The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-03

trenchment is now pretty well perfect
ed at both ends of Pennsylvania ave
nue.. Every member of the cabinet has
been given fairly definite idea of
what the President expects of him in
reducing expenses. The Senate. whose
members have the last say about ap-
preparation bills, has prepared to head
off unnecessary items. The next SEES
sion of Congress will supply the test
of the efficiency of all these fine plans
That will be the session when ordinar-
lily a public building bill and a river
and harbor bill are framed and enact
ed. Those two measures carry a total
usually of over 100000, 600 The
clamor of Senators and Representatives
who want a reelection, will be forceful
If the leaders can repfess these sup
plants, they should also be sufficiently
powerful to lop off many millions from
the annual expenditures of the depart
ments. Their success would undoubt
edly be something of card in national
politics.
President Taft's plans for travelling
extensively up and down and across
the country during the autumn have
an important political and administra-
ton aspect. He proposes to keep ac-
| quainted with the people and to ac-I
! quaint them with the significance Of
what he has done and proposes to do
| Visiting South and West on an timer
airy, which will undoubtedly be greatly
enlarged as Thea summer progresses,
he viii have splendid opportunity to
aliay much of the opposition which
| new administration almost invariably
| arouses and to make new friends
! Thus far the West has been most
| critical of the President. 1t was not
| overenthusiastic about him during the
campaign. His majorities west of the
| Allegheny Mountains We're much
| smaller than along the Atlantic sea-
board. And in the six weeks of his
administration that have already pass
| ed, continuous intimations have been
coming from the West that there has
| been slump from the progressive poll
| icies of Roosevelt, that Roosevelt was
always prodding his cabinet officers to
follow up reform programs, whereas
| Taft not only has chosen several re-
| nowned corporation lawyers as his adj
visers, but has left them to conduct
their departments as they please, and
many more criticisms of like import
These criticisms are not disturbing
the Presidents friends, who say that
his administration will be the best an
! swer AS he travels West, even to the
Pacific Coast, he will penetrate those
States that are the strongholds of the
progressive Republican ideas. BY that
time he viii be prepared to outline
in some detail the corpora ton reform
legislation that he contemplates ask
ing of Congress at its next session.
The President likes to travel, he likes
to meet people, he has already made
many friends during his numerous
trips through the West, and he will
be in position in all probability to
entrench himself and his administra-
ton in their regard when his train
starts west from his summer home at
Beverly.
BY the same token the President
wants to hold the confidence of South
ern people, which he won during his
soiourn among them last winter He
does not have to worry about the East
Evidences of the approval of his ad-
ministration in that section multiply
daily.
It has come to be almost a neces
sity that the country have travelling
Presidents, and the attitude which Mr.
Taft has taken in that matter is like
ly to establish a practise SO firmly in
popular approval that it will be
adopted by his successors in office
When President Harrison swung
around the circle it was something Of
a novelty to the country But Presi
;nla
getting acquainted with the people b3
frequent trips over considerable dis
tauces from Washington. and the pol
itic.ans saw quickly that these trip.
helped in winning support for him ant
the measures he advocated Presi
dent Roosevelt went even further thai
his immediate Republican predeces
sors in going into many States. TIL
popularity of his administration il
the first years of his incumbency wa
Immensely strengthened by these pub
lie appearances and was subsequent,
sustained by the same methods.
Now President Taft intends follow
ing these presidents. Men familia
with the plans around the Whit
House say that Mr.. Taft may de
velop into a greater travelling Pres
! dent than was Mr.. Roosevelt, and the
predict that he will come back to t.
White House next October or Nov al.
Der with ideas clearly defined as t
the latest developments of public ser
timent and with an increased popula
support.
In recent years the members of tn
cabinet have figured less and less a
public speakers, voicing the views {
the administration. President Roost
vent sent members of his cabinet OF
frequently, but, all the same, pre-