The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-12-23
By Ernest G. walker.

(Mil Special to The Advertiser.)
WASHINGTON, December S.-Thc
placid congressional session of the
prophets is rapidly developing into a
political free-forall. Now, while the
session is only few days old a mill.
tant fractional spirit is in the air
There has been little maneuvering for
advantage. The warmakers, whose first
duty is to be lawmakers, have plunged
at once into the thick of the fray.
The Presidents plans, the Balhnger
report, and even the selection of Su,
preme Court justices had been dragged
into fractional Republican politics be,
fore congress had been at work sew.
enty'two hours. Perhaps the wrangling
has started off so furiously it viii wear
itself out before the holidays. just
now there is bad blood on both sides
and a disposition to break the other
fellows head.
Half dozen men-all insurgents
have brought about the undesirable
status. They have swung in so vigor.
ously, that the regular Republican lead
ers have to take notice. The regulars
are in a large majority and preferred
to have a peaceable winter at closing
out the party IS estate, as far as legis.
lation is concerned.
Complicated Situation.
The situation is strangely complicat.
ed. President Taft seems to have capt.
alated to Cummins, LaFollette, Bris-
tow and Victor Murdoch, in some
measure. There is a strong suspicion
that he is quietly encouraging Senator
Cummins' ambition to become the lead.
er of the upper legislative branch. He
handed the names of men, whom he
was considering for Supreme Court JUS
tees, over to the Iowan that insurgent
senators might sit in council upon
them. 1t looks to an outsider, as
though Senator Cummins might have
been asked by the President to submit
resolutions for change in the senate
rules that would permit tariff revision
schedule by schedule procedure the
President has followed. 1t is claimed,
however, that Senator Cummins had
drawn the resolutions before he visited
the White House Offices.
Unsatisfactory Message.
The annual message contained much
that satisfied the regulars and much
that they did not like. They tried their
very best to dissuade him from saying
that some criticisms of the tariff were
just BY the same token the insurgents
liked the message in part and disap-
proved of it in part. They resent his
"Iet-well.enough- alone'' policy for the
corporations under the Sherman anti
trust law. They think he is reaction
airy in that regard.
All in all, the message seems not to
have had very pacificatOry influence.
Except in a few instances, there will
be little effort to put its recomnenda-
tions into effect. But, in any event,
there would be scant time for such
efforts.
The muddle over court nominations
threatens to be very descriptive. The
President is coming in for deal of
criticism, not so much on account of
the character of men he seeks to Sc
lect as because of his willingness to
allow the Insurgent senator's to say
that this one would make a conseTva-
tive judge or a progressive judge. The
proceeding has gone so far now that
the fractional determinations are bound
to be injected into the make up of the
court.
Oldtime senators say the President
erred in not remaining home from Pan
anna. Then he could have finished his
message long in advance of the coming
of congress and decided upon the Su