The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-03-11
THE UNITED STATES SENATE.

stay-unwept, unhonored and unsung- leaving behind it the last echo oi
 wasted hours, undignifed proceedings
 unwise legislation in words, which ir deeds was no legislation at all. The
 house is a big, turbulent body, reck'
 less i'm it's squander of time and oppor-
 tunity, and fairly reveling in the risk of never doing till tomorrow what ought to be done to-day. So much Us l this it's line of statesmanship, that nc great things are expected of these un- ruly, neyer-amenable to discipline, | thfee and a half hundred national schoolboys On the contrary, one
 would be surprised if they did any | thing else, but keep right on With the | performance up to the last minute
 reached by the fourth of March clock, which, in its own unique way, holds | back the hands of Time himself.
 | But when the senate loses it's head, descends to even a more reckless waste of time, in personal quarrels and ex- | change of epithets, and skates on thin l ice up to the last hour of the session, | throwing to the winds that dignity and | decorum which is the peoples hope
 and pride-then, what is to be said of
 the United States senate? This was
 the spectacle presented during the last days, reaching it's climax, when | the vice presidents patience and gaVel gave out at the same time, and the Sergeant at Arms came to his relief,
 by reading the riot act, so to speak,
 to both sides of the chamber. When an English visitor at my side in the gal- l lery said, in a tone of unmistakable
 meaning and with an Interrogation point at the end of it, "How very ex- traordinary?" I replied, coolly, "Oh,
 no-quite commonplace, after one has
 seen the British house of lords in ses- sion with their hats on their heads and their feet on the benches, or the
 French chamber of deputies come to
 blows over the lie given in debate"
 At the same time, in spite of outward
 ly bracing up to the patriotic duty of
 defending my countrymen, inwardly
 there was the sense of shame and nor tification, and curious weakness, as
 if the prop had gone down somewhere,
 and pride been given a fall as never
 before.
 After all this, what is to be said Of
 the United States senate? We'll a good
 deal, perhaps; on hle one hand, some
 thing of the young blood" with its
 new force of resistless energies, brains
 and experience, lessening for while,
 at least, the hitherto wide differences of personnel in the two houses; and, on
 the other hand, more may be said of the
 others-the calm, strong, dignified men
 of the senate, who, above and beyond
 all changes, are still it's wisdom, its life
 and it's backbone. So that while the
 good looking young senators" throw around the senate a certain spruceness of the smart set and ferment the at
 mosphere with the uneasy vigor of spontaneous speechmaking, there is much to be thankful for in the fact that the rest are the great majority, and con- stitute by far the largest element. Among the safe, strong men, Senator Platt of Connecticut stands out with conspicuous ability, his splendid record second tonone in the senate. A native son of the state he so ably represents, MT. Platt has the ripe experience ac- quired by long and faithful public service which dates back thirty-five years beginning as secretary of state and followed by several years in the legislature, partly in the senate ana partly in the house. where he served as speaker. When, not long after he was elected to the United States senate the state of Connecticut greatly honor ed herself and the state at large by the choice of a man of brains and integ- rity. and who was at once so well l equipped for the duties of this position. |
 Senator Platt weilds ready pen, and is wise, clear cut, forcible speak | CT. He writes with the good style of 1 conciseness and easy grace 1 of language, which gives to the reader 1 a direct understanding and full en- 1 joyment of the subject. This is very marked in a recent article in the Feb l ruary North American Review, entitled | Problems in the Indian Territory 1 Though the Indian may be termed a l well worn topic, Senator | Platt tells the story so clearly and l that it is in itself an admirable | solution of the Indian question.
 It may be said of Senator Platt that I nothing escapes his attention. He is one of the most alert and faithful to | duiSJ hiln SO WStt pOSleQ lUdL ne IS ready at any moment to put in his | oar, whatever measure may be up for action or debate. Senator Platt is not | given to long, set speeches, seldom or never preparing those elaborate eff forts which Spread on the Record" to be mailed to constituents. But he is l remarkably ready speaker, without flourish, extemporaneous and vigorous, and in plain, simple English going to the point, He is one of the most American of Americans, and on questions of foreign policy affecting he interests and honor of the United States, one knows where to find him. When Germany showed her hand against the importation of American meats to that county the house backed down in a proposition to re- oeall the sugar duty, and the senate inance committee reported the amend nent favorably. Senator Platts posi- ion was promptly defined, and in no uncertain terms. He made point of ,rder against the amendment as gen. ,ral legislation of an appropriation Jill, and characterized this kind of egislation as 'vicious and utterly in- lefensible." Senators, he said, were ,alled upon to vote on a matter of such and irnDOrtanee without ave,,