The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-06-14
Senator spooner.

ice, a member of the United States
senate, the Herald remarked that IN
him one of the ab1est OF. the younger
Republicans of the country had been
developed in congressional service.
The political revolution brought about
in his state a year or two later threw
Mr.. Spooner out of the senate for some
years, but his state, on returning to
it's normal condition of Republication,
wisely took the first opportunity to
send him back to that body. Mr..
Spooner has returned more matured
and more confident in his own powers.
He cannot take leadership from the
veterans of his party, like Senator AL
lison, for instance, and he is wise
enough to know it; but the detection
of Senator Hoar from the support of
the recognized policy of the Republi-
cans as regards the new possessions of
the nation has left a vacancy in the
debating quality of the Republican
Senators which, we are inclined to
think, while this subject has the
prominence that it is likely to hold for
the coming years of the more immedi-
ate future, no man is so we'll adapted
to fiji it as is Senator Spooner.
The Republicans, numerically speak
ing, predominant IN the Senate of
Congress much more than in the House
of Representatives. Yet in the former
body their advantage in debating tai
ent is less. There are very few Demo
Gratis of intellectual distinction in the
House: so few, indeed, that it is diff
cult to see how the Democrats can ade-
quate1y organize its committees, pro-
viding they obtain the majority IN that
body as a result of this years cleo
tions. AS regards the Senate. the
Democrats stand better. Their Sena-
tors are nearly ali from the South;
but, while that section has sent sew
eral competent men from among them,
from the North the Republicans have
not greatly strengthened themselves.
Their newer Senators, from whom de-
batting strength might reasonably
have been expected, are, aside from
Mr.. SpoOner, Foraker, Of Ohio, Depew
of New York, and Beveridge, of Indi-
ana. There were, also, somewhat
earlier, Thurston of Nebraska, and
Fairbanks of Indiana; bat these
two Senators have hardly met eXpec-
tatiou. Of the others, Foraker is a
fluent speaker and a man of ability in
argument, but he never in1presses any
one as being more than clever and
capable PARTISAN. Depew is-Depew,
which is to say that he is witty, facile
in turning taking sentences, but be-
youd his depth when engaged n seri-
GUS debate on the floor of the senate.
His speech in his debut on its floor
created little impression, and the
readiness with which he goes under
the political dominion of Plat does
not aid him in influence or distinction.
Beveridge impresses one with bright
ness, and with, it may be, capabilities
for the future; but he also strikes the
observer as very young. His speeches
have the quality of immaturity in
Judgment. The conspicuous advan-
tage he had in his Philippine speech,
from the personal observations he had
made in the islands, was much neutral
lied by unfortunate admissions as re-
CARDS the position of the nation to-
ward them, that a man with more
reflection and more experience in pub
lie life would have avoided.
Senator Spooner was seasoned
against such mistakes as this by his
earlier experience in the senate. He
T. comes to his duties there well qualified
for present work. He is an abb,
lawyer. 1t is plain that he has haC
much experience at the bar, an expert
ence that it would be an improvement
in him to forget if he aims at the high
est craftsmanship He de1ights-h
fairly reve1s-in controversy, and h
is one of the most skil1fu1 men in
who have been in the senate in thi
generation. He is under constan
temptation to engage in controversy
No man, always excepting Tillman 0
South Carolina, interrupts his brothe
senators in debate as much as Senate
Spooner. Gruff old Senator Pettus Q
Alabama rebuked him for this habi
not long since. But it is to be sal
of Senator Spooner that he always doe
this effectively. He has never bee
known to be sworsted in any of tn
encounters he has invoked.
Senator Spooner made what is neare
being a great speech in the Phi1ippin
discussion last week than anything OF
the administration side that had pre-
cedsa it in the debate 1t shares witt
Senator Hoar's the disadvantage o
being too long for the widest reading