The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-06-22
By Ernest G. Walker.
all Special to the Advertiser. J

Mail Special to the Advertiser.)
WASHINGTON, D. c., May 3l.-In-
formation and then more information
That is the new campaign in the Sem
ate. That is the cry opponents are
raising. They are Democratic oppo-
nents and Western Republican oppo-
nents. A few days ago it seemed to
all the wise ones that the barriers were
being broken down. The opposition
would soon collapse. The tariff bill
would be signed by the clerk of the
Senate. There would be conference,
there would be debate, there would
be signature up at the White House.
And then adjournment, hurrah, hurlah!
But in the breach of the opposition
walls, there still stand few men. Sen.
ator Bristow, of Kansas, tall, lean,
lank and angular is in the thick of
the coterie defiant and inquisitive. Sen
ator Bailey, of Texas, lately in game
of fsticuffs with New York Times
correspondent, is also asking questions
and declaiming. Neither of them will
down. Each has following of in
quisitive men, who are constantly want
ing to know why thus and so. And
this array of interrogation marks now
appears formidable. The Democrats
and Western Republicans want to know
the reasons for every schedule and
when the reasons have been given they
enter upon debate.
All this may be important from the
low tariff standpoint. The considera'
ton of the tariff bill is bristling with
politics. The campaign of 1910 is
looming ahead. 1t will be a prelmin-
airy to the campaign of 1912. The big
western constituencies are rampant, so
their Senators and Representatives say;
" You have now made your fight, say
the Senate regulars to the 'progres'
siven Republicans. "You have fought
long enough so that your people can
not help understanding that you have
done all you can do. What is the use 2
Every time you let us have a rollcall;
you are beaten by about the same old
majority"
"'Ah, but we are getting lot of in
formation the Democrats and the
Western Republican Senators respond.
"This is an educational campaign we
are conducting. Never before in all
the history OF tariff bills. has Senate
debate yielded so much information
about the intrcacies of a tariff. The
Finance Committee Senators are telling
us something new every hour that the
Senate is in session. We propose to
keep laundering away for a while. All
this will be the foundation for the
campaign for tariff revision we are 60
ing to start anew one of these days.
OF course, we know that we can not
change votes here in the Senate. You
are too strongly organized for us. But
we are going to appeal to the people.
We are gathering in this debate the
material for our next combat
There is an element of truth in the
assertions on both sides. The debate,
long and tedious as it is, will probably
prove profitable to the country in the
long run. And it is well for the coun-
try to understand as much as possible
about the significance of important
legislation that Congress is enacting.
On the other hand the business inter
ests of the country are clamoring for
settlement of the tariff question.
Merchants want to lay plans for their
fall trade. The owners of factories
want to start up at full blast. New en-
terprises, extensive industrial improve
ments are under contemplation. The
banks are full of idle money Bankers