The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-06-12
THE FINISH Up
Of CONGRESS
Hot Weather and a Mad
Speaker of the
House.
By Ernest G.. Walker.

brows of legislation. Never such rush
ing to and fro-at least for many years.
Never so much excited conversation, so
much shaking of fists in parleys behind
closed doors, never so much threaten
ing. so much dissatisfaction among the
men on the watch-tOwers, since Will
liam Mckinley rode down Pennsylvania
avenue that March day in 1897, and
thus signalized the exit of Democracy
from the seat of power.
Men in the fifty, sixty, and seventy
year classes do not like to lead the
strenuous life in muggy May days,
with the thermometer up to the July
notch. But they have been doing the
strenuous turn to the limit and grum-
bling commensurately. Think of two
flibusters, real serious flibusters, as a
continuous performance in the respec-
tive branches of Congress and every
body, including the flibusterers, anx-
ious to take the first train out of town!
The House Democrats filibustering to
compel the transaction of business
the enactment of certain of the Presi-
dent s measures-and the Senate Re
publicans flibustering to prevent the
transaction of any business whatever!
And all the time Senators, Representa-
tives and employees rushing around the
Capitol buttonholing everybody, who
might know, with that exceedingly tire
some question: "When is Congress
going to adjourn?' The interrogatory
has been propounded sixteen thousand
times daily during the last week. Not
that the country cares rap whether
Congress STAYS or whether it goes, ex-
cept that adjournment might relieve the
daily prints from carrying wearisome
budget of do-nothing news.
But the big folks in Senate and
House were all "het up" Things have
not been going to suit them. Attempts
at legislation have been at SKIES and
sevens. The machinery has not been
moving with the oldtime regularity,
slow, but resistless and sure. All the
electric fans in Christendom could not
cool "Unele Joe" Cannon off, after he
had gotten things all geared up by
weeks of tremendous effort on his part
and on the part of his heutenants to
have some sort of currency bill passed,
only to have five determined Senate
conferees refuse to bulge an inch, and
thus defeat plans framed at midnight
vigils in the White House and in the
conference rooms of the Capitol for a
thOroughgoing administration currency
reform measure. Right on top of that
failure, which dashed the most ambi-
tious and most desired of all the Presi-
dent IS legislative policies, the House
refused to accept a mail subventiOn
provision on the Postofffce Approrria-
ton bill, which would assure new
steamship lines to South America, to
and the Orient The House
was like a mule team stuck with
heavy load in the middle of big hill.
They could not pull it up. Weeks and
weeks of fine work had been devoted
to that mail subvention proposition.
The most practised hands in all the
domain of Republican politics were put
to work at it a long time ago. Cam
vas after canvas of the Republican
was made. The weak
kneed were given Stimulants. Letters
came to call at the White House. The
ultra Rooseveltians from the Middle
West were summoned. Secretary Root,
who sailed around South America as
a sort of st. John the Baptist to
Fighting Bob Evans fleet, was
despatched to the Capitol to labor with
the recalcitrants. The hotel corridors
filed with the gentlemen in high silk
hats and of agreeable manners, repre-
senting the expectant shipyards of the
East. They strolled off to convenient
places to meet the eXponents of legis-
lation.
And yet the last Saturday night of
the session came with the mule team
still unable to haul the heavy load up
the hill. Oh, the Speaker was mad.
Mad with WEAKNESS, mad with disap-
pointment. mad because things were
going awry anyway. 1t was so near
a victory On one vote the subvention
amendment missed of adoption by on
~ eleven votes and then after twenty
four hours of tremendous missionary
effort failed again by nine votes.
Would not that make a Christian adj
vocate of ship subventions use blue
language?
Congress has been dying hard. AS
can be imagined, perhaps, from what
has already been said, its mortuary
groans have been resounding through
the Capitol, from it's very north end
to its very south end for days and
days. A number of very practical and
business like men have quit in disgust
and gone away to their homes OF
what avail to remain through the last
agonies?
Every old sort of a measure persist
ed to the very last in having a chance.
At intervals somebody stepped in with
a bludgeon and dubbed some pestifer-
Gus bill to death. Thus it was with
anti-injunction. The House leaders
wilted a weeks laundry. toiling and
sweating over that proposition. At
last. in despair, Speaker Cannon ex-
claimed: Yes, boys, let us have a
of House Republicans over
that. We will stand or fall by what
The voice of the majority decrees.''
But the captains and the lieutenants
hurried out TO corral votes. The con- |
ference of the imperial majority sat |
n the hail of the HouSe-a veritable |
weat-box-for one night without dar- |
ng to take a vote. They sat another |