The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-04-01
By Ernest q. walker.
II Special to The Advertiser

WACnlNOION, March 10. - Inere Z
a high old time again this week will
affairs Legislative. The senate and the
house are both sharing in the legislative
links. The leaders of both bodies are
as busy as can be. The orators are busy,
pouring forth great volumes of words
The managers are skipping around,
sounding sentiment, counting noses and
trying to arrange program and major.
tiles, against the day of voting.
In the senate it is primarily the rail.
road amendments. That holds true of
the senate debate, in which the heavy
guns are participating, and of the senate
managers who have been tripping fire..
| quently to the White House and hold
ing many parleys in the quiet of their
| committee rooms. 1t is true to less
extent of the house, where the railroad
| debate is still some weeks off. But the
house committee on interstate commerce
is proving very Independent in it's de-
| alterations over that railroad bill and
is putting in amendments that the ad-
ministration does not like and that is
causing wrinkles upon the brows of both
the senate and the house leaders.
Postal Saving Bill.
But the house is also in the throes
of the postal savings bank bill, which
the senate has passed. The measure is
| before the house committee on post
offices and postroads, where four of the
fourteen members have intimated their
opposition. That includes the Demo-
Gratis. The committee is giving hear
| ings this week to all who want to be
heard and many of those who came
to speak were in opposition. There is
| no great haste about getting the postal
bill out because the house will not be
ready to consider it for some time yet.
| 1t has been wrangling over the legis-
lative appropriation bill, which carries
| appropriations for the army of clerks
| and the many officials in the depart
ments here at Washington. And as soon
as that appropriation bill is out of the
way, the naval appropriation bill will
be ready for consideration. That will
give the orators chance to discuss
exhaustively the controversy as to the
number of new big battleships which
the country needs and the controversy
over the management of navy yards as
now in operation under the Meyer re-
Railroad Legislation.
Senator Cummins, of Iowa, has been
leading off at the north end of the
Capitol in opposition to the President 3
railroad bill. He contends that it
should be modified in important par
| ticu1ars, one of which is the President IS
clause for the establishment of a COM
merce court for the trial of transporta-
ton cases. There is very strong hos
tility in congress toward establishing
any more special COURTS. There was
much criticism of the new court of
customs, which the President, at last.
is just getting established. He with
drew the nominations of five judges
therefore, when congress refused to pay
them $4,000 and agreed to pay them
but $1,000 year, but has sent in new
list, changing only the name of the
chief judge. The senate will confirm
them, but some senators will vote to
do so reluctantly. An opinion prevails
that the federal judges, with few ex-
eeptiOns, are not overworked and that
there is little need of establishing a
new circuit court at Washington, be-
cause as claimed the judges will have
little work to do. The President, on the
other hand, speaking out of his long ex-
perienee as a circuit Judge, regards it
as of the highest Importance that these
special courts be established He argues
that the judges will specialize in the
Interpretation of their special line of
cases and that there will not only be
more expedition of litigation but that
the decisions will be fairer.
That was his views as to the customs
court and it is his opinion as to the
proposed commerce court and also to a
patent court, which he also wants es-
tablished. He is very tenacious of this
idea and will not yield jot or title
the provision for commerce court IN
the railroad bill.
The opposition orators are also at.
lacking the provisions of the RAILROAD
bill, allowing railroads to buy up other
lines, to the extent of purchasing all
the stock in such lines where they now
own 81 per cent thereof or where they
hold leases for twenty years or more
There is contention over provisions
about the rights of shippers to have at.
torneys in cases, which the interstate
commerce commission brings to deter
mine the legality of new rates. Many
other provisions of comparatively minor
importance are also the subject of
wrangling. The senate committee on
interstate commerce has some amend.
ments yet TO offer and is willing for
the debate TO bring out the opinions
OF senators before formulating those
amendments.
The ambition OF the sennte leaders Is
10 effect a compromise ultimately that
both Republican factions can support
They do not claim that this will be pos.
sible at present. But they recall that
there was bitter fight In the senate
over the postal savings bank bill and
AZ the last moment way Was found ~
bring all the Republicans together upon
a unanlm0ns vote. The effect Of that
vote upon the country was most whole.
some from Republican standpoint aud
the senate leaders say II would have Y
still better effect politically upon the
sDuniEy V chs party in tbs senate
could unlte upon railroad bill.
FsAeema1sFa Busy.
Therefore u IL that the senate peaeo
llakara ara Very lluau fls.aa daa. '.,lfl.