The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-01-19

assured. He viii take his seat March |
ana thereby the House will lose one |
of its very ablest members. He has |
often been mentioned as a strong pos
slblitv for the speakership, but has |
had no chance for an election to that |
Office as long as Mr.. Cannon cared to
retain it.
Regret at Foraker's Retirement
There is very general regret in off,
cial circles at the Capitol that Senator
Foraker should be retired to private
life but there is hardly an Ohioan who
could be more acceptable here as his
successor than Mr.. Burton. His career
! in the House has been one of party
| LOYALTY but, withal, a career of indie
| pendence and fearlessness in adv0cat,
! ing what seemed to him just and right
| He has been great chairman of the
| House Committee on Rivers and Har.
| bors. where he, more than any other
one man, has been responsible for the
elimination of old log rolling methods
! in voting money for the Improvement
! of waterways. He was one of the first
| to champion the Panama Canal route.
At time when it was exceedingly I'M
! popular for any representative to speak
out in favor Of that route Mr.. Burton
and Mr. Cannon came to the front and
| led the fight that resulted in the House
abandoning the proposed route through
| Nicaragua Mr.. Burton has been very
forceful in opposing the extravagances
of the government in recent years. His
fund Of information about economic
and governmental questions is unusual
| " large. He has made a special study
of finance and two years ago, when the
House Banking and Currency Commit
tee needed new blood. was made one
of its members. He demonstrated his
strength there and at the close of the
last session was made chairman of the
| Monetary Commission composed of SEN
| ators and representatives.
The success with which he has waged
his fight for toga in the fac: Of
what was supposed to be certain de.
feat has increased his prestige in Wash
ington Then he stands forth as the
foremost party leader in Buckeyedom,
excepting only the President elect and,
of course, is respected accordingly both
in Ohio and Washington He comes
into his new office without being under
obligations to any coterie of men. That
enable him to pursue the same indie
pendent and fearless course in the Sen
ate that he has pursued in the House
New Chairman of Pacific Islands.
The retirement of Senator Foraker
deprives Hawaii of staunch friend.
AS chairman of the Committee on Pa.
cifc Islands and Porto Rico, most of
the legislation for Hawaii has come
under his scrutiny. All in all he has
been the most influential, the most eff
fectively influential, friend of Hawaii
at that end of the Capitol.
; 1t is something of a question who
will succeed Mr.. Foraker in that chair
:. manship. Senator Depew, of New York,
, is in line for it by reason of seniority
of committee service Probably he will
accept the place. as it should be pref
; cradle to the Craftsmanship on revision
of the laws of the United States which
2 he now holds. Mr.. Depew has two
r years more to serve before the expira-
: ton of his term. 1t seems to be taken
not be reelected.
r Senator Moses E. Clapp ranks next
: on the Pacific Islands Committee, but
) |
e Committee which he would hardly care
: to relinquish. After him is Senator
3 Flint, of California. Tt may possibly
g come about that Mr.. Flint will be the
/. new chairman, when the Senate Com,
Z mittees are reorganized next spring.
1 The Festivities of the holiday season
p here were marred materially by the
horrors of the earthquake catastrophe
in Ito1y az
| its beginning of the New Year by
- speedily voting an appropriation OF
q 100000 for the relief of the sufferers
The plans for making the appropriation:
and for distributing the relief in the
form of food and clothing. occupied
;, the attention of the President, the See
: retares of State and of the Navy. a.
u | well as of the leaders of Congress, al
u u of whom cooperated to the fullest ex
= tent.
A magnanlmOus suggestion of sending
the battleship fleet now on the way
through the Suez Canal, to MESSING
attracted much attention. It wa
I thought that the $1,000 JacFies on the
= 16 battleships might be of assistance
u in policing the stricken district, il
{ maintaining order and in caring fo1
; the sick and wounded. The President
Il has already announced that if the King
of Italy desires the presence of the
: warships they will be sent there.
This offer in itself demonstrates very
= strongly the friendly spirit of the Amer
. lean nation toward Italy. The invita-
ton may or may not be accepted bu
. in all probability so much of the rescue
= work will have been done by the time
! the ships could reach Messina that the
( contribution of Congress for supple:
and clothing will be most needed. The
. appropriation was voted by Congress
> Monday in short order. after a specia
: message requesting action, had been re
i ceived from the President. He had pre-
viously communicated with Speaker
Cannon about the matter and also will
l. Senator Hale, chairman of Senate ap
i nropriati0ns. These two visited the
>, White House Offices on the President :;
. invitation. to advise and consult anG
e the legislation was all arranged before
hand so that the formalitics Of voting
Y the money might be put through with
9 out delay or hindrance.
h CI,;oc ~, TJ,,y,,apa NTicc;np