The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-10-14
CABINET WORKED HARD
WITH BIG BLUE PENCILS
Sashed Away at Estimates and Failed to Do
Any Of the Expected Things to the
Secretary of the Interior.

were carefully reviewed and around the
cabinet table there was vigorous use
OF the blue pencil on the totals of hun
dreds of thousands and even of millions
of dollars. The President, sitting at
the head of the long mahogany, was
himself the chief wielder of the blue
pencil. All that was in the interest of
less expensive government. Members
of the cabinet reluctantly yielded, as
every proposed retrenchment cut off ac-
Invites in their jurisdiction and means
protests from individuals and commu-
mites Immediately interested.
However, little of a specific character
can be stated about the results of this
blue pencil activity. For when cuts
in the estimates have been made and
incorporated into the clean print of the
immense volume of estimates now start
| ted on It's way to congress, no one can
tell what congress will do with these
reductions. 1t has the authority to in
crease, reduce or accept exactly as rec
commended. There are weeks and
months of deliberations over those esti-
mates ahead, before the written para
graph of the appropriation law will APP
pear. And again, much as the blue
pencil may be applied there is doubt
in the public mind whether the same
cabinet officers will not be Fastening
to congress in the early days of the
session which begins in December, with
supplemental estimates which may viz
tually undo the blue pencil work Of late
September days.
Ballinger Sticks.
And so it runs with a lot of work
the cabinet has been doing, while its
members tarried delightfully."- as guests
of the President in the White House
The fine story about the cabinet fore
ing Secretary Ballinger to resign
promptly "blew up.'' Some of the
more experienced observers knew from
the start that it was beautiful thing
that sprung from the brain of some
heavy thinker, who thought he
could forecast what was likely to hap
pen. That would have been about the
last possible way to thrust man out
of the cabinet. One S colleagues In
that body would hardly turn against
him or allow themselves to be made the
vehicle for projecting him into private
life. Furthermore President Taft is
not man to do important business that
way. Several schemes of indirection
have been tried with him for getting
Secretary Ballinger out of the cabinet
He has put his taboo promptly on all
of them.
Too Late to Remedy.
AS matter of fact it is all too late
now to agitate for the removal of Sec
rotary Ballinger from the cabinet to
accomplish the political advantage
which has been the chief motive be-
hind much of the summer agitation on
that subject If Ballinger were put
out now or any time between now and
early November, it probably would not
help the administration any with the
voters. The object would be too OBJ
vious. But President Taft is not only
standing by Secretary Ballinger with
logged determination; he wants to con
vince the country that campaign of
abuse against public official will not
avail in these parlOus times. The
President reasons that that public
clamor, when i'll founded, as he believes
the Ballinger agitation to be, ought
not to be recognized. He does not
countenance throwing faithful and eff
ticient officials, such as he regards Sec
rotary BalEnger, to the wolves.
And there are many thoughtful peo-
pie who applaud the President s course
in this particular Even if Secretary
Ballinger may not have been quite all
that he ought to have been, these peo-
pie reason that there should be some
encouragement of wild clamoring by
!, l. +.-Il 1, . -.
still be occasional talk about Ballnger,
it has died down and may not be heard
from again for a spell. The secretary
is applying himself to his official tasks
and going ahead as though nothing
were likely to happen in the matter of
his tenure. The joint investigating
committee Of senate and house which
investigated him at length last winter.
Will hardly meet now till along in De
cember. The Democratic members of
the committee got their views on rec
ord as fayoring his dismissal. which
was good bit of politics from their
standpoint. The administration, and
undoubtedly good many people
throughout the country, had a feeling
of disgust for the Republican members
of that joint committee for not being
on hand to prevent the Democrats from
obtaining that political advantage. 1t
was plainly a case of neglect of official
duty. But after all the harm was done
that could be done, no good could come
from making excuses for those delin-
quent Republican committeeman. And
some folks, who would have liked to
see the Republicans GUST the secretary
of the interior. were so displeased at
the manner in which those Republican
committeeman proceeded that there
would be less applause for further at
tempts to dispossess him now of his
office.
Favorable Impression.
There Is an impression in Washing
ton that Secretary Ballinger, under the
fierce attacks to which he has been
subjected. is making a very good secre-
~tary of the interior. Whatever his
original intentions as 10 conservation
policies may have been. he now appears
to be doing his very best toward meet
ing the criticisms by giving the country
the best possible administration of the
affairs Of his department. He would
like to live down the criticisms of his
official course and convince peon1e that