Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-11-11
ARE REAL LEADERS
The Men Who Control Legislation in
the Senate.
WHAT THEY THINK OF EACH OTHER
Does Not Always Agree With the
Public Estimate.
IN AND OUT OF COMMITTEES

| In AND OUT OE COMMITTEES
Who are the real leaders in the United
States Senate? What men control the legis-
lation of that august body? Every good
citizen in the country will be interested in
these questions. but how many can answer
! them correctly? Ask your neighbor to
| name the most influential senator's. Then
ask some senator to do the same thing.
The chances are nine out of ten that your
neighbor and the senator will entirely dis
agree.
The truth Is that the public in general
has very slight, and usually wrong. idea
| Of the actual strength and influence of the
| different members of the United States SEN
ate. This is necessarily so. For only a
| senator can estimate another senator at
| mis- real worth as a senator. The public
can hear and read his speeches and esti-
mate him as a speaker, but how he stands
as a senator, only other senators can tell
you. Speechmaking is but a small part
| Of a congressmans official life His real
work is done in the committees, and is
seen and appreciated by only his committee
associates.
Thus it is that men who rarely make a
speech, who are seldom mentioned IN the
newspapers, often possess the very great
est influence in the Senate. And often
senators who are regarded by the public at
large leaders have comparatively small
influence in the Senate.
The estimates made in this article of diff
ferent senator's are not the writer's opin-
ions, but solely those of the senators them
selves.
conspicuous example of the difference
between public prominence ard senatorial
prominence may be found in Senators
Hanna and Aldrich.
-'s-'.''~s" A Public Figure.
Perhaps the most conspicuous republican
in the Senate today is Mark Hanna. AS
Mr.. McKinley's representative as an able
party manager, Mr. Hanna has great DOW
er, but as a senator, as controlling ele-
ment in the shaping of legislation, he has
very little influence. This is no reflection
on Mr.. Hanna, for no man who has been
In the Senate only a year has any great in
huence. 1t is simply matter of fact how
ever. that a most prominent member of
the Senate, man who is spoken of as hav-
ing made a President, has COMPARATIVELY
little influence in the Senate.
ON the other hand, Mr.. Aldrich, whom
the country seldom hears of. except when
he is managing a tariff finance BILL is
one of the strongest men in the Senate
He is one of the workers of that body He
has done most of the work on all the recent
republican tariff and financial measures
presented to the Senate. 1t is said that he
was as much responsible for the passage
of both the Mckinley bill and the Dingley
bill as was either one of the gentlemen
whose names went to these measures He
is a well-posted man, and is influential
with both republicans and democrats.
Mr.. Quays position has been somewhat
like MIR. Hannas. Now, however, Mr..
Quay has been in the Senate long enough
Tor his associates to recognize his shrewd-
ness End good sense. He is a thorough
iS inf &c oh inAx Il;
own party. Nevertheless the democrats
find him good man to get along WITH be-
cause he does just what he says he is going
10 90, and his opponents can rely on his
WORD, whether he says he Is going to fight
them or help them.
---" An Intellectual Force
q. OF an entirely different character from
the influence of Senators Hanna and Quay
is that of Senator Hoar. Senator Hoar is
a scholarly, clear-headed and able states
man. He has had the best of academic
training, and has cultivated in every way
an already broad intellect. AS might be
expected, he has much influence in the Sen
ate on any matter that is purely intellec-
tual In character. His power is exerted
through his ideas, rather than through his
personality.
Speaking of administration men, there is
a man on the other side who during Mr..
Clevelands last administration was the
strongest supporter that administration
had In the Senate. This is Senator Gray.
MI Gray was democrat, strong gold
man, and strong defender of President
Cleveland, and yet he always retained the
respect of the silver democrats. This was
because, while he was a sincere advocate
OF Mr.. Cleveland's measures, and withal
was courageous and Independent in this
advocacy, he was not regarded as having
betrayed silver constituency for the pa
tronage With WI which such betrayal would be
once asked democratic silver senator,
who was well acquainted with both Mr..
Cleveland and Mr.. Gray, why the Presi-
dent did not appoint Senator Gray to one
of the late vacancies in the Supreme Court,
when he seemed to find it SO difficult to
ma man who would suit both himself
and the Senate. The answer to my ques-
ton came quickly and emphatically.
Independence and Force.
For no other reason except that Gray
is man of independence and force, who
has not been and will not be dominated
by Grover Cleveland" The reply is char
acteristic of the way both Mr.. Gray and
Mr.. Cleveland were regarded by the silver
senator's.
there are some strong men.
One Is Jones of Arkansas. Before he
was made chairman of the democratic ma
tional committee Senator Jones was but
IN the Senate had been already establish
ed, as that OF an honest, well-balanced,
sensible vigorous and able man. He could
be relied upon never to make any blunder
either POLITICAL or otherwise-was always
willing to work hard foB his constituents
and his party, and constantly proved him
self a sound adviser and an able manager
1t was he who In 1894 wen. to each dem
ocratic senator. and sourii jus. what sort
OF tariff bill would command the support
OF every democrat. And 1t was he who
then prepared and arranged the amend
ments which made possible the first demo-
cratic tariff since the war.
Another distinctly strong democratic sill
yer senator is Cnckrea Of Missouri. You
rarely see his name in print, outside of a
Missouri paper, yet he has been in the
senate twenty-four years, and, in the con-
troll OF legislation, is one of the most DOW
erful men in the country. Hard work, alb
solute honesty and sincerity. great polit-
tcal foresight and a Judgment that is ie-
markably-eound and unbiased are chiefly
what give him his Influence. Like Senator
Jones. he-ts a thoroughly safe adviser, and
Tor years back has been member OF oil
tne democratic steering committees" He
has probably more inauenca an the renuh-