Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-03-23
The 1rrepressible Nebraska senator.

The Irrepressible Nebraska Senator.
The Senator who appears TO have at
tracted the most attention since the extra
session Of the Senate began is Mr.. Van
Wyck. He seems to have prepared him.
self to play a leading role. He thought,
probably, that Congress being out of the
way the attention of the whole country
would be centered on the Senate during
the few days that it would be in session,
and that, therefore, there was a chance
for him TO achieve a little nOtOrIety.
Senator Van Wyck has certainly made
plenty Of noise, and he has made some of
the Senator'S very uneasy. He isn't a
handsome man. and he cannot be called
a great man. He has, however, a certain
amount Of shrewdness that has answered
him very we'll in his efforts to get ahead
in the world.
1t is probable that Mr.. Van Wyck is
not a great refOrmer, although he is on
the reform line at present. 1t might be
unjust to him to insinuate that he is
something of a demagOgue. A careful
study OF his career, however, is calculated
d leave that impressions; but whether he
is a demagOgue or not it cannot be denied
that he has struck some pretty hard blows
at abuses that have long been tolerated in
the government.
It's not surprising that Senator Teller
WINGED under the flashing that Mr.. Van
Wvek gave him. 1t is n notorious fact
that the Interior Department has been
conducted for years in the interest of cor
p0rations and mOnopOlies. The railway
companies in their contests with the peO-
pie generally got what they wanted.
OF course Senator Teller claims that
he followed precedents, and that he had
the opinion Of tine Attorney General for all
the important decisions he made. His
defense, however, does not meet the
charge that under his administration Of
the department, the rights of the poor set.
tiers and seekers after homes IN the West
and South were sacrificed to promote the
schemes of wealthy corporations.
AaOther thing to W hich Mr.. Van Wyck
has drawn the attention of the country is
the practice Of the Senate Of arranging
iunketing parties for Senators who
want to have a good time during the sum-
mer vacation. These parties take the
shane Of committees that are authorized
to investigate something or other, and re-
port about it TO the Senate. The report is
made. but nothing ever comes Of it. These
iunketing trips, however, cost a good deal
OF money. because the Senatorial commit
tees travel in palace cars, put up at the
best hotels. drink the finest wines and
smoke the best cigars.
The immediate occasion of Mr.. Van
Wyck's remarks on the subject of junk
citing trips was the proposition to send a
committee to investigate the resources Of
Alaska. Doubtless some Of the Senators
wanted to visit the Territory in order to
find out something about its sources Of
wealth. not perhaps so much for the bene-
mt Of the country as for their own benefit.
The way these Senatorial investigating
parties are arranged is interesting. Dur
inr the session two or three Senators, or
perhaps half a dozen, find out that they
would like to visit certain locality, and
straightway they begin to arrange for an
investigating committee. They generally
succeed in getting the committee,
and in having it made up
in the way they want it.
Senator COckrelI has always fought these
committees. but Senator Van Wyck
has distanced him in that line since the
extra session began. The people will ap-
pIaud Mr.. Van Wyck as long as he wars
on abuses. even though he seeks his own
ACKNOWLEDGMENT rather than the good of
the country.