Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-10-14
REPUTATION or THE SENATE
New York Evening Post.

been about equally NUMEROUS Tho do
fences, however, have come mainly from
some Of Its own members. Senators
lioar and Lodge, in particular, have
been very prominent on it's side, with
out, apparently, much consciousness OF
the weakness of their own position.
What they really try to show is, not
that the Senate has not lost reputation,
but that it ought not TO have lost 1t,
which is ain entirely different thing.
Reputation is what the world at largo
thinks OF man, and the only portion
of his reputation about which he can
prove to the world that it is mistaken
is that which rests on facts which he
can deny or contradict. The right 10
decide what should he thought OF his
ability, or his honestly, the facts being
admitted. is something out OF which
the world never allows itself to be
argued. Much less can 1t be argued
out of it's opinion Of any Senate or OF
any othor deliborative body, as long as
the facts an which the opinion is based
arc acknowledged, especially if the
argument comes from Senator. 1t is
very like a man saying of himself: II
an more able, ana learned. and wise,
and have far bigher character, than
you think. The ppopls who Ito not
estimate me highly are had or stupiG. p"
No matter in how many magazines lie
said this, the judicious would grleve
End the grOundlings laugh over him.
People 500 and hear tho Senate as we'll
as the Senators themselves, and IT the
literary Senators wure to be allowed TO
toll them what 10 think Of its doings,
constitutional government would come
TO au end. Fancy having to ask the
venerable Senator ioar, for instance.
what We ought 10 gay about tho sen
ate's tariff or currency Legislation, or
its action on foreign affairs!
ln addition to all this there is nearly
every month something occurring 10
make the task OF tho defender harder;
some folly nr misconduct Of a colleague
which goes to confirm the popular i'm.
preston of the whole body Fake obs
which has comu to light during the
past month--the insertion Of the 10 per
rant discriminating duty clause in the
tariff hill, which Senator Ell;ins con-
fasses that he procured, as il were, BY
stealth. Had this been coniessed by
Nlkin7 with shame and contrition, il
would have been a sufficiently heavy
blow for the good. natured, even il not
very perspicacinus Mr.. iloar. But read
Elkln'a own view enf IT, ~ am not
ashamed Of the part J a We played !
am proud OF it. The see vs. Mould have
meant for the ogean what th5 ta.sit!
meant for the land | Think it was
American, and for that reason pushed
it. This country is bound tc lie tho
aiistresa OF tho seas just as suon as we
get time TO attend to it. l wanted to
hurry it along. There wac no trlGl;
about it at all. l simply worked to
succeed. OF course, was not going
to tell those opposed to the scheme all
about it,"
Further explanations showed that he
got this provision inserted almost
secretly, and that he kept all knowledge
of it as fur as possible from the rest oil
the Senate and the House. so that when
it was discovered after the enactment,
it created general surprise. An ideal
Senator, such as Senator Hoar would
like ua to think most Senators are,
would nu more nave thought of doing
this than Of forging check or making
false entry in an account book. Far
from concealing the clause from his
colleagues, he would have loudly COM
nended it to their adoption With Ill
the eoguencs at his command. lie
would have done his best to answer
their Arguments against it. lie would
have appealed to his constituents and
the country in its favor. am if it were
rejected, he would have declared that,
much as he regretted it, the American
in Gt1nh Tn ruginD hi
self gracefully TO defeat.
This was the way Of seeking legisla-
ton contemplated in the constitution.
world Thought the only way for leg
isIator to reach his public euds. His
armur." they said, was to bs "hit
honest thought, and simple truth his
highest skill" Everything was to he
above board every concern Of free
people was TO bu open to public discus.
sion nothing through secrecy; moth
ing through ipse di⁢ nothing
through corruption. Fifty years agu II
Senator who made the confession
Elkins has msdp with pride, would
have made il with shame and sorrow,
as IL no had committed a defacation,
and Senators like Calhoun and Webster
and Sumner, Trumbull and tesseuden
and Grimes would have cut him dead
would have refused to sit near him.
Ito would have been treated. not only
as a knave, but he an enemy of free
government, al a man intent on bring
ing the constitution into contempt.
To-day ha repeats it over and over with
much vaiHglory. No Senator has said
WORD in condemnation of it, No Re.
publican journal has visited it with
reprohRtion. Elsins will next winter
90 bacE with mis- head higher than
ever, and will Try to repeat the trick
which has now failed, and we warrant
will receive kindly welcome from
both Hour and Lodge. And yet hs
saws tho trick was American.
When ElkinG first appeared in the
political horizon, II was, Characteristic
ally enough, as the devoted follower of
James q. Blaine. In 1854, when he
was uying TO hnlp Blaine to least an
anchor to windwurd, = we mado much
fun OF him aud spoke of him despite
fully. But wo were frequently assured
that We did him injustice, and that il
we knew him personally, we would find
him such mics, honorable, cultured
citizen. We do not believe he is n
worse man to-day than he WAS then, or
has hit more love of a trick, or ia
more of IN American. What has
Unopened is change in the American
political climate which makes it better
suited to his moral constitution. Ever
since the tariff hecame the one princi-
pie of lhe Republican party, something
TO he constructed in secret and de.