The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-22
STILL THE HEATHER RAGE.

The debate in the United States SEN
ate over the arbitration treaty between
Great Britain and this country shows
that private club at its worst. 1t is no
secret that the average senator cares
little or nothing about the wishes of the
body Of our people, and exhibits con-
temptuous insensibility to their inter-
ests. But as the months and years go
by the senate seems to withdraw itself
more and more from any practical con-
nectiOn with the welfare of the cOun-
try. and to resolve itself into a de-
batting society, whose members are bent
upon showing off to one another and
do not hesitate to sacrifice the most
important public interests to the whim
Of the moment. It has now come to the
point where we believe that if the SEN
ate is not reformed, either by a change
in the mode of election or by making it
in some other way more accountable
to public opinion, we must take steps,
by amending the constitution, to with
draw from the so-called upper house of
congress the supervision which it at
present exercises over our foreign af-
fairs. It is in this direction particular
ly that the senate seems bent upon do
ing its worst. Before the holidays it
was the Don Cameron resolution that
offered a topic for senatorial spouting.
That resolution was unworthy to be adj
vanced in a high school debating club.
1t was the very essence of cowardly
braggadocio. The senate did not pro-
pose to go boldly to the assistance of
Cuba, but only to bring upon this coun
try all the consequences of a war with
Spain, without offering to the Cubans
any Of the incidental benefits that they
might be expected to derive from an
outbreak of hostilities. Since the recess
these graybeards have dropped this toy
of their second childhood and taken to
another. 1t is probably because the ar
bitration treaty offers so much larger
opportunities for doing mischief that
they are attracted by it.
This treaty has been hailed. not onIv
by the two nations principally concern
ed, but by the entire world, as the
greatest advance of modern civilization.
Its pupOrt is as simple as 1t is obvious,
1t aims merely at doing away with the
possibility of war between the two
great branches of the EngIish-speaking
race, save only where the national
honor is concerned To this end a
tribunal is devised, to which all diff
ferences sufficiently serious to warrant
1t are to be referred during the next
five years. So careful were the trainers
that they fixed this short time limit for
experimental purposes, so that if either
party was dissatified it might not long
be bound. We venture to say that no
act, either Of a domestic legislature or
Of an administration, has ever been so
warmly welcomed by all our people,
except the mischief-lovers and mischief
makers. That is enough to set our SEN
ate aSog with interest to NEEDLE, and
spoil, if possible, this well-laid plan.
There is absolutely no explanation of
the attitude Of certain senator's toward
the treaty, save their inherent hatred
of public institutions and their desire
to balance the contempt in which they
are held by an exhibition of their pow
er to do evil. Yet the fate Of this treaty,
decisive of the future of two continents
and of the fate of generations yet I'M
born, rests in the hands Of this ire
sponsible body, whose principal occupa-
ton for years past has been to hold the
rod of terror over this people, to con-
vulse them with anxiety and to bring
aster.
We need not cite many instances. The
Congressional Record is full of them.
Two Illustrations are enough to show
that majority of the senate has been
worthy for the last five years to be
called the enemies of the people. 1t
was in the senate that the pledge of
the Democratic party to reform our
revenue only was brought to naught
1t was the senate that passed a bill SO
obnoxious to the public interest and
Democratic ideas that a Democratic
president refused to attach to it his sig
nature. 1t was the senate that plunged
US into business troubles and com
passed the Generalization and defeat OF
the Democratic party. For this it had
a least, the excuse of the ser.