The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-15
HOW ALDRICH WON.


l. A. Coolidge, in Ainslee's Magazine.
Aldrich is a master of all the higher arts
or the politician. He understands people
and motives better than any other man In
Congress. He appreciates intuitively where
personal interests lie and he knows how 10
combine them. There are half dozen or
the most influential senators on the Demo-
cratic side with whom Aldrich can always
talk Understandings. When German was
in the Senate and was the master mind on
his side Of the chamber it was always easy
FOR the two men 10 get together, for they
nad many qualities in common, with this
marked difference, that German had po-
Htlcal ambitions for himself, while Aldrich
apparently has none. That is how IL hap
pened that Aldrich had so much to say
about the final shape which should be as
sumed by the Wilson-GOrman tariff act.
The history OF that act illustrates the posi-
bilitieS of level-headed leadership in the
Senate. The bill was framed in the House,
where ii had to originate, on the basis of
a tariff for revenue only, and was about as
impractical measure as ever got stand
ing in Congress. When IL reached the Sen
ate 1t ran up against lot of hard-headed
politicians and business men who cared
nothing for theories. German on the DEM
ocratic side had as little use for Wilson's
Vagaries as any one of his Republican as
sOciates. He did not know very much
about details of the tariff, but he knew
In q general way what he wanted 10 get
and he was very glad indeed TO have the
assistance of Aldrich's technical knowledge
when he came to the task of putting his
ldedS INTO shape. III Is ndrOly secret lHul
the cotton schedule in the Wilson German
act was dictated by Aldrich almost word
for word, and there were many other
schedules about which he and other Re-
publicans had great deal to say. The
Senate was not overwhelmingly Democratic
at that time. and the wishes of individual
senators had to be consulted in order to
get enough votes TO pass any bill whatever
When the bill went back to the House it
was barely recognized by its original franz
ers, but there was nothing they could do
H. ole
an election was coming on. For DeVo-
cratic Congress elected on the tariff issue
to have adjourned without passing some
kind of a tariff bill would have been a
confession of ineficiency, which was not
TO be thought Of To send the bill back TO
the Senate meant its defeat. In despera-
ton the Democratic House adopted the
Senate bill without the crossing of a "t''
or the dotting of an IL, marked by per
fidy and dishOnor" though they believed it
10 be. That was an occasion where a few
cool heads in the Senate proved more than
equal to the President and the House COM
bined, and Aldrich, Republican though he
was, is entitled to a great share of the
What Aldrich did with Democratic Sen
ate on this great question of party policy
he is constantly doing with the Democratic
minority in Republican Senate on all
sorts of questions which have a business
side. He is not man who establishes in
innate friendships either among his party
associates or his party opponents, but he is
good terms with everybody and appar-
emily deals with frank confidence with
everybody One great secret of his success
is that he cares nothing for personal dis
tinction. He is entirely satisfied with his
position in the Senate. 1t is matter of
Indifference to him whether his name fig
ures in the newspapers or not He is not
looking for anything in a political way
beyond what he already has So long as he
can get substantially what he wants into
bill he does not care what name it goes by.
The Mckinley bill. the Dingley bill, the
Hanna or Frye bill are all one TO him SO
long he has something to say about
their contents. lie is not figuring on the
presidency or looking forward to a place
in history. He never seeks the center of
the stage and cares nothing for the lime
light. Thus one powerful cause for jealousy
and suspicion on the part of his associates
is altogether lacking. He is probably the
only man in the Senate of whom this can
be said, for even the best of them have
their vanities and ambitions.