The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-01-16
President Is Opposing All
Pork Measures Before
Congress
BY ERNEST O. WALKER
mail Special to Tne Advertiser)

bbaSOn IL .ONcE. VIII be PiS'"tNA.N -
Washington as congress returns, and
the departments open their doors for
another twelve month.
New Years by no means entails rs
extensive formalities as of yore, but as
working period for the accomplish
ment Of results in the business of gov
erning the holidays at Washington are
La disappointment. This is all the more
| marked because there is really so much
government work to do and such a
| general desire 10 get IL done within the
next sixty days. The government by
the Potomac is always punctilious
| about observing Of holidays. Congress
in one or both branches may elect to-
work Gas It sometimes doesJ but else
where at Washington all official doors
close. ....s ."'a
There will probably be a little delay
and some confusion m getting down TO
tasks, but real industry in many quar-
tiers may be expected from congress-
right away. A Willingness to shunt
aside, when possible matters that are
| vigorously opposed is shown.
Increase Postal Rates
| An illustration rests with the recent
decision of the house postoflice com
mittee to increase rates on second class
mail matter. That was conjuring up a
mighty opposition from magazines aud
kindred publications. Many of these
are already laboring under embarrass-
ment in the high cost Of print paper,
and to add to the cost of postage
would be imposing unusual burdens.
Members Of the house committee were
particularly determined but protests
became so numerous that il was de-
Icided, as already announced, not to
press it in congress this winter. "
/ The plain facts were that, even if
the provision for zone postage should
pass the House,--as it probably could
the enactment of the postoffice appro-
priation bill at the short session of con-
gress would be imperiled.. The senate
would not assent in the face of such
opposition, except after a most de-
termined fight that would consume a
great deal of time, just when time is
one of the most precious of legislative
resources.
With such status, the senate will
TEEN from this time on with enraged
solons, rising up to oppse. The measure
of. their intensity will be taken in or,
der and, according to number and de-
termination, the opposition in a given
lease will influence the steering commit
tee that has the general program in it's
keeping.
Eliminate Pork Bill
One group of bills is already being
eliminated from calculation on account
of opposition-the so-called "pork bar
rel bills".
The house has a public building bill,
said to be full of "pork''. Certain
representatives have been getting holt
day notoriety out of threats to disre-
gard President Wilson and put this
"pork bill" through whether or no, but
their vocal activities will gradually
cease as the hum of congressional in
dustry grows. If any public building
bill at all goes through-and one ma Y
be determined upon late in the session
it will be compromise to include
urgent projects.
coterie of senate progrcssives, who
are becoming more and more assertive,
promise to defeat the Flood Control
Bill, which has passed the house and
is now on the senate calendar. This
is one of the bills that President Will
son favOrs. He did not include it in
the list recommended in his annual mes
sage to congress, but he wrote letter
to Senator Williams, of Mississippi, cx-
pressing hope that this Legislation
would get through. Senator Kenyon Of
Iowa, in later times more active as a
progressive than any other senate Re
publican, assented to unanimous re-
port on this bin but reserved the right
| 30 nj - Ia VI ,la M
to defeat it. He promises, likewise, to
swat with all his might the forthcOm.
ing rivers and harbors bill.
Opposing Pork Bills
i President Wilson has been emphatic
ally against "pork" bills and has been
waiting with pen in hand to veto morc
than one vicious measure Of this sort
the last"four years. This Middle Wes'
tern group Of senators and representa-
!, tives, however, have frequently saved
him the necessity of vetoing. There
is now the additional necessity of econ.
omy, because funds in the federal till
are so low and also because military
| and naval expenditures are running SC
: high.
. On the whole congress will probably
apply itself steadily to the monotony OF
grinding out the great volume of. rou'
, tine legislation, which is indispensable
to government operations, but there ii
new impetus to politics. Ticklish pros
poets about the next house will be fea
2 tured in every hard fought contest OF
D the session from this time on.
D Presumably it will not be as easy
after March 4 for the administration
!; to have its way about enactments. i
; is likely Democrats will organize thu
b next house by elrcting Speaker Clari
8 again, but control in many minor mat
a tiers, at beast. for the next two year
+ viii be with three or four independents
These men, are sufficiently smart t.
Lnow their Importance and TO make thu
Democracy bestow upon them prope
recognition. A little company of thes
n independents will enjoy the same op
x pOrtupities that the late Senate Pet
), fer, of Kansas, enjoyed twenty year
e ago when he came to the upper legi
e lative branch rs a Popnlist, and fOnu
}. TINT hndv adually ditida1 hafuapn nf