The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-18
HAWAIIAN BILLS
BEFORE CONGRESS
FiIibustering Tactics Keep All
Bills From Presentation
in the House.
(Mail Special to the Advertiser.)


WASHINGTON D. c., April 5.-The
legislative interests of Hawaii in Con-
gress are eentering just at present
chiefly in the bill for the Improvement
of Pearl Harbor. Before this letter
reaches Honolulu the news of the
enactment of that bill into law, as
suring an immediate appropriation of
$650,000 on total project of $2,700,000,
may have been conveyed there by
cable.
Representative Bates, of Pennsylva-
MIA, expects to call the bill up in the
House tomorrow Monday under sus-
pension of the rules. This has been
arranged, after consultation with
Speaker Cannon and Chairman TaWney,
of the appropriations committee. 1t
was at their suggestion that the bill, as
reported from the Naval Affairs Com
mittee, was modified so that the imn1e-
date appropriation to be called for,
would be reduced from 100000 to
$650,000. The reduction will be chiefly
in the cost of the machine and repair
shops that are proposed.
1t is hoped that Mr.. Bates will get
the bill through tomorrow, as its pass
age by the House at this time would
practically assure its becoming law
at this session of Congress. But under
suspension of the rules bill must have
"a two-thirds vote to pass. The Dem
ocrats are in an exceedingly ugly mood,
because of a determined flibuster they
inaugurated some days ago, nominally
to force the Republicans to pass certain
of the measures the President has re-
commended. Minority Leader John |
Shalp Williams is always opposed to
Hawaii and will probably oppose the
Pearl Harbor bll both on principle and
as a part of his filibustering program.
Representative Champ Clark, of Mis-
souri,, and Bourke Cochran, of New
York, and all Democrats on the House
navy committee favor the Pearl Harbor |
bill. And yet it remains a question
whether or not Mr. Williams may not |
muster enough Democrats to make more
than one-third of the House.
If the bill can not be gotten up !,
tomorrow or if it fails ofba two-thirds !
vote it will probably be brought in later
under special rule. The Speaker does
not like to grant special rules for leg
islation, when it can be avoided, but is
willing to do so in this case if it should |
become necessary. Senator Perkins has |
already given notice in the Senate that
he will offer the Pearl Harbor bill there
as an amendment to the navy appro-
priation bill which the House has not
taken up yet because of the investlga
tion of the Electric boat company and
the purchase of submarines for the
navy, which investigation is still under
way but will probably be concluded
this week.
All other Hawaiian measures are rest
ing on their little shelves and will
hardly be taken off for the present.
The bill, extending the term of land
leases in Hawaii to fifteen years, got
through just in time. 1t was passed
by the Senate and sept to the President
just about the time the House Demo
Gratis began refusing unanimous con-
sents No one is thinking of trying to
bring the immigration bill or the bill
to amend the coastwise shipping laws
into the House just now. Probably
neither measure could command a two
thirds majority, which would be re-
CURED under suspension OF the rules
and it would be useless to seek to get
it considered by unanimous consent.
Indeed the probability still holds that
the coastwise shipping amendment may
not be necessary. Things are looking
well for the mail subvention bill, which
has passed the Senate and which the
House postoffices committee expects
to vote on next Tuesday. The friends
Of the measure are quite confident of
securing its passage in the House be
fore this session is over. A vast deal
Of work has been done to overcome the
opposition of middle Western Republi-
.ans and some of this work has been
effective. As was stated in letters to
Continued on Page Two.)
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