The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-06-15
By Ernest G.. Walker.


mail Special to The Advertiser.)
WASHINGTON, June President
Taft is now in the last stages of his
dlscouraging struggle with congress for
legislation. The edge has been worn
from Washington interest in those mat
tiers. In each case the history has been
OF concessions by the President in the
face of insurgent fire. Whatever credit
there may be IN those enactments must
60 in considerable part to insurgent Re
publicans and in a lesser degree to
their fairly constant allies, the Demo
Gratis of senate and house.
The regular Republicans of the senate
and the house have encountered a series
of reverses the winter long. They have
been unable to justify the confidence
that the President reposed in them as
the constituted Observation-Disclosures of leg
islation. Their ranks have been serried
Desertions nave been not infrequent.
And in the eleventh hour of their long
winter S struggle they are making a
sorry effort to gain something for the
President and the party upon which to
90 before the country.
The President S influence with con-
gress seems to be reaching a vanishing
point as far as positive action on
given matter of legislation is concern
ed. He can not longer insist that
railroad bill, for instance, shall contain
such and such provisions. Four months
En n his n
ence that the railroad bill should pass
the senate and the house exactly as
Acknowledgement Wickersham. under
his (the President - direction had
drawn it. The President insisted to the
house that this be done, as he insisted
to the senate.
His Helper Failed.
But as drafter of legislation Attor-
ney-General Wickersham has undOubt-
edly fallen short and in his own failure
he has brought a share of discredit upon
his official chief. No measure of great
Importance to the transportation inter
ests of the country, or of great popular
interest. has failed so miseraDlv in con-
gress. Tt has been riddled by criticisms
and while there may be room for
differences of opinion as to the degree
of corporation favor adrotly bound up
in legal phrases, the insurgents have
succeeded in disclosing so many I'M
fortunate provisions that confidence in
the prospects of relief to the shippers
and other patrons of railroads has been
we'll nigh destroyed.
Not His Work.
Thus far the President has been able
to keep congress in session to worry
along with his program. Therein lie
has shown some power over the faction
torn and disconsOlate member of the
majority. For this, however, he has to
thank the leaders, particularly the lead
ership of the senate, what there remains
of it. A coterie of more or less inf1u-
entail Republicans there decided that
the party could not afford to surrender
abiectlv. They rallied behind the Pres
ident and following his word have been
working inch by inch in an effort to
Gain little ground. Since the in
surgents demonstrated the possibilities
of demoralzing the majority in the
senate. as they had previously done in
the house. the regulars have been liter
ally sleeping on their arms at the north
end of the Capitol and nOminally have
iie''' '"' ~, 49, c piue
No' inc 'o"iii0 D l :, .ho
Now Just What Is 10 hdPPeiI t IL N
last chapter OF the struggle 10 lena atiIra
tate the PRESIDENT ie9loI"lLNe 20? -
before the country Is NeiS nI 4 -
doubt. The senate n. mas SoSren e enrpH5
with the ra'aro'o pl4i, "l'G. of non.
II Is ready IoI lne To- ba 'l'' an+oroJ nnon
ference. ne nus NJ no. 80 ava The
a period OF ha'u 1e IN fnon, ~ cam.
pootaI savings PAM w Llo;l, ,f oan.
mlttee pigeon Hole' 49,.
euseS - 5Aae''0I Wink; - vao1z or ten
davs il will be apparent whether there
i any hone of saving that measure, to
which the President is committed.
Neither Of these bills. however, is any
thing Ike the bills that the President
originally had in mind.
The party Generalization. which
seems to have been growing steadily
more pronounced. is quite as pro
nounced in the face Of these legislative
advances. The Republicans have
forced the bills to a final passage to
demonstrate their loyalty to the