The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-07-21
DOC DAYS HAVE
A BAD EFFECT
THE SENATORIAL TEbrrRRs ARE
oURDLED AT HAVING TO
KEEP AT 1T.
ny Emest q. walker.

mail Special 70 The Advertiser)
WASHINGTON, July a.--In passing,
it is worth while to note, while we arc
in the heart of the good old summer
time that the government at Wash
ington is running with tremendous
smoothness. The actual work of keep
ing the old ship of state upon an even
keel goes on jauntily and easily. At
times the wind, that whistles through
the rigging, seems quickening to the
pace of stiff gale and the water
roughens as though there were to be
heavy seas.
All the heaving and the hullabaloo
comes from two quarters. One is con
gressional. The eyes of the country
are "sotn that way. Congressional
activity is of the grandstand variety
and the people were always partial to
spectacular things. And then, those
presidential candidates. They always
manage to kick up lot of fuss months
ahead of time. AT this stage they are
giving more performances than the au-
dienees really need, because from all
appearances tight times are ahead for
candidates. A little good work, well
planned and executed now, may count
for much eight, nine, ten months from
now; may, in short, mean victory.
But congress and presidential cam
didates are apart from the immediate
work of running the government. With
all the irregularities and extravagances
of the years, recently agone, much has
been done to systematic and put upon
a business basis the conduct of federal
affairs. Economies have been intro.
duced; cooperation has become quite
general. There is great opportunity for
further Improvement, to be sure, but
methods have been standardized and
there are less fuss and rumpus in keep
ing the machinery going.
On the Low Gear.
Thomas jefferson IS idea of the least
government possible is adhered to strict
~ at Washington during the summer
months, but in a somewhat different
way than he thought it out. The White
House and the executive departments
drive on a low gear in summer, espe-
cially beginning with July /, which is
the beginning of the fiscal year. All
the noise and perturbation, of which
congress is capable, can hardly disturb
that habit. The heat enervates. Long
time residents will not be driven out
of easy going ways when the weather
is hot. Then some 10000 people, who
man the departments must have their
vacations of thirty days each during
July and August. They are getting
those vacations now.
If it were normal Republican times,
the city would be deserted by big Of
ficialdOm. The society columns would
be full of the doingss of notable gov
eminent people at the resorts and else
where. But it is not a normal Repub-
lean year and the big officials are not
quite so ray as ordinarily However,
they are keeping their departments and
bureaus running as smoothly as may
be and everything is well.
How the old senate wrangles some
of these piping hot days over things
trivial Recently the wheels were
stopped for nearly an hour, because of
that pleasant weekend sail on the
Mayfower President Taft had planned
out for a few senatorial friends. It
was made the theme of a discussion
about adjourning the venerable body
over Saturday. Let it be borne in mind
that, when July opens on the calendar,
Saturday becomes dies non in Off
cial Washington. Yes, some folks work
in the forenoon but they don It hurt
themselves at it. When the sun is at
the top of the sky every official door
opens at Washington and away tens of
thousands of government workers of
every degree and station go scamper-
ing.