The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-07-30
WORKING AWAY
IN SHIP SUBSIDY
Predicted That Democrats viii
Pass the Bill if They Gain
Control.

! WASHINGTON. July 1S.-If the Re
publicans lose the next national house
| Of representatives, in the opinion of
many weatherwise political observers,
d ship subsidy bill may he passed a.
the short session of congress. There
| has been a good deal of quiet, unofficial
| talk con the side since the adjourn
ment of congress, and men who had
followed the subsidy inquiry of the past
session with attention have gone over
the ground in detail. While they ad
nit that the subsidy cause IS now ut
, terly discredited among the serious men
in congress, they believe that an IN
crease in mail pay along the lines of the
| Humphrey bill might be put through
merely for the purpose Of placating the
! subsidy boomers ii there were nothing
to be lost by it. Ii the next congress
should turn out Republican, it is not
likely the measure could be forced
| through. But if il should turn out to
! be Democratic. the result might be diff
| ferent.
| The result Of the investigation in
! congress has been to irrltate the sub
| sidy men very profoundly, as they had
! apparently thought they could never be
| called to account for statements like
! those they put before the country with
out warrant in such publications as the
! American Flag. The irritation has
! been expressed to the leaders and com
i plant has been made that the oppo
ncnts of subsidies seem to be having
! their own way and are succeeding IN
! discrediting the subsidy movement.
| The argument has been matt, there
! fore. that. simply AS a matter Of ''vin-
| dication,' it is necessary to give them
something. Leaders, it is understood,
have recognized the foundation for this
view, but they have not found it the
easier to overcome the difficulties in
the situation. Many. it is said, have
been impressed with the necessity Of
doing something' to pIacate the irri
tated subsidy men and prevent them
from assuming a disguntled point Of
view, winch would be very bad politi
calIy. 1t has. however. been underst GOD
L.
sidv movement so strong as II is in the
middle West and elsewhere, it would
be folly to try TO dragon members into
voting for such bill when they knew
that such action would be as much as |
their political lives were worth. F!
Vote on Gallinger Bill
Preparations for an early start have !
already been made by securing con
sent for vote in the senate en- the
Gallinger bill shortly after the reas
sembling next December. The Gallinger
bill does not differ very materially
from the Humphrey measure, and there
is the same general attitude with re
spect to it as with respect to the Hum
phrev bill. The senate is expected to
pass the bill with but little opposition,
save that which comes from the insur
gent group, originating in the Middle
West, and this should send the measure
to the house before the holiday recess.
If the plan works as now expected, the
question will then be simply whether
the bill can be forced through the low
err chamber before the fourth of the
following March, and that will depend
very largely upon the political condi-
tons already sketched. One thing the
subsidy people are counting upon is the
active support of the President. Nh.
Taft gave his adherence to the subsidy
scheme early in the past session, but
thereafter he was more or less indif |
ferent 1t is a noticeable fact, how
ever. that. although there has been no
official utterance about the subsidy |
measure since the adjournment Of con !
greSs some mention of the bill has |
been made in all of the unofficial or |
semi official announcements that have |
been allowed to get out. This is con
spicuouslv true of the various announce |
ments about a program Of legislation |
for the short session that have been !
made known. Some of the subsidy peo
pie feel that the subsidy scheme IS |
peculiarly an Ohio proposition, having |
been financed largely by the Cleveland |
shiphuilders, iron ore interests, politi !
clans. etc. and that it should be i'm |
dorsed by the President with special |
force on account of the interest Of his !
own State in securing its passage. |
There is no evidence that this view has |
been accepted by President Taft but |
i is the evident belief Of the subsidy !
people that he viii pull hard for the !
passage of the mail subsidy bill at the |
coming session as an element in party |
policy
Further Investigation. !
In the meantime the subsidy boomers /
are very DESTROYS Of manufacturing !
some further political capital. The !
house investigating committee has con
scented to hold some hearings in New |
York during the coming fail, and at |
that time it is now reported there viii /
he an effort on the part Of the political |
,chnmerS 10 hrinn some al tho fnreion /