The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-10-22
SHAPING PROGRAM FOR
THE COMING SESSION
One at a Time.

OhS db q AlAuS.
1t is very rare that congress deals.
with more than one big legislative ques.
ton at any one session. The solons
might dispose of rate amendments be.
fore the campaign, or of amendments
to the Sherman law, or of labor and
injunction, or of ship subsidy. Or it
may be that conservation legislation,
which will be no small feature in itself
when enactments regarding water
powers on the federal domain and fed
eral control of mineral lands and
further regulation of irrigation projects
are completed, will be about all the sen.
ate and house will want to handle dur
ing the winter and spring.
Labor Pressure Strong.
The pressure for labor legislation will
be very strong, but in spite of all the
President has recommended on his west
ern trip the opponents of sweeping
statutes will recall that the last Re.
publican national convention refused to
60 on record as favoring the exemption
of labor unions and farmers organiza-
tions from the operations of the Sher-
man law. President Roosevelt favored
such a plank and the chairman of the
resolutions committee at Chicago, form.
er Senator Hopkins, was selected for
the place with the understanding that
he would favor that plank. But when
that program was being pressed to the
front Speaker Cannon fastened up from
his home in Danville and he and Sen.
ator Crane of Massachusetts fought for
a modification of it and won. That
fact will be stumbling block in the
way of obtaining labor legislation at
the coming session.
Appropriation Bills.
In the mean time the house and the
senate will proceed with the regular ap.
preparation bills, of which there will be
fourteen and probably fifteen this
winter. These bills cover the, legisla-
ton that is indispensable. AS they also
involve many troublesome questions of
the administration of the governments
fiscal affairs, more time than usual will
be required in disposing of them, which
means that less time will remain for
general matters. The upshot must in
evitably be that the major portion of
the President program, as outlined in
his western speeches, will go over till
the winter of 19101911 or until the year
after that. 1t does not signify that no
progress will be made, for the proposal
of ideas and the perfecting of bills in
committee always constitutes a decided
advance. Little legislation, involving
great questions, it ever enacted till
after it has gone through the committee
mill.
Extra Session Talk.
More than one of the big measures
may get through one of the legislative
branches, more probably the house. That
might not be especially promising be-
cause of the difficulty in getting vote
in the senate at short session. Some
thing will be heard before the winter
is over about an extra session in the
autumn to clear the legislative decks.
But while that sort of talk will not
down, an extra session is and will be
very improbable because to be of any
effect it would have to convene in DC.
tober. That would be just before the
congressional election-right in the
midst of the eampaign-and it would be
impossible to keep a quorum in Wash
ington at such time.
Central Bank Of Issue.
The President has not been urging
expectations of financial legislation, in
Guiding central bank of issue, the
coming winter for the obvious reason
that the Finance Commission does not
expect to be able to report till next
autumn. That is one of the most i'm
portant of prospective measures in the
President s opinion. He wants it left
for the calm deliberation of the con-
gress whose official existence will date
from March 4, 1911. But if the Dem
ocrats should carry the house of re-
representatives. next year, the President
intends to push the financial bill
through before the life of the present
congress expires. 1t would be diff
ficult task at a short session of congress,
almost an impossible task. None the
less it has been seriously considered by
the President and Senator Aldrich.
Soon after his return to Washington
there will be many talks with the lead
ing men of senate and house about the
program for the winter. Those talks
and the preparation of his annual mes
sage will be two chief tasks before the
President in the month preceding the
session. 1t is still more than a month
before the President S return and yet
e there is keen interest at the capital
? over the decisions the President will be
8 called upon to make. There is not
t much speculation now over what the
1 message will be. The President has
l made it very plain he intends to recon-
: mend from what he has said SINCE he
f has been en- tour. But unusual activ'
g ity is promised in the holding of party
: councils which will be very influent al
: in shaping the administration course
: for the next few months. if not for the
e remainder of the Presidents term.
. oono1Inhcv cAcc 10