The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-12-23
SESSION OPENS UP AS A
POLITICAL FREE-FOR-ALL
War Makers Plunged Into the Fray Without
Any Preliminary Parleying-. Message
Pleased Very Few

preme Court nominations. Had he gone
ahead without consulting the wishes of
so many politicians and forwarded his
nominations TO the senate, the country
would have had more respect for the
procedure.
A Tariff Fight.
There is sufficient material for a
through -the-session fight in Senator
Cummins' championship of new rules
for schedule by schedule revision of the
tariff. The older men of the senate
are already raising the cry that it's
adoption would be the first step towards
cloture, which is virtually the same
thing as the previous question in the
senate. That is a century old con-
troversy in the senate. The outcome
of every effort there at cloture has
been defeat.
With the schedule-by.schedul revis-
ion assuming that aspect in the senate,
antagonism increases alike toward Sem
ator Cummins and President Taft. For
one reason or another the Democrats
and regular Republicans will join forces
on such an issue. The outcome prob
ably will be that a handful of Insur.
gents and a few stragglers from the
two parties will support the Cummins
resolutions if they ever reach a vote
If the senate ever gets keyed up to
one of its oldfashioned debates on the
subject, the changes viii be rung on
executive interference and Senator
Cummins will be pilloried as legis-
lative upstart
Something New Every Day.
The Insurgents are adding to the
turbulence by starting something new
every day. They propose to keep n
hot fire under the pot. There is a
pretty thoroughly organized propa-
ganda to that end. Reports that pro
gressive members of the interstate com
merce commission will be promoted to
the commerce court so that conserva-
tive men can be appointed in their
place and the railroads have their way
about increases in freight rates are all
of Insufgent origin. OF course. the
commerce court will have three conser-
vative members, against two progress
sives, according to such chronicles,
that the railroads may also control that
tribunal Insurgent senator's acclaimed
loudly last session, when the provision
for cQmmerce court was under con-
sideration, that that was just what
would happen.
Muruock StlrS Things.
The head and front of the trouble
making propaganda in the house is
Representative Victor Murdoch, of Kan
sas. He is Iesourceful and because of
his newspaper experience knows the
outlines of a "story'' that will com
mand public attention. Representative
Norris, Of Nebraska, is his chief aid.
The story, of night sessions to permit
of immediate revision of the tariff
started with the Kansan. One diff
entity with the night session is it has
been demonstrated again and again
that members will not attend Only
night session on some matter of very
pressing moment will hold anything
like quorum at the Capitol.
The daring little band of Insurgents
are almost as willing to make trouble
for the Democrats as for the brethren
in the Regular camp. The tariff agi-
tation goes forward quite as much for
the purpose of stealing the Democratic
thunder as for anything else. When
the opportunity is right, Insurgents
are willing to cooperate with Democrats
if it will help to an Insurgent victory.
But they have as little regard for the
Democrats as they have for the Presi-
dent, in spite of his efforts to placate
them
Incidentally the fury of the Repub-
lean quarrel is just now serving the
Democrats well. 1t is the dominant
feature of Washington activities and
diverts public attention from Demo
cratic troublea