The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-03-26
(Mail Special to the Advertiser

(MaI Special to the Advertiser)
WASHINGTON, D. c, March H.
The telephone is ringing frequently i
Senate committee rooms these days
and the White House is on the line.
"'Wil1 Senator B please ste
around to the Presidents office to
morrow morning, say about 1
oclock?''
Yes, certainly" and the receiver i
hung up.
But ting-a-ling the bells go ringins
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 askine
the same questions and receiving the
same answers. OF course, it is not the
President who speaks. 1t 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 a few
Senators who will not tolerate a tele-
phone and some who have a 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 to the
press have some explanation but the
right one, for, be it known, the Presi-
making Congress do something Tt is
Western Senators this time, who are
being subjected TO pressure, all of
which goes to show what strange
changes politics do bring about.
Two years ago about this time, the
Western Senators We're working shout |
der to shoulder with the President in
getting a railroad rate bill. If he had |
asked some of them to hasten out into |
the streets and stand on their. heads, |
"
rity. The people at home, who elected |
them to the Senate, wanted anything
that the President wanted, and when
he wanted it. So how eager they We're
to vote for any kind of railroad rate
bill that bore the Presidents o. X!
The Eastern Senator'S, a little more
accustomed to 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 to keep out of the
courts for the appointment of receiv-
ers, but they feared the consequences
of the proposed law. Finally it was
modified to 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
to convince them, they voted for the
bill
Now it is turn about. The Eastern
Senators are trying to get the Aldrich
currency bill passed. It is having a
hard time, because the Western SEN
ators are kicking over the traces. Their ]
people do not care very much about
the Aldrich currency bill. The East |
arn Senators have none too many votes {
to enact it into law and they must
have help.
So the Eastern Senators have asked
he President to help them Senator t
Aldrich, of Rhode Island, who was one t
II the worst of the recalcitrants dur /
ng the railroad rate bills considera- t
ION, has been to the White House to | /
ell the President what the conditions
ire; so has Senator Crane, of Massa- r
who was another one of the i
abroad rate bill recalcitrants. The
resident wants the Aldrich bill pass i
ID in the hope that it will save the t
COUNTRY from another financial strin-
'ency and so he is joining forces with v
Senators who have been a
anged on the opposite side from him.
Fhey are all tugging and pushing to r
'et the Western Senators lined up. t
Of course the people are likely to n
he with the President and will shout Il
bravo to his requests for the passage t
I the Aldrich bill. To them he is not
ct by any means a setting sun. The $
legislative branch of government is t
unpopular with the masses t
iAeSe udyS, VINO do not remember how |
or many generations men fought with I
lngs and gave up their lives on manv :
battlefield to establish firmly for all b
me the legislative branch of govern o
lent as check upon the executive. 7
nat may be trekking back a long L
avs from the present issue between -
ne President and Congress and from
lie present popular mania for wor-
llping the executive, whoever he NAV
E. because he is a one man power and
pes not have to make haste slowly.
AS soon as the President gets this
tile JOB of passing the Aldrich bill |
I MS hands with the Senate, he viii
we his attention to some other little
atters of legislation. Speaker Can
On Is likely to need some help on the
tme measure over in the House. That
a great body, well disciplined under
r. Cannon's dispensation but the con-
lions get ugly sometimes. for men
he 10 break over the barriers. Just
NV they are laundering in the cloak |
IONS that they never will vote for |
lat Aldrich bill and it's provision for |
aking railroad bonds basis for |
nergency currency. /
Uncle Joe" says they will. He has II