The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-04-08

| Congress of 1905 TO revise. but an in
huential company of Congressmef
went to the White House and told hin
! it would never do. 1t would disturb
/ business. The great friends of the Re,
/ publican party did not want any tarin
| revision So finally the President
yielded on tariff pursue his anti
trust policies TIL, talk about revi-
sion after the next presidential cleo
ton became rampant more than yeaI
ago. The President believed, however
that the old standpatters would find
some way to block it ingeniously. They
were saying that. the National conven-
ton could best decide that question
The President feared that the stand
patters would get their work in with
the resolutions committee. AS the old
saying goes, there are many ways to
skin cat. A shrewdly-worded plank
that would read almost any way the
framed for campaign purposes. Then
IL the Republicans win the presidency
and elect a majority of the House of
Representatives, the standpat leaders
might forget the revision plank alto
gether. They might argue that it read
so and so, sand did not commit the
party to action forthwith.
But the President is going to have
Congress do something to commit it
self on that point if he can. The
Ways and Means Committee of the
House, or, more strictly speaking, the
under the Constitution to originate
revenue bills, which means that all
tariff bills must be framed there.
Neither the committee nor the House,
however, has any power to bind the
next Congress. 1t can not frame a
bill for the next House to consider
But it can do a lot of necessary pre-
paratory work. 1t can gather a vast
deal of information about prices here
and abroad, about the cost of produc-
ton and about a hundred and one
matters that have to be considered in
making up a tariff bill. Such prepara-
ton would immensely facilitate the
making of the new tariff It would
also remove a possible excuse for de-
lay that the Republicans in Congress
would have after March 4, 1909. when
the new administration comes in.
For these reasons the President has
pressed for the designation of experts
to gather data during the coming
summer and autumn, and the leaders
in Congress have conceded that to him.
The appropriation bills will carry pro-
vision for a number of these experts,
the next session.
This is only the Presidents first
step. If his friends control the next
National convention, as he hopes they
will, he intends that tariff revision
plank, whose meaning can not be mis-
taken, shall be inserted in the plat
form.
He wants an anti-injunction bill, to
pacify the labor leaders, but is unwill-
ing to give them as drastic a bill as
they want. It is improbable that
Congress, under any circumstances,
will enact such a law at this session.
But if the President can not get a
loaf, he wants half a loaf. He in
sists that a beginning be made toward
such an enactment. In that the lead
ers of Congress are preparing 70
throw him. They will work
dodge" something like that they seem
disposed to work with the widows
pension bill, only they will not go
quite so far with it. in all probability
Instead of letting it pass both houses
in somewhat different form, so that it
can be thrown into conference and
smothered entirely, the House and
Senate leaders will have an under
standing that something shall pass the
House and be laid over till the next
session The Senate VIII not act.
There has been much scratching of
wise heads over this and much scratch
ing of wise heads over number of
other legislative kinks, which are by
no means Strengthened out as yet. And
it should be said that the Senate and
House have much sound reasoning on
their side. For these questions under
discussion between the White House
and Congress are momentous ques-
tons. They are likely to be much for
the benefit o. damage of the country
at large, and should not be rushed
through hurriedly or without very
careful consideration. and, it is quite
possible, should not be passed at all
The great legislative thinkers on Cap
itol Hill doubt whether politically as
well as on other grounds. a pooling