Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-07-31

SEES {. D. P.
FAST GAINING
Continued from page one)

Continued from page one)
STATED his stay in the Hub City fol
several weeks and gave him an op
portunity to get a line on New Eng
land and North Atlantic coast politi
cal situation, and in Washington his
work On behalf of the Rapid Transit
franchise extension bill brought him
into connection with a number OF con
gressmen. He was also enabled to see
the trend of legislation and congress
sional affairs, and his comments on
these are of particular interest
The situation in Congress is the
cause of much disguised criticism.
he said today. On the day left
Washington. think it was, | counted
times. The highest number present
was 80, the lowest 80, and there were
81 present the other time | counted.
And this out of a membership of 419,
] believe it is.
I'm the senate there are not over
ten on the floor It's impossible to get
legislation transacted and as a matter
of fact Congress is far behind in its
regular business. The members are
out in their home districts doing poll
tics, many Of them of course having a
big fight on their hands for reelec-
ton
Delayed Measures.
Illustrating some of the national
legislation which is delayed, Mr.. With.
ington referred to the river and har;
bors bin, the appropriation measures
and the antitrust bills fathered by
the Wilson administration.
The situation with regard to the
rivers and harbors bill is worth seri-
Gus consideration and I have seen lit
tie reference to it in the newspapers"
he said ..,-..
The harbors end of the bill is all
right, but the rivers division is the
subject of much criticism. The diff.
Guilty is not so much because of the
attack on the bill as 'Dork-barrer leg
islaticn as because the various pro,
jects have been taken up piecemeal
and without adequate estimates of
work involved on the EXPENSE.
. The projects in this bill are large
ly directed by local pressure upon
the board of federal engineers and the
engineers yield because Congress gives
in along the same line. Senator Bur.
ton, who is active in trying to remedy
the faults of rivers and harbors legis,
lation, would leave to the engineers
the handling of the various projects.
with Congress, of course. deferred to
on the matter of appropriations.
The criticism against the Hilo
breakwater, however, was only a
slight one-that IL is not being pur.
sued along the original lines entirely,
but that doesn't amount to much-ihe
objections to the general bin are al
most entirely with regard to the river
projects"
Senator Newlands of Nevada. a
has had a bill for several
sessions that he didn't press, dealing
with river transportation in a broaG
conservation of waters,
with regulation of river. flow, ETC.,
.aking up the subject from a national
in order to handle the
Ubole problem of water conservation,
and flood regulation =
such problem involving, for in.
stance, the Ohio situation due to the
loods ....
The great question is whether
congress hadn't better postpone much |
If its rivers legislation now included
n the rivers and harbors bill until |
t can deal with the whole subject
long the lines proposed by Senator
49,
trust Legislation Delayed and De-
laying.
The administrations trade com.
mission bilf-well, every man in Con- |
sress has different view about that |
md it is making little Roadway. The |
difficulty is that it's sup. |
,orters have to admit that practically |
VI instances of unfair competition
md such Industrial actions = would |
'e met by the existing antitrust stat |
ties, the Sherman law. The provi- |
ions prohibiting interlocking direc- |
crates haven't been put in. OF course
his would be feature not now Gov.
red by the Sherman law"
congress Not Busihessfike.
Mr.. Wilmington seems to think that |
he root Of Congresses delay is lack
# businesslike leaders. |
Frankly" he says, "the trouble
nth the House is that only one chair
nan of any large committee is from
he north. That is Chairman Fitz.
,erald of New York, head of the ap- |
committee The south |
IN men do not accomplish. business.
The appropriation bills have been
eld up for many long weeks. Just
yesterday had q cablegram telling
ne that two of the appropriation nea-
ures, one the sundfy civil bill and
he other deficiency measure, had
often through.
For eight Congresses, while the
republican were in control, the ap-
measures were duly pass
d. Now the administrations bills
re holding up the necessary legisla.
lon that should have been put
trough long ago. When the Democrats
Iere charged with this on the floor
f the house, Mr.. Fitzgerald arose
nd said, Yes, it is true that our
precipitation bills are behind time
nd | want to say that l am in no
ympathy with. 1t. A power greater
nan that of the house is reSponSible