The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-06-17
By Ernest @. walker.
CMan Special to The Advertiser.)

WASHINGTON, June 1.-President
Taft is now in the last stages Of his
struggle with congress for
legislation. The edge has been worn
from Washington interest in those mat.
ters. 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 enaetments must
go in considerable part to insurgent Re.
publicans and in 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 series
of reverses the winter long. They have
been unable to justify the confidence
that the President reposed in them as
the constituted instrumentalities Of leg.
islation. Their ranks have been serried.
Desertions have been not infrequent.
And in the eleventh hour of their long
winters struggle they are making a
sorry effort to gain something for the
President and the party upon which to
go before the country.
The President Is influence with con-
gress seems to be reaching a vanishing
point as far as positive action on a
given matter of legislation is concern
ed He can not longer insist that a
railroad bill, for instance, shall contain
such and such provisions. Four months
ago he was very positive in his insist
ence that the railroad bill should pass
the senate and the house exactly as
Attorney General Wickersham, under
his (the President 's) 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 a drafter of legislation Attor-
ney General Wickersham has undoubt-
eddy fallen short and in his own failure
he has brought share of discredit upon
his official chief No measure of great
to the transportation inter
ests of the country, or of great popular
interest, has failed so miserably in con-
gress. 1t has been riddled by criticisms
and while there may be room for
differences of opinion as to the degree
of corporation favor adroitly bound up
in legal phrases, the insurgents have
succeeded in disclosing so many un-
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 infiu-
entail Republicans there decided that
the party could not afford to surrender
abjectly. They rallied behind the Pres
ident and following his word have been
working inch by inch in an effort to
gain a little ground. Since the in
surgents demonstrated the possibilities
of demoralizing 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
held the fort.
Not the Same Bills.
Now just what is to happen in the
last chapter of the struggle to rehabili-
tate the President g legislative prestige
before the country is very much in
doubt. The senate has gotten through
with the railroad bill, after a fashion.
1t is ready for the formalities of con-
ference. The house has entered upon
a period of hard activity to save the
postal savings bank bill from the COM
mittee pigeon hole. A series of eau
cuses is expected to point the way this
can be done. Within a week or ten
days it will be apparent whether there
is any hope of saving that measure, to
which the President is committed.
Neither of these bills, however, is any
thing like the bills that the President
originally had in mind.
The party decentralization, 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
White House, all the time, however,
protesting that it would have been
far better had the legislation never
been attempted. The country is not
the Railroad Bill. Neither
is it applauding the Postal Savings
Bill. The insurgent Republicans have
damned both measures so vigorously in
season and out of season that the
Democrats can compile volume of
Republican derogatories for campaign
purposes. This fact will make it all
the more difficult for the administra'
ton 10 reap any benefit from the toll
some work done in congress.
Democratic Ammunition.
Just as soon as congress adjourls
and the President and the Republican
congressional committee undertake 10
put the ease In a favorable light 10
the country, the Democrats win be
pushing into circulation the insurgent
literature. II win not be- branded as
insurgent literature but as Republican
literature. The house divided against
itself viii DO exploited from Demo
cratic congressional headquarters and
10 the cross 6fe OF Republican 0pinen
about every important measure that
has been before congress since last
December, tho Democrats expect 10 be
able 20 divert The attention Of tho