The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-10-05
PkESIDtN 7 is
BOOS TING
ALDR|CH
By Ernest G.. Walker.

WeSJeIH "Trip 10 waning lhS CouhIiy' ~
has proved interesting right from the
start at Boston. The President is
handling 'em without gloves. He as
sured the country, while he was at the
Hub, that Senator Aldrich, of Rhode
Island, leader of the upper legislative
branch, and the master hand in the
making of the tariff, was very much of
n man, no matter what some folks said
in criticism of him.
Whewl That was hard one for the
western folk to take. But the Presi
dent sort of rubbed it in. He was
hopeful of financial legislation before
many years roll by and campaign of
education was necessary. Senator Aid
rich would swing around the circle by
and by, breaking public opinion to the
halter; for, as head of the Monetary
Commission, Senator Aldrich wanted to
round out his career by framing for the
country an IDEAL banking and currency
law.
OF course, the western folk, who
throw fits at the suggestion of Aldrich
and who mention his name only with
anathema, are not going to like the
President any better for his compli-
mentary references to the Rhode Island
Senator in his Boston speech. And yet,
it has been stated again and again that
the President likes Senator Aldrich
very much and believes him to be an
honest as well as capable public SER
want, much maligned by jealous west.
ern people because he has won the
leadership of the Senate.
But by the time his train had pro-
ceeded from Boston to Chicago, the
President was ready to give the west
ern folk another jar, when he gave out
letter to Secretary of the Interior
Ballinger. The letter was full of read
ing between the lines, and it was the
kind of reading that Roosevelt en-
thusiasts throughout the West are not
apt to relish. The President directed
the dismissal of Special Agent L. r.
CLAWS, who has been very aggressive
in pressing charges that Secretary Bal
linger mas been unduly active as an Of
| fetal in favor of the Cunningham coal
| land cases in Alaska. There was no
mention of Chief Forester Clifford Pin
| chot in the letter, although the reading
between the lines was averse to the
| contentious of the Chief of Forestry.
| The President had n forceful para
graph in his letter to the effect that
sin my judgment he is the best friend
of the policy of conservation of natural
resources who insists that every step
| taken in that direction should be within
the law and buttressed by legal au-
thority. lnsistence on this is not in
consistent with whole hearted and
bona tide interest and enthusiasm in
favor of the conservation policy
1t is apparent that Secretary Bal
| linger is to have the cordial and sub
stantial support of the President. He
has been upheld at every point, and is
now free to go ahead with the develop
ment of his plans for the administra-
ton of the Interior Department. But
it is also plain that Chief Forester Gif-
ford Pinchot is not to be deposed. That
would give the conservationists of the
West mortal offense. AS a pacifcator,
who has shown unexpected fighting
spirit since he started en- tour, the
President does not at present propose
going SO far as to dangle the Pinchot
scalp before his western audiences.
Some of the President s utterances to
date are of great significance on the
future of his administration. His in
tention to make the enactment of n
banking and currency law feature of
his term is clearly foreshadowed in his
Boston speech, as is his alliance with
Senator Aldrich to bring such legisla-
tion about. He intimates the proba-
ulllty of the establishment of a cen
tral bank of issue. Such long step as
that will provoke great opposition and
probably means that currency reform
and banking reform will be an issue
in the Congressional elections next year
and, perhaps, in the Presidential elec,
tion of 1912.
For il has already been pointed out
that such banking and currency Law
can not be enacted for two years, pro
vided Senator Aldrich's Monterey Com
mission is unable to complete its ex
haustive report prior to the autumn
of 1910. The new financial law coulC
not be passed at the short session OF
Congress year from the coming
winter, in which event, if enacted al
the long session of the next Congress
it would come just before the elec
tions for President.
Mr. Taft's statement about tn,
financial, legislation also indicates a.
clearly as anything can that he is moi
going to make any alliances with the
Republican insurgents of the middle
West. He purposes to be regular in
his political affiliations, to do the busi
ness of his administration through
regular party channels, with the aid
of insurgent Republicans if they will
join with the regular party forces
otherwise without them and in spit,
of them.
This is very distinctly contrary t,
the Roosevelt policies of administra
tion, The insurgents were recognize,
and encouragedj the regulars eithe
ignored or driven. But since the day
when Roosevelt first tuggod at th,
presidential tether the regulars havO
learned wholesome lesson and are ia
more traclable than they wera 81
years ago Those who were nwaTa o
the meetings between Mr. Taft AN,
Senators Aldrieh aud Hale at the out
ret 0f the last presidential campaigl
are not disposed 90 doubt that ther
Il a