The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-02-18
PARTY GETTING
OUT OF HAND
Republican Whips Can Not Keep
the Members Under Any
Sort of Discipline.
UNANIMOUS CONSENT is PAU
Majority Men Are Fighting Each
Other and Democracy Smiles
in Approval.
CONSENT is PAU
By Ernest G. walker.

y
whips could not keep the Republicans
of this house in their seats,'' moaned
Representative John Dwight, of New
York today He is the chief Republi-
can whip, but knows that he has fallen
upon evil days. There is great demoral-
ization of the Republican majority. 1t
is nowhere better evidenced than in the
efforts to maintain a'party majority
while bills are under consideration.
AT the outside there are between
twenty-five and thirty house insurgents.
Hardly man of them is giving any at
,tention to legislation or to the daily
proceedings of the house. AS each day
rolls around they are more intent upon
parleying with one another. They want
to know the latest developments and to
formulate plans. A big coterie of these
insurgents take up their station in the
easy chairs of the spacious rear lobby
There is coterie of regulars quite
as intent upon factional politics. They,
too, are running all around the south
end of the Capitol, taking one another
into dark corners, and talking over the
latest insurgent Developments.
Fine for Democrats.
This makes prime opportunities for
! the Democratic minority. Somehow or
| other the Democrats are con the. job, -
and while the appropriation bills are
debated they watch their chances. More
than once recently they have been suffi-
ciently numerous, in view of the de-
pleted Republican side, to vote in pro-
visions for their own benefit A few
days ago they got into the agricultural
bill nice sum for the determination
of the boil weevil. The Republicans
were opposed to it as wasteful expendi-
ture of the public moneys.
| Almost every afternoon, when voting
is in progress, "Whip" Dwight, man
of towering figure, takes up his place
at one of the main exists of the house.
He has deputies at the other exits.
They plead and protest with Repub-
lican members to stay in the hall, often
to little purpose. The members, thus
headed off, return to their seats sullen-
| ly, tarry little, and then make a dash
for liberty.
Republican Disgust.
| Two new features of the rules-the
Calendar Wednesday and the unanimous
consent day-have contributed to the
Republican disgust with things in gen
eral. These reforms were intended to
strip the Speaker >of power. 1t is
rapidly becoming question whether
| the operation of those rules has not re-
| duced the house to a more helpless con-
dition.
The unanimous consents particularly
enforce such a conclusion. Every ses-
sion hundreds of bills, of minor char
acter, requiring the government s cor
sent to some transaction, are reported
out of committees. If they are ap-
proved by the secretary of the depart
ment under whose jurisdiction such
matters come and have a unanimous re-
port from committee, they have been
enacted by what is known as unani-
nous consent. In recent years half of a
Speaker g time has been devoted to eX-
amining these bills and determining
whether he would recognize members to
call them up and ask unanimous con-
sent for their passage.
Speakers Approval No Go.
Great numbers of such bills have been
sent of the Speaker was first required.
1t was that which many members cried
out against vigorously. Three or four
Of the bills were disposed of daily just
: after the reading of the journal and
sometimes as many more just before the
house adjourned. Members knew that
the Speaker had examined the measures
and that the minority leader had done
likewise. There was less disposition to
object to them.
All that is now done away with.
There are no unanimous consents morn
ing and evening. The Speaker no longer
passes upon these bills, such as give
the government S consent, for instance,
TO the construction of a bridge across
interstate waters, The bills 90 over
till unanimous consent day, which is
about twice n month. Representative
John Smith may now call up his little
bin on that day, IL he can get turn
hut there are 800 members and more
who know nothing about the bill and
are suspicious lest John Smith is try
ing 10 "put one across' on them.
Therefore a running fire of questions
land explanations. II takes half hour
10 pass bill. The afternoon is frit'
tered away IN fruitless talk. The house
n ih.s scFs| ON has enacted hhfdlY more
than score of these minor bills. West
en memheTs, especially, are Ia stew
ieenuse the prospects OF getting theiI
liils tn n vote are 80 remote,
So Il "a with Calendar Wednesday
every week. The house Roes of into
r0mWltier of the whole, whore there j
no I'D nn debate, and the memherr arc
nufdang ihe senate lu fplumluous ialh
Calendar "Wednesday, ia spite ~ ihl
asreuionp af lts aiYlcaiesi Be- faf fFou
being suefesf
VIII such nnuonenf against en-
tfannneil0n nl lna|nnrfi ihe lradfH af'
10 iespair fuee the adoption ~ ihi
iierl ulrs iepuiY years ago ihea ha'
utiW lefn aafh iWp0innee Tie irnd
rv rnnfaaa Ties ran rNi tfa Nhfle ii Z
nnIHf in pna llnY afa efHHin a. n
mfnhhng lap.ial AZ lhf ilfmnrfaiii
asI.I. .UI a.a IIra Ia 4a.IlF IA 4l4HI 4