloak
rooms that they never Will vote for
that Aldrich bin and its provision for
making railroad bonds a basis for
emergency currency.
Uncle Joe" SAYS they will. He has