The Hawaiian gazette., 1914-05-05
PUBLIC NOW
HAVING AN !
INNING
Committee Hearings In Congress
on Public Questions Doing
Much 70 Settle National Prob!
leihs and Putting An End 10
oratoty which Formerly Pre-
yailed n Legislature Halls al
washington.
By Ernest q. waIket.

tMall efpeeial to The Advertsef)
WASHINGTON, April, %. = Legisla.
tive proceedings in senate and hous,
may be heeadent The day Of great
c0hgressibnai debates seems TO BE- wan
ing. Meh lament with warrant on en-,
status IN that regard. But this session
Of eohgfess, md the last session Of
ccngfesJ too, demonstrated that an in
strume1tality Is rising up in lieu. By
that y meant the committees of con
gress. The disposition there Is 10 open
the doors and let the public in. The
public is arguing Legislation Of moment
in thete modern times, especially dur
iRg tie life Of this sfxty-second con
gress When the public Is through the
case 'is pretty well made up. E4cep.
tions there are now and then, Of course,
but the formal o. X. of majority Of
The senate or Of the house Is rapidly
becoming a routine proceeding.
There may be little wonder at this
when one eontempIates the many men OF
decidedly mediocre abilities VINO come
TO congress and the decidedly common
place speeches that are made whenever
there Is an opportunity to open the
iloodgates Of 0ratory. Prone to utter.
anee, your modern congressman Is very
much Of a failure in the speaking role.
lie Is either too much occupied with
pleasure or with other business in
Washington 10 be student Of public
questions. He rants from an unstoekel
lfain. Having failed SO conspfcuohsiy,
he is snpplanted indirectly BY his fel,
low citizens, the men back home. who
have studied, who have matured opin.
ions, who are more or less experts on
matters in hand.
nishing the country at committee Hear.
ings much Of the information which the
congressman used to ,delve for and fur
nish tod the country himself. Sometimes
BE- comes voluntarily, but Quite often
by request. He gets more publicity ~
'fpr Than the member Of congress. For
the lhtter may talk his precious Old
head or and get, at best, only few
lines in the newspapers. The commit
tee witness, with personality and
views that are worth while. is heralded
far and wide over the washington tIate
line. He Is also become a very potent
factor not only in shaping sentiment
out in the States, but in guiding sen.
ators and Representatives In their votes.
Canal Bin an Example.
The Canal Repeal Bill Is recent ex.
ample in point. Scores Of speeches
thereon were made in the house, but
the country paid no attention, except
as to two or three. Then% with much
hurrah, the bill was referred TO the SEN
ate and in due season placed before
the irteroeeanic canal committee. W.T..
nesses galore have been coming 10 les.
tify, and, the repeal chse, IN truth. a
Being made up there. On the testi.
nony IL viii be determined whether the
Repeal Bill shall pass and become law.
No good point made on either side Is
allowed TO 60 anenphasiked. Jealous
ehampions press argument keenly. Sen
ator Lodge prophesfed the ether day
that the tolls debate would not endure
as long as had been expected. The In
tercst In IL had simply been exhausted
at the eommittee hearings. What the
senate has to say about IL, saving one
or two speeches OF Intellectual power,
will be comment and argument UPON
the evidence. Indeed, lono.winded
though the senate stiH is, IL and re
house are falling into the ways of hu.
reaus and depaffmehts. They NAV
the taking Of testimony and the appear
ahce of experts, whefehbon arguments
are presented and the body With ati-
thority pronounces Judgment. In legis.
lation, outsiders are doing more and
more Of the work and exercising more
and more Influence
Public interest over repeal Of canal
tolls is not being susIainea. Advocates
Of the President 3 bill think IL Is not
altogether because of other, live TOPPLES
that divert attention. Senator o OR,
man Of New York, chairman OF the
interoceanie canal committee. Is said TO
have made tactical mistake. when he
started out 10 delay consideration.
There Is mHc hdpRd Earnest impat'ogce
with senatorial delays. Indeed, 4 the
senate is supposed 70 be synoifou Gus
with lack OF expedition. There was a
red-hot situation just about the day
when the house passed the repeal bill,
And Senator 0 'Gortnan, instead Of 10
ing to the task with alacrjty, found IL
convenient to be In New York and
otherwise TO defer the hearings. when
he was ready, after fuil broe rast ination,
there was the Mexlcae war scare, mot 10
mention other things In which the coun.
try is showing coneefn. In the mean.
time conviction has grown that the
President has a rleaf majority Of the
senate at his back. Az 80 n
. - ! = i.
Big Topics In sight. W.
81 And eyidef@es are multiplying that
congress willyhave plenty OF big topics
to handle. There will be few IulIs M
the proceedings, even though adjourn
mont be pressed forward into July Or
August. OF course IL there are ~
be hostilities with Mexico, that win be
dominant but the antitrust bills are
bound to have the center Of the cor.
gressional stage before long, having
been well advanced now through com,
mitteeY Il is becoming very plain
that igraat mnraI taa,ta a.. A. 49, A.s.ta