The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-06-08


the support of Senator Aldrfch il
these personal attacks. The Democrats
have asserted time and again that he
has been most courteous and patient
When Republicans have come to the
defence of the Rhode Islander, the
Democrats have been quick to asseyer
ate that they have not attacked him
The attacks have come from the
Western Republicans, although tbs
regular Republicans are careful not
to say so. Bitter as the factionalisn
is they do not want to accentuate il
by direct statements that the Western
Republicans are chiefly to blame.
Several of the Finance Committee
Senators, whom Senator Dolliver styled
"the languid followers of Aldrich,
have already sprung to his defence and
at times the Senate debates have de
veloped into testimonials of the pa
thence and thoroughness with which
Senator Aldrich has worked at hi:
tariff tasks.
Republican critics thought they ha6
Senator Root upon their side. AS g
Departmental official he has been ac.
customed to doing business with more
or less expedition. New York is g
great manufacturing state and Sena-
tor Root has shown a lively interest
in many tariff schedules that affected
his constituency. He asked some
questions of Senator Aldrich which
the critics thought, indicated a will
ingness to criticize, but two or three
days later Senator Root arose to a
very emphatic effort in defense of the
Finance Committee, in fact went fur
Their in defense of the committee than
Senator Aldrich himself would have
gone. 1t made a great stir in the
Senate. The elders, on the Democratic
side, jumped in to rebuke the New
Yorker and Senator La Toilette, with
whom Senator Root had clashed, said
most caustic and sarcastic things
about him.
The outcome was that the Repub-
lican critics no longer have hopes OF
Senator Root, whose influential ad-
vocacy they would have liked to count
on their side. He has steadily refused
to vote with the Republican insur-
gents, who are not likely to receive
President Taft's cabinet officers are
beginning to strike a rapid pace and
are making things hum. Several of
them have been going out on inspec-
ton trips connected with important
departmental business. They have
learned the ropes here in Washington
and are now acquainting themselves
with the activities of their depart
ments outside of Washington. They
have also been sounding a few key
notes about the administration policies.
Secretary MacVeagh, who stuck
close to the Treasury Department for
the first month or two, has been to
New York of late. A vast deal of
Treasury business is transacted in
New York. More than half the Gus
toms duties of the United States are
collected over there. The financial
operations of the country, with which,
of course, the Treasury is closely con-
nected, centers in New York.
Secretaries of the Treasury always
nave to go to New York every few
months to keep in close touch with
the administration of the Treasury S
business there. Nose of the Assist
ant Secretaries have also to make fire.
quent trips there. Just now the ex-
position of frauds upon the customs
over there is interesting Treasury of
ficials tremendously and they are
standing behind William Loeb, jr., the
present collector, who used to be
secretary to President Roosevelt. Mr.
Loeb is achieving what many before
him tried to do and failed. His Wash
ington friends hear that it may estab
lish him prominently in New York
politics and that higher party honors
will be bestowed upon him. Some are
predicting that he will be the Repub-
lican candidate for Governor next
year to succeed Governor Hughes, who
probably, will not run again because
of the custom in New York state that
a governor shall not serve more thar
two terms.
Secretary of the Navy Meyer, hav-
ing taken hold vigorously of affairs il
his department, has been familiariz
ing himself with the work of the big
navy yards on the Atlantic Coast. HI
has been to Norfolk and to almos
every yard on the coast up as fal
as Charleston. His department is z
most tempestuous one, because of thu
Navy factions and the contentious owe
the administration Of navy yards
which was an inheritance from thu
administration of Secretary Newberry
his immediate predecessor. The Blu
reau chiefs have already ascertainet
that he is a very fair man, quick t.
grasp the significance of big questions
and that he has opinions of his owl
and will not allow the bureau chief
to run him. He has many troublesom
problems to handle, one of which ha
been the selection of a chief of tn
Bureau of Steam Engineering. Tha
| involved a war between line and stat
| officers and in this particular instanc
| affected a conflict between nearly a.
| the officers of the Navy and the Cor
struction Corps. Engineering and cor
struction used to be one bureau year
ago. Admiral Capps, the present chic
| of construction, a very able and con
| petent man. was educated as an er
| gineer officer and some have favore
/ giving him larger authority Owe
| strictly engineering work. At one tim
| he was the acting chief of the Ell
! cheering Bureau. His critics, viii
| conceding that he is we'll qualified ft
| the larger tasks, argue that the DE-
| partment has been placing too muC
power in the hands of one man ar