The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-13
UPS AND DOWNS OF THE
PAYNE BILL DISCUSSION
What May or May Not Be Done in Revision
Which Begins to Look Like Reenact-
ment OF the DingIey Law.
By Ernest G.. Walker.
mail Special to the Advertiser.)


WASHINGTON, April 26.-There is
now real clashing of spear on shield.
The Senate of the United States has
become tilt yard The issue between
high tariffs and low tariffs has been
Joined intensely. The knightly orators
are charging down upon one another.
Some of them make a terrific noise and
look splendid indeed in action. No
wonder the big galleries are filed ev-
cry noon. 1t is no longer an academic
discussion, with theoretic quibblings
and evasions. Politicians are out for
business. The result means for some
of them political death-or political
life, which is very, very dear to most
men who hold federal Office.
Every day of this week is itful
one in this struggle, which may mean
everything even to the dominant party.
Policies and programs of great import
to the future, are now on trial in the
Senate The people of the country
means little more than a reenactment
of the Dingley law. OF course the
standpatters are in high spirits over
any such prospect. But the standpat-
ters-the men who talk about bust
ness'' and "crawl behind the laboring
man. whenever they find themselves IN
"a tight place argumentatively-as some
:speeehmaker declared in the Senate
the other day-are not all the country.
And this remainder of the country has
been making itself heard, has been
laundering through the mails at its
Senators and Representatives., has been
causing those lawmakers to question
whether there would be majority of
approval for them at the next general
elections if the standpatters have their
way and either raise duties or simply
retain them at the present standard.
1t must be said that the chances
greatly favor the standpatters. They
are entrenched in the Senate. They
are entrenched in the House and in
the House Ways and Means Committee.
There will be tremendous wrangling for
days, much bending and buckling of
schedules. but after all it will prob
ably be found in this case that Goliath
was more powerful in battle than Da-
vid Diplomacy and strategy and the
fine tactics of legislative craft are all
in favor of the men whom critics have
called the Hold grey wolves of the
Senate. Their long headed generals,
of experience and fine capacity in
stresstul legislative effort, are working
night and day. They will outflank the
enemy-which could well be styled
"the allies because it comprises
Democratic Senators and Western Re-
publican Senators. The shrewd old
leaders are inserting big wedges be-
tween these would be allied forces, are
winning some away from the alliance
by alluring concessions, and encouraging
;schism within the opposition ranks. The
fact that they have won President Taft
over to their side has lifted their hopes
high. They count upon that to be
worth good handful of votes when.
ever it comes to a showdown.
1t sometimes looks as though this
tariff problem which the Senate is
taekling might enable the long shat,
tered Democracy to reform its ranks
and get into shape for campaign,
ranking high in opposition strength.
To be sure the protection doctrine has
been making inroads upon the Southern
Democracy, but it remains to be seen
whether that would be more than an
incident of the general propaganda as
the tariff fight is shaping. Some good
Judges believe it would be overshadow
ed by the popular resentment at a re-
enactment of the Dingley law, which
seems almost inevitable, and that the
big fight now on in the Senate will
serve chiefly to the country to en-
phasize that the Dingley rates are to
be maintained.
The extra session of Congress was
called that the tariff might be revised
when there was freedom from the ex-
actions of other legislative tasks, such
as occur at a regular session, and also
that more than a year might elapse