The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-07-17
SENATOR ROOT
AND THE TARIFF
Roosevelt Looming Up in the
Background of
Affairs.
By Ernest G.. Walker.
Mail Special to the Advertiser.)

Root, Junior Senator lfoIn new io4h'
is filing a very interesting role, pollt-
ically and legislatively, in Congress.
This week he is faring forth as the
leading orator on the excise tax. This
is with the full consent of President
Taft, who mas consented that the exciss
tax should be known as his measure
and as an administration measure. 1t
is also with the full consent of the
reaetionary leaders of the Senate, who
think this piece of wise strategy.
But the Democrats and the Western
Republicans, who make almost ma
iority of the Senate, are not altogether
pleased. The Western Republicans who
have refused to be won over 10 the
excise tax are grinding their teeth and
expressing great dissatisfaction. Sen
ator Bristow, of Kansas, for instance
regards Senator Root as quite as much
of a reactionary as Senator Aldrich and
says so.
Senator Root was premiers~in the
cabinet of President Roosevelt and
enioyed Roosevelt S confidence. In
deed, it is well understood that Roos.
evelt made Root senator from New
York, and left him in charge OF the
New York machine. 1t is almost use
less reiteration to explain how the
Senate hated Roosevelt. But the SEN
ate leaders of the regular Republican
organization like Root as much as they
hated Roosevelt Senator Root has
gone along with them on the tariff.
He has not bolted the program IN any
particular, except on barley malt and
one or two minor things. Whenever
his vote was necessary, the leaders of.
the Finance Committee could count
upon it.
AS matter Of fact they brought
it about that Senator Root should be
identified as much as possible with
what they have been doing. When the
Finance Committee was ready to draft
the maximum and minimum provision,
soon to be discussed in the Senate,
they called in Senator Root and asked
| for his Judgment. Several times he
has virtually sat as member of the
| Finance Committee, which is rather
unusual proceeding Time and again
! during the last few months the Finance
/ Committee Senators have taken pains
| to let il become known that Senator
| Root was being consulted on important
points in their program, was, IN fact,
in full accord with them, and intended
to cooperate with them.
| When PRECEDENT Taft launched the
excise tax plan, the Senate leaders
turned againNto Senator Root. They
| asked him ihfN their councils. The
President did likewise and the New
Yorker was the only outsider from the
/ Senate called to the White House din
| ners with the Finance Committee Re
publicans. The President and the FL
| nance Committee joined in asking him
to cooperate with Attorney General
/ Wickersham in drawing the Taft
amendment and finally he was selected
| to make the chief speech in behalf OF
| the amendment.
The bearing of all this on big poll
ties of the next year or two is excit-
| ing the curiosity of folks at the Capt.
! tai. It is not unusual to hear one say:
t0h, if President Roosevelt were in
| the White House, we should have an
| income tax. Wait till he gets back! =
Idle as such comment may be, it never
theless voices quite prevalent i'm
preston that Roosevelt, returning from
| the African hunt, may not sanction all
/ that has been done.
| In any event, 1t is just such a pros
| peetive situation as this which the
Senate leaders think they are check
mating by keeping Root so actively
identified with their program. OF
course, President Roosevelt always
fought shy of the tariff. He preferred
to leave the troubles that attend the
Encouragement of schedules to his sue
cessor. However, should he be dispos,
| ed to criticize the Senate, the Senate
will point him to the approving deeds
of his chief political representative in
| New York-Senator Elihu Root. And
more than that the Senate leaders will
count on Senator Root to curb Mr..
| Roosevelt if he shows any spirit OF
/ eantankerousness toward the revision
or toward the excise tax. Probably no
other living man is so well able to
| restrain Mr.. Roosevelt as the junior
New York Senator and accordingly the
| wise old men in the Senate think they
have been playing tremendously wise
politics in getting Senator Root so con-
| spicuously under their banner.
The idea will not down that sooner
or later Mr. Roosevelt viii seek again
the leadership of his party. Senators
| share that view, although it is out
lined more or less vaguely in many Sen
atorial minds. But to return to leader
ship he would have to utilize issues
over matters of legislation and admin
istration, which Senator Root has been
ehampioning. That condition of affairs
would be barrier to the ex-President
especially as Senator Root would almost
inevitably have to become dissenteI
in the ex-President IS home State.
It is quite probable that Mr.. Roose.
welt will want to come to the Senate
eighteen months from now TO succeed
Chauncey Depew. Whether he chooses
to except that office or not, it is incon
ceiyable that he viii not be more OF
less active in politics, and his relations
with Senator Root, as an associate II
the coterie of Republicans with whom
as President, Mr.. Roosevelt was con
stantly quarreling, viii be a matter OF
Importance in general party welfare.
Political radieahsm is no longer
voiced in the conversations of the
White House offices. President Roose
welt used to announce with great
show Of satisfaction that he was raul
cal and waged his campaigns in that
role. In nothing is the contrast with
his successor more nronounced