The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-12-10
BY Enes, q. walker.

WASHINGTON. November e2.-Thc
President is approaching this busy sea.
son with great composure lie does
not allow work to worry him, ms 50
many men in high places do. He re.
turned from Norfolk Sunday morning,
where he had been since Thursday
night in attendance upon a deepwater.
ways convention, spent the forenoon
clearing up his accumulated cor.
respondenee, went horseback riding in
the afternoon with Capt. Archibald
Butt, his army aid, and devoted the
evening to his family. OF late he is
taking up again with horseback riding,
| just MS he used to do when he was
secretary of war. 1t occupies less of
his time than going to Chevy Chase
for a golf game, but gets him quite
as much away from mis- work and af-
fords him some daily recreation.
| Speaker Cannon, the central figure
of national affairs next to the Presi-
dent, has not yet come to town. 1t is
only matter of few days before
he will be on hand to open his office
in the southeast corner of the capitol.
The house is already fully organized
and the committees appointed. But for
| the fact that there was an extra ses-
| sion last summer this would not be
the case and the first week or two of
| the session would be devoted to pre-
liminary matters, chiefly the selection
| of committees. AS soon as the Speaker
| calls the members to order and the
chaplain has delivered his invocation,
the house will be ready for business
and can proceed as soon as the com
mittees have any business prepared for
consideration.
However, this does not mean, that
very much will be accomplished be-
| fore the holidays. Christmas comes on
Saturday, December 25, this year and
congress will take it's customary holi-
day recess for two weeks beginning
! about December %. That will give
| two and half weeks of the session
for the old year. The committees can
not get any of the larger measures,
other than appropriation bills, ready
before that time. By the end of the
first week the house appropriations
committee may have a budget or two
completed. There will be vehicles for
some general discussion and there will
be no great haste about reaching a
final vote. The conferences on the
President anticorporation measures
will be continued through that period
and the "shaping-up" process will
bring about some definite ideas regard
ing the winters program.
Getting Peaceable.
The indications are that the two Re.
publican factions are gradually falling
into line with the Presidents views.
On the whole the attitude of senators
and representatives towards the Presi-
dent is friendly. This is quite as much
the case as it was last March when
he came into office. He has constant
ly made friends among the lawmakers
of both branches. There is little dis
position toward fractions opposition.
He will not find it as difficult to move
the senate or the house to action as
did President Roosevelt for whom the
congressional leaders had no liking. Mr.
Roosevelt had to overcome deal of
legislative inertia, where President
Taft will have to put forth no effort
whatever. In the long run that makes
a deal of difference and should help the
President materially toward getting
the legislation he wants 1t does not
mean he will have no opposition with
in the Republican ranks. There will
be active opposition and it will make
itself felt in numerous ways. The
greatest pressure will be brought tC
bear through delays and postponements
and in pleas for more time for con
Isideration.
Railroads Will Fight.
The railroads are not likely to ac
quiesce without struggle in any prop
osition to authorize the interstate com
merce commission to initiate proceed
ings against rates or to fix rates them
selves. James j. Hill, of the Grea
Northern, and w. G. Brown, president
of the New York Central, have already
been in town to tell the President o.
their objection to this and other pro
posed railroad legislation. They will
have sympathizers in senate and house
so that the administration must go owe
numerous hurdles before the proposed
bills are signed by the speaker and thu
Vice President and sent up Pennsylva
MIA avenue to the White House.
Careful Work.
The President is having these meas
ures all carefully drawn. He has /
very competent corps of men to do tina
work, as was evidenced when he put
out the corporation tax as proviso TO
the Aldrich.Payne tariff law. Probabl!
no other President has had such com
petent team in framing corporation
measures as Mr.. Taft now hasAin At
torney General Knox, Secretary of Wa
Dickinson and Secretary of State Knox
When necessary he also calls in his OLE
colleague of the cabinet, Senator Root
| of New York.