The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-05-07

]
Congress 90 ne best session. which
eln hH thc nf.i regular session. lo
enR lof'sinilrn nmcnd'nr thc fhcf
man antitrust law aud the law Tor The
regulation of railroads Whatever ior
isla'ion is enacted will be completed
but short time before tho elections
The Republicans viii b. called upon
90 defend that legislation or their fall
ure Go lcElslatc. Congress will hardly
have adjourned before the Reputn
cans viii ind themselves In the midst
Of the campaign.
| Thus with the tarif and with cor.
| poratlon law amendments, the test in
/ the next congressional elections viii
cover much Of the important work OF
! the first year and a half OF the TAFT
administration. The verdict will be
| especially important to President Taft
and tr the Republican party, II Inc
new tarift law Is popular. II will go
very far toward carrying the Republi-
cans TO another victory. and with that
Ndtnry they w,n be In a fair way
u continue their control, not only Of
the House of Representatives, but OF
the Senate and OF the presidency for
u vi NfhINs ITttlutnl Idll
denomination would be put beyond
question, and his reelection would be
almost as certain
] OF course, the Democrats In Con-
gress are badly divided. The party is
demoralized by successive defeats. But
1t is almost equally true of the Re-
| publioans in Congress. A popular is
sue over the tariff, however, would
unity the Democrats remarkably I'm a
campaign and above all In a congress
| sional campaign, where the old BRYAN
and anti Bryan factions would not fig.
ure materially. On the other hand,
the Democratic organizations in the
states are in pretty good condition.
OF the forty-six States, there are
| twenty-one, almost half, with Demo.
cratic Governors. all of whom in the
normally Republican States are virlle
party leaders
The Importance that the leaders at
tach to the tariff at this time is en-.
HANGED by the conviction that a very
great number of people associate
many of the present ills of govern
ment with tariff excuses. They still
disclaim, of course, that the tariff is
the mother of trusts, but evidences
have multiplied during the tariff de-
liberations in the House that the Re
publicans do not want to have to
| maintain that hereafter upon the
stump. Their constituents will not be.
lieve them. And unless the tariff bill
Is fairly popular, many Republicans
in public life fear that the dissatis-
faction herewith will aggravate con
stituencies with reference to the trust
and corporation issues which are so
very acute in the West
The Eastern Republicans are less
mindful Of these conditions. Public
sentiment is not quite so much on edge
in their constituencies. There are
fewer evidences of Dmocratic tenden.
cies this side of the Allegheny Noun
tains. Taft had enormous maioritIes
In nearly all of these Eastern States.
ana they are less likely to go back
on the party two years from now or
four years from now.
However. there is a general caution
among the Republicans in Congress
this year about the tariff. They are
aware that they are handling dyna-
mite, and out of abundant caution
they want to be careful about ex-
ploding It, Speaker Cannon has felt
that way about 1t and Senator AldrIch
mas been especially careful about pro-
Noking the voters by excessive rates
| on articles of common consumption.
During tariff interval the Senate
mas been treated to the very unusual
sight of lighting Bob" La Toilette in
charge OF an important bill on the floor.
ne gods! A brief year or two ago that
would have made the old leaders fairly
shndder. They were shying bricks at
MN then, ostracizing him in the CLOAK.
rooms, saying sarcastic things about
INN IN the cloakrooms and elsewhere
behind his back.
But Fighting Bob piloted the
Census Bill through the Senate very
successfully. He demonstrated that he
IS no tyro in perfecting legislation. He
was fair in his attitude toward oppo,
nents, ready to give as well as to take
IN the exchanges that attended that fit.
full debate. The old leaders from the
East mixed it up with him some but
1t was all in good humor and all in all
the little affair of the Census Bill prop.
ably has brought the Outcast Wisconsin
| Republican--an outcast because he has
been pioneer in fighting for progress,
sive Republican ideas into closer con.
tact with the Senate leaders. which
means that their associations are likely
to be more friendly hereafter.
The Senate has never lost sight of
the fact that Mr.. La Toilette has n ire.
mendous following in the country. es.
pecially in the western country. And
the Senate is tremendously considerate
in the long run for man who has a
powerful following. If Senator La Fol
lette had not defed and houted the
older senators. had he not antagonized
them vigorously in public debate and
gone into some of their States and pub.
licly denounced them, he would have
been taken care of long ago. He would
have been welcomed into the inner cir,
cles. But Mr.. La Toilette is a fighting
man and he has chosen to sandbag
Senators into recognition of him. Ii
can hardly be said yet that he has
complete recognition but he is close
to it.