The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-03-04

committee on committees, that Senator
Hale names, would allow any Repub.
lican to be assigned to that committee
whom Senator Aldrich does not an
prove.
Of course there are other Republican
Senators from the West in like predica,
ment as to committees. Their fight,
like that of Senator La Toilette s. who
has assumed the leadership, is one of
desperation. Their only recourse seems
to be to make so much trouble for
Senator Hale that he and his leading
lieutenants must grant concessions.
Therefore they have begun their war;
fare on appropriation bills, just when
the Senate must proceed with great
expedition to get through before March
f. 1t is easy to block the passage OF
those big supply bills, as Senator La
Toilette has begun doing with the Navy
appropriation bill.
Unless they can harass the Senate
leaders into giving them some addition
al recognition, the Western insurgents
are in a hopeless plight The older
Republicans saw to it early in the ses-
sion that Senator Hale was elected
chairman of the Republican caucus. In
that position he is certain to be SUI
preme He will name next session for
the committee on committees just the
Senators he and the others who share
in the government of the Senate, wans.
The La Toilette insurgent band number
only about a dozen out of nearly go
Senators. When all assemble in the
marble room for caucus, these in
surgents make small minority. They
can make little trouble there, although
out ON the floor they can combine with
the Democrats and come dangerously
near having things their own way.
Westerner In a Further Plight.
There is another phase of the game,
however. 1t makes the old Republican
Senators chuckle. Montana, Idaho, Ore
gon, Nebraska, Kansas and few other
states, from whose senatorial roster the
La Toilette insurgents are recruited,
want high protection on considerable
list of products-Wool, fruits and the
yield of farms, coal, lumber and many
other things The Eastern Senators
have slight interest in the duties on
most of these articles and Eastern Sen
ators will dominate in the Committee
on Finance where the House tariff bill
will be revised. Aldrich, Hale ana
Lodge will be members and Burrows,
of Michigan, and Penrose of Pennsyl
vania will cooperate with them. To
this high court of legislative authority
the high protection Western Senators
must come for tariff favors. The high
protection they want is on raw mate
rails and crude products. The high pro-
lection the Eastern Senators want rs
mostly on manufactured articles. The
situation therefore promises to be very
embarrassing for the recalcitrant West
erners, who naturally are crying out
against the Senate oligarchy. Senator
Aldrieh has been laughing goodna
turedly of late You will be eating
out of my hand before the summer
is over he is reported 10 have said
to some of them the other day.
The old Senate leaders enforce their
authority sternly, when they think the
occasion calls for it. The ramifca-
tions of their power are extensive. AS
a general proposition they can pass
bill or kill it. Last year Senator Bev.
eridge led a revolt on the navy bill,
at the instance of President Roosevelt.
The oldsters have pummelled him there
for till he is heartily sorry. He has
hardly lifted up his eloquent voice in
the Senate this winter. Others, who
offended, have likewise received theirs.
Senator Hale prides himself, above
all things else, on the facility with
which he can pass big appropriation
bills. He has had two or three de-
cades of experience in managing these
measures ON the floor. It would al
most break his heart if the big pro-
gram of necessary legislation should be
disrupted ana thrown into confusion
at the close of the first session, where
he has been the recognized floor leader
Therefore Senator La Toilette has
struck at critical time. 1t probably
means lot of gayety from now on
perhaps till into the extra session.